Paula Noonan, trying to unseat appointed incumbent Rick Rush in the Jefferson County school board’s District 5, has received $5,000 in contributions from the Jefferson County Education Association and $4,000 from the Colorado Education Association. Rush, a health actuary appointed to the board about a year ago, has raised only $1,175, about half of it from himself.
Noonan, a communications consultant, has been involved in the Democratic Party, the Jefferson Foundation and the Colorado Capitol Watch website.
Elsewhere in Jeffco, the CEA-affiliated Public Education Committee has given $1,000 to incumbent board President Sue Marinelli in District 2, and the JCEA has kicked in $2,500. Individual donors include Democratic former Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald, state Sen. Evie Hudak, D-Westminster, and former board president Scott Benefield, who recently resigned for personal reasons. Opponent Laura Boggs has raised only $500.
In District 1, brand-new incumbent Robin Johnson received $1,000 from the JCEA small donor committee – even though she has no opponent. Benefield is the registered agent for her campaign committee. She was appointed to succeed him.
In a Boulder Valley board race, community activist and district employee Jennie Belval has received $1,000 from CEA and $250 from the Boulder Valley Education Association in the District F race. Individual donors include board members Laurie Albright and Helanye Jones. Belval once served as campaign manager for term-limited board member Jean Paxton.
Belval opponent Louise Benson has raised about $670.
Boulder Valley has an unresolved contract dispute with its teachers’ union, while issues basically are settled in Jeffco.
The hottest contests in the metro area this year are in Denver and Douglas County. Check EdNews’ DPS election center for information and videos about the Denver races. Learn more about the Dougco board fight in this backgrounder and this story on campaign contributions.
School board races are largely routine or non-existent elsewhere in the metro area, including such major districts as Adams 12, Aurora and Cherry Creek.
In Greeley, where the district is seeking a mill-levy override that would raise an additional $16 million a year in operating funds, the pro-3A group Greeley/Evans Citizens for Strong Schools has raised $64,760.
The group has received significant contributions from the business community, including Bank of Choice, $5,000; Cache Bank and Trust, $7,500; Flood & Peterson insurance, $7,500; Hensel Phelps Construction, $7,500; Phelps Tointon Construction, $10,000; Realtor Issues PAC, $5,000; Thomas & Tyler real estate, $4,300, and Wells Fargo, $5,000.
All contribution figures are taken from the most recent disclosure reports to the secretary of state’s office.