Christine Kushner has already eclipsed the $25,000 fundraising mark for her Wake County school board campaign.
According to a new report filed today, Kushner has raised $27,271.24 in her bid to win the open District 6 seat. It gives Kushner a formidable campaign war chest edge in a race where no other person has announced yet.
The biggest donors in the new round of reporting are Ann Campbell and John Campbell, who both gave her $4,000. The couple have now given a total of $24,000 to Kushner and school board members Kevin Hill and Keith Sutton.
Some other familiar donors, especially if you've watched them complain about the school board majority at meetings, include Gerda Stein, Kelly Roberts, Neil Riemann and Heather Koons.
Click here, here and here for her latest report.
Going forward, clicking on the tag for campaign finance reports should get you all of the prior posts for this year. At some point I'll retag the 2009 reports.
Comments
How come wealthy Democrat
Fri, 07/08/2011 - 10:00 — woodstockHow come wealthy Democrat puppet masters, John and Anne Campbell, haven't given any money to the Nutty Professor, Jim Martin?
It' still early in the
Fri, 07/08/2011 - 15:05 — KeungHui (author)It' still early in the campaign fundraising season. Martin only had $100 reported in the one he filed. Evans hasn't reported any donations yet.
Good point. Maybe the
Fri, 07/08/2011 - 16:01 — woodstockGood point. Maybe the Campbells will kick in even more than the extremely generous $24,000 they already contributed. It's early, perhaps there is more to come.
More data needed...
Fri, 07/08/2011 - 08:20 — paulastamWhile people are throwing loose figures around (Angela), can anyone share with us how much exactly the General's DC schools' import is making - I mean his NEW personal assistant? I hear she follows him around EVERYWHERE and takes notes on everything. Will be interesting to see what Tata's clerical assistant makes when our underpaid clerical assistants in schools were making approx $20,000 a year...I say "were" as many of them have since been laid off by the General and Ronnie M - while Tata hires a NEW high priced clerical assistant and creates NEW assistant superintendent positions - one being to run his NEW Office of Transformation - this is another DC schools' import...folks, radical change is being slowly established before your very eyes...Tata IS modeling WCPSS on DC schools (an absolutely messed up school system) - I don't blame him entirely he has no independent knowledge base to run a school system - he only has his limited DC experience to act on... (Woodie, I think I put at least ONE period in the above paragraph so you can rest easy now)...
Note the General assures us that we need not fear the new Assist Superintendent as s/he will simply tinker with growth and planning assignments, etc. Well, if that is the case label the new position Assist Super of Student Assignment or Growth and Planning BUT not Transformation - his new highly expensive (in a period of acute cuts in WCPSS) reaks of significant and RADICAL change - just like DC schools where his mentor, Michelle Rhee, was chased out after just two years!!! Keep in mind the average shelf life of a superintendent is 2 and a half years...they come and go - follow election cycles. Tata will probably be like Charlotte's Pete Gorman (recent superintendent) - make a bunch of radical changes - build yourself a national reputation (at our expense and the lives of our children) then take a job from your conservative supporters - in Gorman's case that was Rupert Murdoch and his Fox News Corp - which is now Gorman's NEW employer!!!! Funnily enough Tata used to be a Fox News Contributor...now "Angela" that's how you complete a circle or provide the full picture! :)
Have a good one ya'll!
Paula
Ahhhh
Fri, 07/08/2011 - 22:12 — nancyncI'd still like to know why Burns needed well over 250 administrative members with average salaries of $68K, all with degrees no less.
Glad to see that number was reduced by Tata, his focus is on teachers and the students in the classroom, very refreshing.
read the report
Wed, 07/13/2011 - 17:10 — EBDarcyDidn't the Broad audit say that central aoffice was lean and well-organized?
Tata is expanding central office...
Sun, 07/10/2011 - 09:47 — paulastam"NancyNC",
The General has laid of a handful of lowly paid but hardworking central office secretaries and not filled some open positions. That limited central office downsizing aside Tata has expanded central office at the top by creating at least 3 new and very expensive senior level positions - inlcuding Officer of "Transformation". Also, Tata brought in for himself a personal clerical assistant too that no doubt is paid (by Eli Broad) 3-4 times what a school's clerical assistant is paid - I hear all she does all day is follow him around, type notes and spy on people. Who will fund Tata's high priced clerical assistant when Broad withdraws his "generous" funding?
Paula, "Independent, Fair & Speaking Up for MY Kids."
Please cite your source that
Mon, 07/11/2011 - 15:16 — jeffrey1Please cite your source that Tata's assistant is paid 3-4 times that of a school's clerical assistant.
Jeffery1, your challenge may be difficult because...
Sat, 07/16/2011 - 12:39 — paulastamthe General's NEWLY created additonal personal assistant position (labeled a Senior Admin position - they don't come cheap) is funded privately by Eli Broad so I'm not certain that's public record.
