Issue committee attracts national money to Denver board race
Written by Maura Walz on Nov 2nd, 2013. | Copyright © EdNewsColorado.org
The four candidates for Denver school board who broadly support the district administration’s accountability-based school reform efforts have been out-fundraising their opponents at a rate of three to one — but they’re also getting a boost from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Denver businessman and billionaire Philip Anschutz in the form of donations to the expenditure committee Great Schools Denver.Nine donors gave the group, which registered as an independent expenditure committee in June, a total of $205,000, according to filings submitted to the Secretary of State’s office on Friday. Bloomberg donated $75,000 and Anschutz gave $9,000.
The largest single donor to Great Schools Denver was the advocacy committee of the group Education Reform Now, which is affiliated with Democrats for Education reform and which also has a local committee. The organization contributed $90,000 of Great School Denver’s reported contributions.
Oakwood Homes, which is led by Pat Hamill, and Kent Thiry, chief executive officer of DaVita, each