I've written about Parent PAC's involvement in Texas elections since 2006, so if you're interested in the history, check out the tag on Blue Dot Blues. According to the Quorum Report story (subscribers only) on the Ratliff endorsement, the PAC decided to get involved at the SBOE level because that's apparently where education decisions are made (who would've thought?). A simplified way of saying it, perhaps - but the PAC spent the 2006 and 2008 election seasons swatting at voucher proponents in the Legislature, and now they're revealing a much deeper agenda than some of us had heretofore suspected and not verified. They'd like to get rid of conservatives on the SBOE, and go for people who want electronic textbooks and more education spending, for instance. Their Texas Ethics Commission reports bear this out again and again.
Just in case you're curious about who gives to Parent PAC, I scour the TEC reports so you don't have to. Here's a list from the latest report, just people who caught my eye:
January Semi-Annual:
Clifford Brown (goes by "Buster" - mayor of Corsicana, lots of cash to Democrats), $1000, 11/25/2009
Elna Christopher (Texas Association of Counties, Director of Media Relations), $100, 11/27/2009
Patricia Conradt (Chief of Staff for Rep. Joe Heflin, D-Crosbyton), $100, 12/1/2009
Sandy Dochen (Public relations), $100, 11/16/2009
Laura Fowler (Lawyer), $100, 10/10/2009
Susan Griffith (Realtor), $100, 11/17/2009
Eliu M. Hinojosa (Superintendent, Dallas ISD), $100, 12/15/2009
Shanna Igo (Texas Municipal League, Director of Legislative Services), $500, 11/17/2009
Dr. Melody Johnson (Superintendent, Fort Worth ISD), $250, 12/26/2009
Sandra Kibby (Wholesale Beverage Distributor), $100, 11/24/2009
Sara Leon (Lawyer), $100, 10/10/2009
Sherrie Matula (Educational Science Consultant and former Democrat candidate for state rep), $250, 10/3/2009
Ken McCraw (Executive Director, Texas Association of Community Schools), $250, 11/12/2009
Pam(e) Noland (District Services Coordinator, New Deal ISD), $100, 10/10/2009
Blake Powell (Lawyer), $100, 10/10/2009
Pat Pringle (Executive Director, Region XIII Education Svc. Center), $100, 12/1/2009
Gwendolyn Santiago (Executive Director, Texas Association of School Business Officials), $100, 12/23/2009
Guy Sconzo (Superintendent, Humble ISD), $100, 12/1/2009
Dr. Henry Scott (Superintendent, Denison ISD), $75, 12/1/2009
Gene Sheets (Superintendent, Muleshoe ISD), $100, 10/6/2009
Wow. That's a good chunk of the contributors on the January semi-annual. I left off a couple of retirees and one or two homemakers.
What is the agenda, again, exactly? Supporting what parents want, or what school administrators want?
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