Paula, "Independent, Fair & Speaking Up for MY Kids."
The source is her vivid
Tue, 07/12/2011 - 21:13 — starsonoursThe source is her vivid imagination....
Broad is paying for Tata's
Fri, 07/08/2011 - 15:06 — KeungHui (author)Broad is paying for Tata's assistant.
Interesting to say the least!
Fri, 07/08/2011 - 19:39 — paulastamTaxpayers should also know that Eli Broad (billionaire seeking to reform public education) across the nation has been, for several years now, so generous (?) that he has paid several school districts (that tow the line) the salaries of MBA grads, with no educational experience, so long as they were integrated into senior central office positions within public school districts. This is all part of Broad's national plan (underway for more than a decade now) to turn public education upside down and ultimately remove local control (something you would think our GOP supporters would be alarmed about) and impose a corporate model instead. Again recall the General (Tata) annointing himself recently as "CEO" of WCPSS schools...
As an aside...an "anonymous" donor gave $1.6 million to DC schools this week so that they can maintain their sports/athletics program across the district...this is an attempt by someone that is generous (hmm, I wonder who) to keep that school district somewhat intact...it has been turned upside down by Broad reformers for the last 3-4 years - DC's local school board lost control to the mayor (imagine if Mayor Meeker were to be given the power to run our school system?!) - the DC mayor brought in a non-traditional educator to run the district - she hires the General (Tata). Dozens of DC principals are fired, teacher tenure is tossed out the window, one year contracts are brought in for principals and teachers, pay-for-performance is introduced, numerous DC schools (according to USA Today) allegedly commit fraud to raise test scores and make Broad's crew and his sponsored reforms look "effective"...Tata runs away - opps - actaully is offered a pay increase and gifted an awesome high performing public school district (WCPSS) by Ronnie M (our current board chairman in WCPSS) and Tata's DC boss is run out of town - in fact the locals are so disenchanted with the Broad reforms that the Black mayor is voted out - even Obama turned on him....so SAD folks...don't let the "good cop/bad cops" act that Tata and his GOP gang of 5 running our board and district are currently implementing fool you...there may be a hidden agenda and it's becoming increasingly conspicuous...
Broad does not benefit from DC schools collapsing entirely...not yet...he still needs to get his claws firmly placed on other public school systems...he cannot do that if his proxies leave a record/trail of disaster behind them...so an anonymous someone this week donates $1.6 million to DC schools to keep it on life support...very interesting indeed..
Paula, "Independent, Fair & Speaking Up for MY Kids."
The correct idiom is "toe
Fri, 07/08/2011 - 21:56 — ApexterThe correct idiom is "toe the line," not "tow the line."
Fascinating, just
Fri, 07/08/2011 - 19:54 — woodstockFascinating, just fascinating. Is there no end to your knowledge and brilliance?!!
It's noteworthy to point out that Eli Broad is a Democrat.
It's in my tagline Woodie...
Fri, 07/08/2011 - 20:00 — paulastamI'm "fair and independent" - defending strong public schools is not a Republican or Democrat cause - it's about what's good for kids...Obama is a big Charter School fan - I am not. Obama lived in Chicago where severe poverty, acute drug issues, etc have created terrible public schools - that ain't the issue here in WCPSS Sir. Well, not til Ronnie M got the school board's chairmanship and the General brought his Broad reformers in to town - let the dismantling begin...
Paula, "Independent, Fair & Speaking Up for MY Kids."
Wow!
Thu, 07/07/2011 - 22:07 — paulastamVery interesting to see a candidate getting generous funding from someone other than radical public school reformers like Art Pope, Eli Broad, etc...
Paula
Keeping a tally
Thu, 07/07/2011 - 19:00 — ApexterDoes anyone remember how much Art Pope and Bob Luddy donated during the last school board election?
Are these candidates going to be referred to as "Campbell puppets"?
Luddy gave $23,000 combined
Fri, 07/08/2011 - 15:04 — KeungHui (author)Luddy gave $23,000 combined in 2009 to the individual candidates, the WSCA and the Wake GOP. Art Pope gave $15,015 to the Wake GOP but nothing to individual candidates or the WSCA. I don't recall whether any of Pope's family members gave donations to the GOP that year. What's trickier here with the Campbells is that you've got a couple giving so they can give more combined to a candidate than a single person could.
Thank you, Keung.
Fri, 07/08/2011 - 21:51 — ApexterThank you very much for the donation totals, Keung. (And I hope you enjoy your upcoming vacation.)
So it seems like Luddy and Pope are real pikers when it comes to trying to buy an election. The Campbells have already outspent both of them, and they haven't even gotten around to Susan Evans and Jim Martin (and possibly a generous donation to GSIW) yet.
