A Democratic candidate for Arizona superintendent of public instruction said the state needs to invest more in its education system at a Young Democrats at ASU event on Friday.

The speaker, Terry Leyba Ruiz, is a retired educator, first-generation college student and a Sun Devil alumna who attended the University for her undergraduate and doctorate degrees. One of Ruiz’s daughters, who attends ASU, listened to her mother speak to a crowd of about 40 attendees.

Part of the problem with education in the state is how expensive college is, Ruiz said, but “it’s also a problem that Arizona hasn’t been investing in you and your future.”

She said this was her reasoning to run for state superintendent, a position currently held by Tom Horne, a Republican who is running for re-election.

In Arizona, the superintendent of public instruction serves as the head of the Arizona Department of Education, overseeing Arizona’s public schools,  K-12 schools. The state superintendent is also a member of the Arizona Board of Regents. 

Ruiz would want to make sure the state offers more dual enrollment opportunities, ensures a high FAFSA completion rate, and “make sure that we’re preparing our students for what happens after high school,” Ruiz said.

As a solution to Arizona’s teacher shortage, Ruiz told the members of Young Democrats at ASU that all of them should become teachers. However, she acknowledged that there needs to be better incentives to attract students to the job field.

“That means Arizona needs to pay our teachers better,” Ruiz said. “That means you need to be in better schools so that our students have good, safe learning environments, and around the state, that’s not happening.”

A major issue for Ruiz is the lack of support and funding that the state provides for students.

“I can’t make all the money go to public education as it should, but I can advocate with a very loud voice, from a very important position of leadership,” Ruiz said.

Jose Romo, a senior studying finance and political science, is a member of the Young Democrats at ASU and works on Ruiz’s campaign as a field director.

As a student,  he said helping run a campaign about public education “makes the work more personal and more meaningful” for him.

Romo previously worked with Rep. Adelita Grijalva on her southern Arizona congressional campaign. He said the Latina role models in his life, such as his mother, inspired him to support both Grijalva and Ruiz’s campaigns.

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Young Democrats at ASU President Zoe Blocher-Rubin, a senior studying political science and philosophy, said bringing in candidates to speak to the club has been “a great way to promote political education” and civic activity.

“It’s been a really great opportunity for me to get to know a lot of elected officials, and it’s a rare opportunity for students to really put a face to the name and make politics a little bit less daunting,” Blocher-Rubin said. 

Ruiz said she always tells her students they are the ones who inspire her, not the other way around.

“You’re pretty special to be sitting right here working towards your degree while being so actively engaged in the Young Dems,” she said. “You’re our future, and we need you. Don’t ever stop moving forward.”

Edited by Carsten Oyer, George Headley and Ellis Preston. 

Reach the reporter at elbradfo@asu.edu and follow @emmalbradford__ on X.

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Emma BradfordLead Politics Reporter

Emma Bradford is a junior studying journalism and mass communication and political science with a minor in business. She has previously worked at the Cronkite News Washington, D.C. bureau as a Politics and Money Reporter. Bradford is in her fourth semester with The State Press and on the politics desk. 

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