But will it make a difference on election day tomorrow?
As we explained in our recent cover story, "Drawing the Line," nine candidates are running for four open seats on the seven-member DPS school board.
Four of them -- Barbara O'Brien, Rosemary Rodriguez, Mike Johnson and Landri Taylor -- agree that the district is headed in the right direction. Four others -- Michael Kiley, Rosario C. de Baca, Meg Schomp and Roger Kilgore -- think the district is not. The ninth candidate, Joan Poston, is more of a wild card.
If voters fill at least three of the four open seats with candidates who disagree with DPS's current brand of reform -- which includes strategies such as closing and replacing failing schools, encouraging charter and innovation schools, and tying teacher evaluations to student test scores -- the 88,000-student district could undergo a big shift.
The latest campaign finance reports cover the period between October 15 and November 1. Ex-Lieutenant Governor O'Brien, who is running for the at-large seat, held on to her fundraising lead. The total amount she's raised is $191,299.She was one of four candidates to receive a donation from the Arnolds, Houston billionaires who have their own foundation. One of the foundation's focuses is education reform; in a video on GiveSmart.org, the Arnolds talk about their decision to donate money to local school board races.
"We've given small sums to candidates who have initiated a platform of things that are beneficial for the students," says John Arnold, who made his money as a hedge fund manager. "Voters are very smart, and they don't like for a candidate to be perceived as trying to buy the election. So our donations are relatively small. We're not putting $50,000 in the race. It's just a couple thousand dollars here to show support for the candidates who are willing to take positions that might not be politically expedient."
Adds Laura Arnold, "What we have realized from school board races has been that what absolutely does not work is to have people who live outside a zip code support or fund a campaign for a school board race.... So what needs to happen is that rather than waiting for election season to fund somebody who's running in a certain zip code, what needs to happen is we all need to invest in grassroots activism from day one."
But the Arnolds seem to have deviated from that position -- at least in Denver.
Below, find a look inside the candidates' latest filings. The overall total is a combination of the money raised during this latest two-week reporting period and the money raised during the previous months, as reported in the candidates' first campaign finance filings.
AT-LARGE
Michael Kiley Total monetary contributions: $4,009 Total non-monetary contributions: none Notable donors: Denver Classroom Teachers Association Fund: $579.25 non-monetary; consultant Eric Abarca: $1,250 Overall total: $36,469 monetary, $59,046 non-monetary
Barbara O'Brien Total monetary contributions: $17,975 Total non-monetary contributions: none Notable donors: Laura Arnold of the Laura and John Arnold Foundation: $5,000 Democrats for Education Reform: $2,000 Stand for Children, an education reform organization: $1,800 Katherine Bradley, president of CityBridge in Washington, D.C.: $1,000 Cathey Finlon, former president of the Denver Art Museum: $1,000 Walter Ulloa, president and CEO of Entravision: $1,000 Overall total: $191,299 monetary, $3,467 non-monetary
Joan Poston Total monetary contributions: none Total non-monetary contributions: none Overall total: none
Continue to see how much money the other candidates raised. DISTRICT 2
Rosario C. de Baca Total monetary contributions: $5,170 Total non-monetary contributions: $579.25 Notable donors: DCTA Fund: $4,000 monetary, $579.25 non-monetary Overall total: $23,335 monetary, $19,183 non-monetary
Rosemary Rodriguez Total monetary contributions: $30,050 Total non-monetary contributions: none Notable donors: Laura Arnold: $3,000 John Arnold: $3,000 Democrats for Education Reform: $2,000 Katherine Bradley: $1,000 Susan Daggett, wife of U.S. Senator Michael Bennet: $1,000 Cathey Finlon: $1,000 Michelle Lucero, attorney for Children's Hospital Colorado: $1,000 David Scanavino, urologist: $1,000 Overall total: $119,260 monetary
DISTRICT 3
Mike Johnson Total monetary: $27,619 Total non-monetary: none Notable donors: Patrick Hamill, founder of Oakwood Homes: $7,500 Laura Arnold: $5,000 Katherine Bradley: $2,000 Stand for Children: $1,800 Cannon Harvey, president and CEO of the Anschutz Company: $1,000 Harry Frampton, managing partner at East West Partners: $1,000 Overall total: $173,754 monetary, $6,567 non-monetary
Meg Schomp Total monetary: $14,220 Total non-monetary: $579.25 Notable donors: DCTA Fund: $12,000 monetary, $579.25 non-monetary; outgoing DPS board member Jeanne Kaplan: $1,000 Overall total: $46,169 monetary, $25,171 non-monetary
DISTRICT 4
Roger Kilgore Total monetary: $12,010 Total non-monetary: $1,079.25 Notable donors: DCTA Fund: $8,000 monetary, $579.25 non-monetary; Jeanne Kaplan: $1,000 Overall total: $45,279 monetary, $21,406 non-monetary
Landri Taylor Total monetary: $37,946 Total non-monetary: none Notable donors: John Arnold: $7,900 Patrick Hamill: $7,500 Katherine Bradley: $2,500 Democrats for Education Reform: $2,000 Stand for Children: $1,800 Cathey Finlon: $1,000 Albert Ratner, co-chair emeritus of Forest City Enterprises: $1,000 Overall total: $110,051 monetary
For in-depth interviews with all nine candidates, check out "Drawing the Line."
Follow me on Twitter @MelanieAsmar or e-mail me at [email protected]
