Outside groups seeking to influence continue to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars at a steady clip, new records show.
Political committees linked to education reform advocates and teachers unions spent nearly $600,000 between Oct. 12-31 in Denver, Aurora and Douglas County school board races. That brings the reported total spent on races in those three school districts to $1.65 million this election cycle.
And committees still have plenty of time and money to spend . Given how much cash the groups have on hand, the total could surpass $2 million.
The investments from outside groups in Denver, Aurora and Douglas County — where education reform advocates and teachers unions are locked in heated battles for control — are a sharp contrast to dozens of school districts across the state where elections have been canceled due to a lack of interest.
, committees that support candidates who will keep the district on its current path — which includes supporting a mix of school types, more autonomy for school leaders and closing persistently low-performing schools — are outspending critics by more than 2-to-1.
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Chalkbeat Colorado is a nonprofit news organization covering education issues. For more, visit chalkbeat.org/co.