Political arm of charter-friendly group The City Fund has $15 million — and is now spending on school board races
The political arm of The City Fund, the organization with ambitions to spread charter schools and the “portfolio model” of school reform across the country, plans to spend $15 million to influence state and local elections over the next three years.
That political group, known as Public School Allies, has already directed money toward to school board races in Atlanta, Camden, Newark, and St. Louis, and state elections in Louisiana, Georgia, and New Jersey. Donations have ranged from $1 million to as little as $1,500.
The information was shared by Public School Allies and, in a number of cases, confirmed by campaign finance records. The $15 million comes from Netflix founder Reed Hastings and former hedge-fund manager John Arnold, the organization said.
“Public School Allies believes deeply in supporting local leaders running for office who share our belief in the need to create higher quality public school systems across our country,” Gary Borden, Public School Allies’ managing director, said in a statement.
The spending offers a window into the strategy of The City Fund, which has been relatively tight-lipped about its work since it launched in 2018. So far, most of the candidates Public School Allies has supported have won their races — illustrating how relatively small donations can have significant influence in elections with low turnout and limited spending.
“School board races have traditionally been very low visibility,” said Rebecca Jacobson CONTINUE READING: Political arm of charter-friendly group The City Fund has $15 million — and is now spending on school board races
