parent teacher alliance ccsaa

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</div><div>=</div><div><a href="https://www.scpr.org/news/2016/11/11/66059/flood-of-spending-by-charter-advocates-leads-to-el/">https://www.scpr.org/news/2016/11/11/66059/flood-of-spending-by-charter-advocates-leads-to-el/</a><hr class="o-articleb-rule b-rule b-rule--padded-small" style="margin: 31.5px 0px 31.5px 166.359px; padding: 0px; background: rgb(232, 232, 232); border: 0px; display: inline-block; height: 1px; width: 624.609px;" /><aside class="" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="o-articlebody" style="margin-left: 166.359px; width: 624.609px; display: inline-block; overflow: hidden;">Charter school advocates flooded state legislative races with more than $19 million in campaign spending — and mostly got the results they were seeking. In seven of eight races where charter advocates made at least $900,000 in "independent expenditures," the candidate they supported will advance to Sacramento. That's according to a KPCC review of election results and campaign finance records.Richard Garcia of the California Charter Schools Association Advocates said those millions of dollars were money well spent."It seems that the voters recognized what we recognized in these candidates," Garcia said. "It's a big win for those who value their right to choice in education."Garcia's group is linked to the Parent Teacher Alliance, one of the two main charter spenders. The other big spender was EdVoice's independent expenditure committee. The two groups spent a combined $18.4 million trying to get their favored candidates to seats in Sacramento.In fact, EdVoice and the Parent Teacher Alliance were the number one and two outside spenders in state legislative races, beating out groups backed by political heavyweights like the oil industry and developers.If you add an additional $930,000 from two smaller pro-charter committees — Parents and Teachers for Student Success and CCSA Advocates's independent expenditure group — the total reaches $19.4 million from charter groups. The money they spend is separate from actual candidates' campaigns.<a href="http://162.243.135.6/elections/general-2016-11-08/playlist/state-legi-races-with-charter-money-to-track/" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none;">RELATED: Election results in the races charter groups targeted</a>Not everyone was on board with the charter groups' aims.Their one big defeat came in the 27th Assembly District, representing the San Jose area. There, the Parent Teacher Alliance dumped more than $4 million into an effort to elect Madison Nguyen — the most any group spent in a single race.Yet San Jose city councilman Ash Kalra <a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/11/09/san-jose-councilman-ash-kalra-pulls-ahead-of-27th-assembly-rival-madison-nguyen/" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none;">defeated Nguyen in that race</a>. A union group was active there, pouring more than $1.2 million into the contest, which funded a big chunk of negative spending against Nguyen.That dynamic was flipped in the 14th Assembly District, where charter-backed Tim Grayson cruised to victory. EdVoice spent $3.3 million in that race supporting Grayson and opposing the union-backed Mae Torlakson. Her husband is the state's top K-12 education official, Superintendent Tom Torlakson....</div></aside></div><div>=</div><div>Charter school supporters and unions spent nearly $15 million to battle each other in last week's Los Angeles Board of Education races, which crossed the finish line as the most expensive school board election in U.S. history.With the results, charter forces for the first time won a majority on the Board of Education, a shift that could bring big changes to the district. This came from an election like no other, fueled by big-money donations from across the country, giving what are typically local campaigns a national significance.It’s an oversimplification to say the outcome was all about money, but charters spent more ($9.7 million compared with $5.2 million), and their candidates finished first in both races on Tuesday’s ballot.In District 4, challenger Nick Melvoin finished well in front of incumbent Steve Zimmer. In District 6, Kelly Gonez was in first, ahead of Imelda Padilla. That race is close and some votes remain to be counted, but Gonez is widely expected to hold on. If she does, charter-friendly board members would make up a majority on the seven-member school board for the first time.<hr class="diamondy" style="border: 0px none; clear: both; margin: 30px auto; background: url("http://d1qqc1e9kvmdh8.cloudfront.net/img/ngux-tophat/flourished-section-breaks/diamondy.png") center center no-repeat scroll rgb(255, 255, 255); height: 25px; width: auto; padding: 0px;" /><h3 class="question" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 31px; margin: 30px auto 25px; clear: left; width: 720px; max-width: 720px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">How much did this election cost per vote?</h3>Based on spending since the March primary, pro-charter outside groups and individuals spent $144 for every vote cast for one of the charter-endorsed candidates. Unions spent $81 for every vote received by teachers union-backed candidates.<h3 class="question" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 31px; margin: 30px auto 25px; clear: left; width: 720px; max-width: 720px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Nearly $15 million in outside spending poured in to the LAUSD elections</h3>City records show outside spending by pro-charter groups topped pro-union groups nearly 2 to 1.<table id="table" class="table" style="max-width: 650px; width: 650px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 50px auto;"><thead><tr><th class="string Top Charter Groups_cell" style="text-transform: capitalize; border-top: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); padding: 8px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;">Top Charter Groups</th><th class="string Amount_cell" style="text-transform: capitalize; border-top: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); padding: 8px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;">Amount</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr class="firstRow odd"><td class="string Top Charter Groups_cell" style="padding: 8px; line-height: 20px; vertical-align: top; border-top: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221);">Parent Teacher Alliance</td><td class="string Amount_cell" style="padding: 8px; line-height: 20px; vertical-align: top; border-top: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221);">$5,144,716</td></tr><tr class="even"><td class="string Top Charter Groups_cell" style="padding: 8px; line-height: 20px; vertical-align: top; border-top: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221);">California Charter Schools Assn. Advocates</td><td class="string Amount_cell" style="padding: 8px; line-height: 20px; vertical-align: top; border-top: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221);">$2,837,614</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td class="string Top Charter Groups_cell" style="padding: 8px; line-height: 20px; vertical-align: top; border-top: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221);">LA Students 