And please don't give me any of the "But THIS pair of fatcats attempting to buy an election is perfectly OK, because their hearts are pure" hypocrisy. Buying and election is buying an election. If you're going to make claims that the most recently elected board members have to be beholden to their largest donors (which I don't believe to be true), then the same accusations of puppet strings must also apply to those who are happily sucking up the $4000 donations.
Of Course...
Fri, 07/08/2011 - 08:04 — JanisTangoThe Campbell puppets obviously are not concerned about the education of kids. They are only concerned with the perception that kids are educated so it will help with the economic development of the county and their pocket books....right?
wondering
Fri, 07/08/2011 - 08:29 — stepbystepJanis, you seem to be dismissing the value of an economically thriving community. A community that attracts newcomers and new business is a great thing! WCPSS has a long history of attracting have and have-not families, which is also a great thing! Of course smart growth also demands a good plan for infrastructure growth as well, and Wake County can do a lot better in that area. But we need elected leaders who will step up to make sure that happens. Developers and their lobbying efforts have allowed them to reap the financial rewards without having to pay for infrastructure.
How do you draw the conclusion that the Campbells "obviously are not concerned about the education of kids"? The candidates they have supported care deeply about strengthening Wake County Public Schools. Ron Margiotta, on the other hand, has aligned himself with Skip Stam, who wants the government to divest from schools and let the free market take over with vouchers!
I Was Being Sarcastic, but I also know...
Fri, 07/08/2011 - 14:38 — JanisTangoa lot of children suffered under the old policy. I saw it first hand with kids I knew that were in their 3rd school in 4 years. The 'healthy' school concept talked about being an economic tool while at the same time we continued to shuffle kids under the carpet just so we get more people and companies to move here. Everyone wants to talk about how the current board majority are Luddy's puppets, why would it be farfetched to consider if these candidates the Campbells support win there is going to be some kind of expectations of payback!
the difference
Fri, 07/08/2011 - 18:09 — stepbystepThe difference is that Luddy doesn't support the public school system. He wants to destroy it and let vouchers and charter schools fill the gap. I don't know the Cambells, but they appear to strongly support public school education and WCPSS in particular, and they have contributed to candidates who do as well. I suspect they would be quite pleased with "payback" such as data-driven decisions (as opposed to ideological ones) that aim to strengthen the school system, including students and staff, and thus continue to attract new families to the community. As a reminder, unprecedented growth (without the supporting infrastructure thanks to Russell Capps and the Wake Taxpayers' Association work to defeat 1999 bond) placed a tremendous burden on WCPSS. Unfortunately, a ridiculous amount of time had to be given to finding seats for students every year, and achievement suffered. Thanks to the downturn in the economy, we've had some breathing room the past couple of years, and Mr. Tata is trying to hammer out a plan to address both growth and achievement.
...
Fri, 07/08/2011 - 19:48 — SideburnsI don't know the Cambells, but they appear to strongly support public school education and WCPSS in particular,
How so? I don't know them either. I would appreciate more info about them.
and they have contributed to candidates who do as well
Fri, 07/08/2011 - 20:33 — stepbystepAs I said, and they have contributed to candidates who do as well.
...
Fri, 07/08/2011 - 20:45 — SideburnsSo the basis of your claim that "they appear to strongly support public education" is their donations to candidates?
With an eye-popping $24K
Fri, 07/08/2011 - 08:20 — woodstockWith an eye-popping $24K "investment" in Democrat BoE candidates, it is not too hard to imagine that they would expect some kind of return on that investment. Judging from the $2M house the Campbells live in, it is pretty clear that money -- and a garish display of that money -- is very important to them.
what about Art's place
Fri, 07/08/2011 - 10:27 — EBDarcyHas Art Pope moved? Last I heard he lived in a huge house in Country Club Hills. Very desirable area and very pricey. Let's hope it's now worth more than $2 million because that would be garish.
As compared to the....
Fri, 07/08/2011 - 09:38 — bpuli999914000 sq foot house that Bob lives in? Do you realy want to take the argument there? Not very smart, are you?
Bob who?
Fri, 07/08/2011 - 09:44 — woodstockBob who? If you mean Luddy, I believe you are referring to a modest-sized commercial building, not a home. Also, when did he give $24,000 to a slate of school board candidates?
Me, of course...
Fri, 07/08/2011 - 10:00 — Bob_SconceI just have to get Luddy to stop squatting in my house...
I hope he's squatting in your cat box
Fri, 07/08/2011 - 22:31 — FSandYOUand not on your floor.
Nice!
Fri, 07/08/2011 - 10:03 — woodstockNice!
Sure...
Thu, 07/07/2011 - 20:49 — bpuli9999if she does turn out to be a puppet like RM or JT.
Classic
Thu, 07/07/2011 - 20:10 — Jeff_morseWell Put Apexter! Well PUT.....