Denver School Board Election Heats Up As National Spotlight And Outside Cash Become Focal Points

School board elections rarely garner significant attention -- these are not the typical high-profile races that bring in big money, U.S. Senate seats, and shady organizations known as Super PACs.

This year has been different.

Perhaps big donors have become so accustomed to writing big checks for political causes that, in an off-year election, they embrace an inner compulsion to finance somebody, anybody.

So far this year, the Denver Public Schools board race has seen more than $600,000 in campaign funding--and that's just for three of the seven candidates (there are seven candidates in total). Fox 31 reports $261,000 of the trio's war chest can be tied back to deep pocketed CEOs and industry executives. The three candidates have also been endorsed by Denver Mayor Michael Hancock and The Denver Post.

The election's hefty price tag has begun to attract the national spotlight, with District 1 candidate Emily Sirota appearing on MSNBC Monday night to discuss the impact of big money in the race (see video below). Sirota is no political newbie. Her husband is David Sirota, a well-connected liberal talk-show host, syndicated columnist, and political wrangler. Probably unbeknownst to MSNBC, prior to lamenting the impact of outside money in the race, Sirota flew in Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer for a campaign fundraiser.

Elsewhere in the spotlight, Sirota's husband argues in a Salon article that former President George W. Bush's visit to Denver last week under the auspices of education reform was "clearly designed to influence the education debate dominating the upcoming school board election."

How has this become such a contentious election? In an article titled 'Big Money, Bad Media, Secret Agendas: America's Wildest School Board Race,' The Nation notes that Colorado election law imposes strict funding limits on every type of political race in the state, except school board elections. This has unloaded an influx of contributions and converted the 'quintessential American contest' into a far more polarizing debate.

Jefferson County, Denver metro's western neighbor, has also seen the partisan volume turned up, as has nearby Douglas County. In an interview with 9News, Jefferson County Republican Chairman Don Ytterberg expressed pride at his party's involvement there. Despite officially being a non-partisan race, Ytterberg says his job is to get Republicans elected at any level. "I guess in response to people who would question our activity, I'd say, 'Gee, I don't understand the question,'" he told 9News.

Shortly after Douglas County Republican Party Chairman Mark Baisley helped put GOP candidates on the school board there, the board passed a voucher program enabling students to use public funds to attend private schools. The controversial measure was halted by a court injunction and faces a protracted legal battle with the ACLU.

Ballots for the Denver election should be dropped off at centers no later than 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, November 1, 2011.

Quick Poll

Are school board elections the new grassroots battleground?

YES. Political players are installing candidates from the bottom up.

NO. This is an off-year election and the media has over-hyped everything.

NOT SURE.

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WATCH District 1 candidate Emily Sirota discuss the impact of money in the Denver Public Schools race on MSNBC:

Comments

[Despyria]

10:34 PM on 10/29/2011

This election is now really about fighting back against the money. Money buys things. Period. No such thing as free money or the tooth fairy. The question becomes do you really want to sell out an entire generation to give 3 candidates that have taken over $100k each the benefit of the doubt.

The amount of money spent for a job that doesn't pay comes with strings. We have to wake up and see that NOW!

[Aytewatcho]

04:14 PM on 10/27/2011

What a cynical interview. It was dishonest to let Lawrence O'Donnell suggest that Anne Rowe, Happy Haynes and Jennifer Draper Carson are undercover Republicans working their way up the political ladder. All of the major candidates in this election are Democrats. This election is a struggle between two different wings of the Democratic party. I also thought it was dishonest to suggest that vouchers are a real issue in this race. All of the major candidates have stated that vouchers are off the table. I get it that Emily Sirota is mad that her opponent has raised more money than she has. But if she is going to be against "big money" she should return the $27,000 the Denver Teachers Union has given to her campaign. Emily Sirota's cynacism is unattractive.

[Despyria]

10:23 PM on 10/29/2011

Haynes didn't take vouchers off the table. And how does a democratic candidate take money mostly from Republican contributors without them having a stake in that candidate? If it is a division in the Democratic Party then let us divide. Corpocratic and the Democratic Party. Take Haynes, Hancock and Howdy Doody and shove them in with their Corporate masters and we'll see who rust first.

It is disingenuous to suggest that conservative SuperPac running ads against Jimenez is not out stack the Board without gain. Additionally you have the Mayor, who ran on the idea that Vouchers aren't a bad thing, backing the 3 candidates that aren't "serving corporate interest".

"Happy" has a long track record serving Corpocrats and taking in the neighborhood of $300k (or is it more now?) for a job that doesn't have a salary. You can't tell me you believe in free money. If you do, I have this great deal on this grand old bridge out of Brooklyn...

[Aytewatcho]

12:22 PM on 10/31/2011

If you want to know how a Democrat can take Republican money in a school board election? Ask Arturo Jimenez. Four years ago, he ran as an education reformer and took a lot of Republican money.

This may be a surprise to you but there are plenty of Republicans who send their children to Denver Public Schools. Like Democrats, they have an interest in seeing DPS succeed. There is a coaltion of progressive Democrats and Republicans who support education reform. Granted it is a rarity but there seems to be bi-partisan support for improving our public school system.

[TwasBrillig]

06:06 PM on 10/25/2011

"Won't somebody please think of the children!"

[kyleewonder777]

12:45 AM on 10/26/2011

Another koch brain wash plan, they are doing this all over the country. They are sponsoring tea party members to get into local politics, mostly school boards, it is the push for privatization, if they get in, history books will change and there will be religion, and they won't be under government guidelines to keep that stuff out. It is more important than ever to vote every Nov., not just presidential, and midterm but local too.

[JuergenHartl]

04:57 PM on 10/25/2011

One more reason to abolish School Boards altogether, It is politics on the backs of our children.

[Despyria]

09:59 PM on 10/29/2011

The Mayor isn't political? Hancock has threatened that if his candidates aren't elected he will dissolve the board. He ran for mayor on the idea of putting more corporate interest into public schools and now he is backing the candidates that have taken money from interest in dismantling public schools. Dissolving the school board makes it MORE political not less.