Out-of-state money pouring into Minneapolis school board race

[geardaddy]

http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/280863712.html

NYC’s Bloomberg and other outside sources are generously funding their Mpls. favorites.

An unprecedented amount of money is upending the citywide Minneapolis school board race with hundreds of thousands of dollars pouring in from well-funded outside groups.

Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave $100,000 to the Minneapolis Progressive Education Fund, a political-action group that supports former City Council Member Don Samuels and newcomer Iris Altamirano. In less than two months, the group raised $228,300 and already put the money to use sharply criticizing a current board member seeking another term.

The vast amounts of money from out-of-state donors signals a dramatic shift in the race and adds Minneapolis to a growing list of local school board races across the country receiving money from outside groups. These groups generally oppose teacher tenure rules, are strong backers of charter schools and test-based accountability for teacher evaluations and pay. Bloomberg has also given to similar races in Denver and Los Angeles.

“We felt like this was a crowded and competitive election season,” said Minneapolis Progressive Education Fund chair Daniel Sellers, who is also the executive director of the education advocacy group MinnCAN. “We wanted to make sure people in Minneapolis didn’t forget about the school board. We brought that message to both local donors, across the state, and national donors that shared our vision for education excellence.”

More at link.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Saw that. I never did trust Don Samuels.

[geardaddy]

2. Me neither.

I still don't know who to vote for besides Gagnon. Don't we vote for two? I'm not going to vote for Samuels or Altamirano. I don't know enough about Jourdain.

[FiveGoodMen]

3. Thanks for the heads-up.

I make damned sure not to vote for either of those two.