4 Change</td><td class="string Amount_cell" style="padding: 8px; line-height: 20px; vertical-align: top; border-top: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221);">$1,325,324</td></tr><tr class="even"><td class="string Top Charter Groups_cell" style="padding: 8px; line-height: 20px; vertical-align: top; border-top: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221);">Major individual donors</td><td class="string Amount_cell" style="padding: 8px; line-height: 20px; vertical-align: top; border-top: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221);">$230,785</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td class="string Top Charter Groups_cell" style="padding: 8px; line-height: 20px; vertical-align: top; border-top: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221);">Speak UP - Supporting Nick Melvoin</td><td class="string Amount_cell" style="padding: 8px; line-height: 20px; vertical-align: top; border-top: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221);">$111,547</td></tr><tr class="even"><td class="string Top Charter Groups_cell" style="padding: 8px; line-height: 20px; vertical-align: top; border-top: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221);">Students for Education Reform</td><td class="string Amount_cell" style="padding: 8px; line-height: 20px; vertical-align: top; border-top: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221);">$95,964</td></tr><tr class="lastRow odd"><td class="string Top Charter Groups_cell" style="padding: 8px; line-height: 20px; vertical-align: top; border-top: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221);">Charter Total</td><td class="string Amount_cell" style="padding: 8px; line-height: 20px; vertical-align: top; border-top: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221);">$9,695,351</td></tr></tbody></table><table id="table" class="table" style="max-width: 650px; width: 650px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 50px auto;"><thead><tr><th class="string Top Union Groupscell" style="text-transform: capitalize; border-top: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); padding: 8px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;">Top Union Groups</th><th class="string Amount_cell" style="text-transform: capitalize; border-top: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); padding: 8px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;">Amount</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr class="firstRow odd"><td class="string Top Union Groupscell" style="padding: 8px; line-height: 20px; vertical-align: top; border-top: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221);">United Teachers Los Angeles and affiliated PACs</td><td class="string Amount_cell" style="padding: 8px; line-height: 20px; vertical-align: top; border-top: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221);">$4,128,206</td></tr><tr class="even"><td class="string Top Union Groupscell" style="padding: 8px; line-height: 20px; vertical-align: top; border-top: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221);">Valley Voters United</td><td class="string Amount_cell" style="padding: 8px; line-height: 20px; vertical-align: top; border-top: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221);">$617,362</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td class="string Top Union Groupscell" style="padding: 8px; line-height: 20px; vertical-align: top; border-top: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221);">Labor Federation and affiliated PACs</td><td class="string Amount_cell" style="padding: 8px; line-height: 20px; vertical-align: top; border-top: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221);">$398,667</td></tr><tr class="lastRow even"><td class="string Top Union Groupscell" style="padding: 8px; line-height: 20px; vertical-align: top; border-top: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221);">Union Total</td><td class="string Amount_cell" style="padding: 8px; line-height: 20px; vertical-align: top; border-top: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221);">$5,221,273</td></tr></tbody></table>* Service Employees International spent money on both sides: $169,972 for charter-backed Monica Garcia; $51,494 for candidates endorsed by teachers unions.Source: Los Angeles Ethics Commission<h3 class="question" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 31px; margin: 30px auto 25px; clear: left; width: 720px; max-width: 720px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Which individuals or groups spent the most money?</h3>More information will be revealed with ongoing disclosure filings, but Reed Hastings, the co-founder of Netflix and a Democrat, appears to lead the pack with nearly $7 million donated since last September to California Charter Schools Assn. Advocates. Hastings, like others, does not appear in city filings as a contributor because he gave to the charter association. That association then spent money on the campaign or transferred funds to other pro-charter groups.One of these affiliated groups is Parent Teacher Alliance. This is not the <topic id="OREDU0000168" style=""><a class="taxInlineTagLink" id="OREDU0000168" title="PTA" href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/education/pta-OREDU0000168-topic.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;">PTA</a></topic>, but an affiliate “sponsored” by CCSA Advocates with a name that, on campaign mailers, resembles the better-known and nonpartisan Parent Teacher Assn. That PTA has complained about this similarity.In city filings, Parent Teacher Alliance ($5.14 million) tops the list of outside spenders. Its money comes largely, perhaps entirely, from CCSA Advocates, which reported transferring $4.53 million to Parent Teacher Alliance in the last four months of 2016.A small group of wealthy individuals and their foundations are the ultimate sources of funding for the pro-charter groups.<h3 class="question" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 31px; margin: 30px auto 25px; clear: left; width: 720px; max-width: 720px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why did students spend more than a million dollars to defeat incumbent school board President Steve Zimmer?</h3>They did not. The group “LA Students 4 Change” is a pro-charter political action committee managed by political consultant John Shallman and working in conjunction with CCSA Advocates. In an interview with Times columnist Steve Lopez, Shallman explained that his team <a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-20170208-lopez-schools-20170207-story.html" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none;">recruited </a>a group of high school students, who appeared in flyers and became involved in the campaign. The students were to be compensated as much as $500 for their help.The primary contributor though was former L.A. Mayor Richard Riordan, a moderate Republican and Trump supporter, who gave $1 million to this PAC. He gave another $1 million to CCSA Advocates. And he spent an additional $41,398 directly.<h3 class="question" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 31px; margin: 30px auto 25px; clear: left; width: 720px; max-width: 720px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Where does the union side get its money?...</h3></div><div></div>