Astroturf School Board Electioneering
In many communities across the United States, school board elections are a local, grassroots affair. In my own community, for example, we will elect three new members to the board of education. I have signs in my front yard for three of the four candidates who are running for office and I have modestly donated to one of the campaigns. My choice of candidates is based on considerable conversation with one of the candidates and a careful study of the priorities of each of the others. I spent three hours last week at a local candidates’ night listening to candidates for local offices including all of those running for school board. My choices are based on my grasp of the issues in our local schools and personal information I’ve been able to gather.
But in a growing number of mostly bigger cities, school board elections are being dominated by Astroturf campaigns that merely pretend to be run on a grassroots level. Outside money, frequently from out of state and pooled anonymously by dark money super PACs, is being heavily invested in advertising for particular local candidates chosen for their corporate-reform, pro-privatization ideological purity.
This November an Astroturf school board election is happening in Denver, Colorado, where Raising Colorado, a super PAC, is bundling money. Carol Burris and Darcie Cimarusti, writing for the Network for Public Education, expose a national fund raising network working hard to influence local school board elections.
Burris and Cimarusti report: “Raising Colorado is the name of a super PAC that spends money in Colorado elections. According to the Office of the Colorado Secretary of State, Raising Colorado is run by Jennifer Walmer from an office in Littleton, Colo. Its stated purpose is to support Colorado candidates who ‘advocate for high-quality public education’ through ‘uncoordinated, independent expenditures.’ The reality of Raising Colorado, however, is something far more complex. Walmer is not a lone activist collecting donations to support candidates who advocate for public schools. The real action happens at Raising Colorado’s true address: 32 Gold Street in Brooklyn, New York. At that same address, in the same suite, you will find: Democrats for Education Reform-Arizona, Philadelphia 30 PAC, and Fairness for Colorado.”
Then there is ERNA: “In 2014, that same address housed a ‘charitable nonprofit’ called Education Reform Now Advocacy (ERNA), from which Wolmar received part of her salary. ERNA listed its 2015 address as 222 Broadway, 19th Floor in NYC, the same address as the New Astroturf School Board Electioneering | janresseger:
Please read this expose of Astroturf money flowing into school board elections.
Is Your Local School Board A Wholly Owned Broad/CCSA Board
Alameda County Board of Education
- Trustee Area 2 - Amber Childress
- Trustee Area 3 - Ken Berrick
- Trustee Area 5 - Fred Simms
- Trustee Area 6 - Eileen McDonald
Alum Rock Union Elementary School District
- Karen Martinez
Antioch Unified School District
- Alonzo Terry
- Fernando Navarro
- Crystal Sawyer-Wright
Calistoga Unified School District
- Matt Reid
Capistrano Unified School District
- Area 1 - Wendy Shrove
- Area 2 - Jim Reardon
- Area 3 -Laura Ferguson
- Area 4 - Jake Vollegregt
Centralia Elementary School District
- Irv Tinkle
Chico Unified School District
- Linda Hovey
- Liz Griffin
Chino Valley Unified School District
- James Na
Contra Costa County Board of Education
- Fatima Alleye
- Vikki Chavez
Coronado Unified School District
- Julie Russell
Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District
- Tim Nonn
- Chrissa Gillies
Desert Sands Unified School District
- Cheryll Dahlin
Elk Grove Unified School District
- Chris Baker
- Marlon Hill
Encinitas Unified School District
- Anne-Katherine Pingree
- Leslie Schneider
Evergreen Unified School District
- Tony Qin
Fontana Unified School District
- Barbara Chavez
- Lorena Corena
Fresno Unified School District
- Elizabeth Jonasson
- Carol Mills
- Claudia Suarez
Irvine Unified School District
- Mark Newgent
Live Oak School District
- Mike Lelieur
Morgan Hill Unified School District
- Rick Badillo
- Thomas Arnett
Mount Baldy Joint School District
- Ronald Thomas
Mount Diablo Unified School District
- Herbert Lee
Napa Valley Unified School District
- Susan Larson-Bouwer
Natomas Unified School District
- Susan Heredia
- Scott Dosick
- Michah Grant
Nevada County Board of Education
- Caleb Buckley
Oakland Unified School District
- District 3 - Jumoke Hinton Hodge
- District 5 - Huber Trenado / Michael Hassid
- District 7 - James Harris
Orange Unified School District
- Brenda Lebsack
- John Ortega
Pajaro Valley Unified School District
- Georgia Acosta
Panama-Buena Vista Union School District
- John Lake
Palm Springs Unified School District
- Kari Middleton
Paradise Unified School District
- Donna Nichols
- Roger Bylund
Placer County Board of Education
- Dave Patterson
- Kelly Gnile
Poway Unified School District
- Debra Cooper
Redlands Unified School District
- Enson Mason
Rincon Valley Unified School District
- Mike Cook
Riverside County Board of Education
- Trustee Area 4 - Bruce Dennis
- Trustee Area 5 - Ray "Coach" Curtis
- Trustee Area 7 - Barbara Hale
Roseville Joint Unified School District
- Andrew Tagg
Rocklin Unified School District
- Kathy Turner
Sacramento City Unified School District
- Christina Prichett
- Michael Minnick
- Jessie Ryan
Sacramento County Board of Education
- Trustee Area 4 - Joanne Ahola
- Trustee Area 5 - Al Brown
- Trustee Area 6 - Heather Davis
- Trustee Area 7 - Roy Grimes, Jr.
Santa Ana Unified School District
- Cecilia Iglesias
- Angie Cano
Santa Clara County Board of Education
- Trustee Area 1 - Grace Mah (see endorsement by The Mercury News)
- Trustee Area 3 - Rosemary Kamei (see endorsement by The Mercury News)
- Trustee Area 4 - Joseph Di Salvo
San Diego County Board of Education
- District 1 - Mark Powell (see endorsement by San Diego Union-Tribune)
- District 2 - Jerry Rindone
- District 4 - Paulette Donnellon
- District 5 - Mark Wyland
San Diego Unified School District
- District E - LaShae Collins
San Diego Unified School District
- District E - LaShae Collins (see endorsement by San Diego Union-Tribune)
San Dieguita Unified High School District
- Lucille Lynch
- Randy Berholtz
San Francisco Unified School District
- Phil Kim
- Ian Kalin
San Jose Unified School District
- District 4 - Olivia Navarro
- District 5 - Kimberly Meek (see endorsement by The Mercury News)
San Juan Unified School District
- Saul Hernandez
San Bernardino County Board of Education
- Ben Rich
Solano County Board of Education
- Amy Sharp
Stockton City Council
- Jesus Andrade
Tustin Unified School District
- Matthew Singer
Valley Unified School District
- Marianne Kearny-Brown
Valverde School District
- Alesia Fuller
Ventura Unified School District
- Lou Cunningham
Vista Unified School District
- Bud Balmer
Washington Unified School District
- Alicia Cruz
West Contra Costa Unified School District
- Tom Panas (see endorsement by the East Bay Times)
- Miriam "Stephanie" Sequeira
Does Your Board Look Like This:
See Which Of Your Elected Officials Are On The Broad Payroll and Who Is Promoting Charter Schools And Privatization!
2016 Elections - CCSA Advocates - http://www.ccsaadvocates.org/november_2016_elections
