Some folks are willing to put their own money behind campaign efforts to change the school board.
Campaign finance reports show that PACs set up by Wake Schools Community Alliance and Take Wake Schools Back have combined raised a little more than $2,000 so far. Organizers say things will pick up closer to the October elections.
The Children's PAC hasn't filed detailed spending reports yet.
You can officially add Patti Head to the list of incumbents who won't seek re-election this year.
Patti Head announced at Monday's board advisory council meeting that she was not going to seek a third term in order to spend more time with her family. She said today her decision wasn't motivated by the prospect of a tough campaign fight this year.
“There are going to be some tough issues,” Head said. “But I have never backed away from a fight. I would have been willing to run again if my family was committed to serving another four years.”
We've now got three different groups that have formed political action committees to raise money for school board candidates who are in favor of community-based schools.
A new group, Take Wake Schools Back, sent out a press release today announcing it had formed its own PAC. Late last week, Wake Schools Community Alliance filed paperwork for its own political action committee.
Those two groups are separate from the Children's PAC formed by Dana Cope. It's uncertain how much they'll work together.
Here's the press release from Take Wake Schools Back:
Things are getting pretty nasty now.
More than a few people interested in school issues have been asking for a blog post about Dana Cope's recent legal problems. As reported in today's paper, Cope and a neighbor were cited by Raleigh police for fighting on Sunday.
For those who don't get the North Raleigh News or Midtown Raleigh News, there's a Q&A today with Dana Cope about the new Children's Political Action Committee.
Cope has got some big goals for the PAC. In particular, he thinks the PAC's ability to spend unlimited amounts of money to run third-party advocacy ads in this fall's school board elections could have a major impact.
While it might not be the best analogy, imagine a Swift Boat-like ad campaign being mounted against certain candidates this fall.
What could tear away a lobbyist from the opening festivities for the General Assembly?
The answer it seems is Wake County student reassignment. At least three registered lobbyists, all Lacy Elementary parents, were at Wednesday's work session to see if the moves to Stough Elementary would be dropped.
Dana Cope, executive director of the State Employees Association of N.C., was working the room to promote his new group, the Children's Political Action Committee.
UPDATE
Link for Children's PAC flier now at end of the post.
