Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's StudentsFirst Missed Its Fundraising Goal, Tax Documents Reveal
Posted: 07/02/2013 2:11 pm EDT | Updated: 07/02/2013 2:15 pm EDT
The national lobbying group that aims to spread the education-reform gospel of former Washington, D.C., public schools chancellor Michelle Rhee is hauling in significantly more cash but has so far failed to meet its own fundraising goals, recently filed tax documents obtained by The Huffington Post show.
When Rhee launched StudentsFirst in December 2011 in an appearance on "Oprah,"she said her goal was to raise $1 billion in one year. StudentsFirst then adjusted its projection, saying it aimed to raise that hefty sum over five years.
The group still appears to be falling short. In the fiscal year starting August 1, 2011 and ending July 31, 2012, StudentsFirst raised $28.5 million, more than tripling its $7.6 million fundraising the previous year. During that period, the group's political 501(c)(4) arm raised $15.6 million and spent $13.4 million. Rhee herself drew a salary of about $300,000.
The lackluster fundraising news comes as Rhee faces a significant amount of staff turnover and questions about the group's effectiveness.
When it launched, StudentsFirst billed itself as a single-issue group in the tradition of the NRA, rolling out a lengthy policy document that zeroed in on measures that affec
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