Unions throw BIG money at school races

Katy Grimes: A friend of mine is running for School Board of the Sacramento City Unified School District. She’s the type of person who should be on a school board – she’s a parent, a teacher, and a small-government, no-excuses type of person. But she’s running not just against the incumbent, she’s running against the entire CTA.

This brochure was sent out on behalf of her opponent, by the CTA. And I heard that the Plumbers and Pipefitters local union has given her opponent a great deal of money – rumor has it, $100,000.

Apparently there is much more at stake in the Sacramento city schools, or at least the uber-powerful unions think so.

When an involved, concerned parent and local high school English teacher cannot run for a local school board without having the California Teachers Association and Plumbers and Pipefitters union throw the race, the stink of corruption is far too prevalent in every corner of our lives, and even in the lives of our kids.

And the other side of the mailer is a YES on Proposition 24 advertisement.

Ballotpedia states “the goal of the initiative is to stop several corporate tax breaks that are slated to go into effect in 2010 and 2012.” A group called “Stop the Jobs Tax” says on their website, “At a time when two million Californians are out of work, the initiative taxes new job creation, hits California employers and small businesses with higher taxes and stifles job growth in our most promising industries. It would lead to fewer jobs and fewer tax revenues.”

As the CTA website states, “Prop. 24 keeps corporate taxes exactly where they are today…”

It’s obvious that the CTA also wants to keep their favorite candidates exactly where they are today as well. But I am hoping that parents start researching the members of their own school boards and find out who is funding these candidates and board members.

My friend‘s husband loaned her campaign the money, and whatever other donations friends could scrape up… and the local newspapers have highly criticized her for the small loan, with not a word about the big union contributions to her opponent!

OCT. 25, 2010