Wake County school board candidate Venita Peyton raised less than $1,700 in her underfunded and unsuccessful campaign bid last year.

Her last campaign report filed Monday makes it hard to tell what she got. But if you combine it with this prior one, it shows Peyton raised $1.645 and spent $1.529.96. Democratic school board member Keith Sutton raised $33,327 and spent $32,484.31 to win the seat he was first appointed to in 2009.

Peyton, who received 19 percent of the vote, was the only one of the five Republican-backed school board candidates who didn't get a donation from Art Pope or Bob Luddy. Both men gave donations to the other four GOP-backed candidates, who also lost last fall.

The Wake County Democratic Party outspent the Wake County Republican Party by more than two to one last year to help win the pivotal school board battle.

While it's hard to say how much was specifically spent on the Wake County school board races, the campaign finance reports would suggest that the Democrats were more active in getting their candidates elected. For instance, Democrats had a target of $80,000 in their get-out-the-vote efforts for the October races.

According to their year-end report, the Wake County Democratic Party received $176,227.18 and spent $183,252.88. According to their year-end report, the Wake County Republican Party raised $81,965.98 and spent $83.089.33.

Wake County school board candidate Jennifer Mansfield raised more than $7,500 during her unsuccessful run for the District 3 seat.

In Mansfield's year-end report filed Monday, she reported raising $7,543.33 and spending $6,324.56. Mansfield wasn't able to compete against her main opponents, who were heavily backed by their respective political parties.

Republican challenger Heather Losurdo raised $99,207.29 and spent $98,207.83. Democrat incumbent Kevin Hill raised $68,598 and spent $54,322.

Overall, Mansfield's husband, Shane O'Donnell, was the largest donor with $3,647.14. After finishing third in October, Mansfield did not give an endorsement in the runoff election.

Former Wake County school board chairman Ron Margiotta raised nearly $65,000 in his unsuccessful re-election bid last fall.

In his year-end report filed Monday, Margiotta reported raising $64,902.72 and spending $61,006.11 during the hard-fought District 8 battle. The Republican incumbent outspent his Democratic opponent, Susan Evans, who raised $43,386.53 and spent $39.077.16.

But the gap narrows to nearly even and could possibly in the end be in Evans' favor when you throw in all the outside money that was spent to topple Margiotta from what was thought to be a safe seat in Southwest Wake.

Wake County school board candidate Heather Losurdo raised nearly $100,000 in her unsuccessful campaign bid.

In her final campaign report filed Monday, Losurdo reported raising $99,207.29 and spending $98,207.83 It was a record amount for a Wake school board race.

The Republican outspent her main District 3 opponent, Democrat Kevin Hill, who raised $68,598 and spent $54,322. But the numbers look to be more in Hill's favor when you factor in the outside spending.

The numbers keep rising in the most expensive race in Wake County school board history.

As noted in today's article, campaign finance reports filed Monday show that the candidates raised more than $470.000. The wild card though is the spending from the outside groups and the political parties, numbers which are already at $150,000 and rising.

Once the final numbers are in, the spending might hit $700,000 to $800,000 this year.

The Great Schools in Wake Coalition, which is the darling of area liberal groups, is getting another award tonight.

WakeUP Wake County is giving GSIW one of its 2011 Volunteer of the Year awards at tonight's annual meeting. Great Schools was formed by WakeUP Wake.

WakeUP Wake has been cheering about last fall's election takeover by the new Democratic school board majority. The group has taken credit for the change.

Wake County school board member Christine Kushner raised more than $50,000 in her bid to win the District 6 seat.

In her final 2011 report filed Wednesday, Kushner reported raising $51,343.47 and spending $37,123.21. This leaves the Democrat with $14,220.26 that she can use to donate to other groups or to prepare for a future campaign run.

Her main opponent, Republican Donna Williams, raised $48.335.96.

Wake County school board candidate Donna Williams raised close to $50,000 in her unsuccessful bid to win the District 6 seat.

In her final 2011 campaign finance report filed earlier this month, Williams reported raising $48,335.96. The Republican spent all the money and closed out the campaign committee.

Her main Democratic opponent, Christine Kushner, raised $51,343.47 and spent $37,123.21 to easily win the Raleigh seat. Combined, Williams and Kushner spent nearly $100,000.

The latest campaign finance reports show even more how much of a role liberal activist Dean Debnam played to get a new Democratic majority elected to the Wake County school board.

This year-end report filed Friday by Wake Citizens for Good Government, which was formed by Debnam in 2009, shows the PAC donated $25,000 during the school board campaign.

The biggest chunk of $10,000 went to the N.C. Democratic Party, whose final report isn't viewable yet but is expected to show something was spent in Wake on the school board races.