Voucher oversight splits candidates for Arizona schools chief

Arizona treasurer Kimberly Yee and former educator Teresa Leyba Ruiz debated the future of the state's Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, a voucher program projected to cost over $1 billion this year after drawing criticism for funding luxury purchases like diamond rings and airline tickets. Yee defended parental choice and proposed ending automatic approval of a family's first $2,000 in reimbursement claims, a policy her predecessor Tom Horne put in place to clear a backlog. Ruiz called for a public transparency portal and legislative review of income eligibility.

The two split sharply on accountability: Ruiz wants background checks and curriculum standards for voucher-funded schools and instructors, arguing public money demands public oversight. Yee opposed this, claiming it would violate health privacy laws for special needs students, without explaining how background checks on adults implicate a child's medical privacy.

Both candidates said they would push lawmakers for new, permanent school funding after Proposition 123 expired without a renewal plan, but disagreed on how to spend it. Yee blamed 'administrative bloat' for stagnant teacher pay, a claim state auditor data does not support, since administrative per-pupil spending has barely moved since 2020 while instructional spending, including teacher pay, rose the most.

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