Some candidates have been more aggressive than others in fundraising for the Columbia School Board race. Some haven't raised any money at all.
All fundraising done by candidates is required to be reported to the Missouri Ethics Commission. These reports reflect each campaign's finances as of Feb. 25, 40 days before the election. They tell us a little about who supports the candidates' campaigns and what types of people or groups are driving those campaigns.
Five candidates are competing for two open seats on the seven-member board. Board members are unpaid and serve three-year terms. Candidates are Lucas Neal, Katherine Sasser, Jeanne Snodgrass, Aron Saylor and incumbent Teresa Maledy. Election day is April 6.
Lucas Neal
Neal, an area director for the faith-based youth organization Young Life, has been the busiest on the fundraising front.
His fundraising total stood at $14,891.55 when he filed his campaign finance report with the Missouri Ethics Commission. Most of that comes from individuals in Columbia.
Neal said he owes a "heartfelt thank you" to those who have donated. "It means a lot that people would trust me in that way. And we're trying to make the best use of the money and do the best job that we can because I think that people who are donating money are sort of counting on you to put the best campaign out there that you can."
His largest contribution was a $2,500 donation from Brant Bukowsky, the co-founder and co-owner of Columbia-based Veterans United Home Loans. He also received a $1,000 donation from Clyde Lear, retired CEO and chairman of sports marketing agency Learfield Communications.
"I do think that local business owners have a lot of stake in our public school system," Neal said.
His biggest expense is yard signs, but he planned to start advertising on social media.
Katherine Sasser
Sasser raised $8,209.85 by the time she filed her financial report with the ethics commission.
All of her monetary donations came from individuals, none over $500 and most under $100.
"I'm just really proud that the way we're raising funds is with small donations or small donors and the folks who are pretty directly related to the school district itself," said Sasser, a longtime educator and parent of two Columbia Public School students.
A big strategy of hers, she said, has been reaching out to her former students and coworkers from her time as a teacher.
"Then, after that, we had a pretty solid stream of donations coming in," she said. "Since that first push, I didn't really have to push for donations anymore."
One notable donor to her campaign is David Seaman, a current School Board member who gave $50.
She's used her campaign funds for yard signs, flyers and other literature to spread the word about her campaign.
Jeanne Snodgrass
Snodgrass has raised much less than some of her opponents. She's raised $1,553 according to her financial report, most of which came in small donations. She received no donation over $500.
Snodgrass is the executive director of Mizzou Hillel, a Jewish organization for MU students, and has three children in Columbia Public Schools.
Some of her initial donations, she said, came from family and friends. Then, the more she got her message out, the more she received in small dollar amounts from community members.
"We're asking for donations from community members that feel invested in the campaign," she said.
She's used these funds for a campaign website, yard signs and literature about her campaign.
She believes that fundraising is a necessary reality when running a campaign but hopes to focus more on the message of her campaign.
Teresa Maledy
Maledy, who has served on the board since 2018, said she decided not to raise any money this election season.
"When I ran a couple of years ago, I formed a committee and was able to raise a good amount of money and actually had some money left over to donate to a couple of nonprofits," she said, explaining how she gave her leftover campaign funds to the Columbia Public School Foundation and the Cradle to Career Alliance. "But this year, with everything going on, I decided not to raise any money."
Maledy said with all the economic hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, she didn't want to take anybody's money. She also said that, as a current board member, she's been busy with the search for a new superintendent and didn't want to take her focus away from that.
Aron Saylor
Saylor also decided not to raise any money.
"I don't think my vote is going to be bought," Saylor said. "We're talking about a school board. We're trying to help children. We're not trying to get a partisan vote or anything like that."
Saylor hasn't spent any money yet. He does plan to advertise later in the race but will self-fund that. He is allowed, by law, to spend up to $1,000 of his own money without reporting it.