SPS candidates report donations of nearly $97K, highest amount to Judy Brunner

This week, Springfield school board candidates — and others on the April 4 ballot — must file their first significant campaign finance reports.

In all, they reported raising $96,957 so far, more than half of which was raised by retired Springfield educator Judy Brunner, who accepted $51,441.

Incumbent Shurita Thomas-Tate raised $22,306, closely followed by Landon McCarter with $21,935. Chad Rollins was lagging behind with just $1,275.

The reports detail how much they have raised, who donated, and what money the campaign committee has spent as of Feb. 18, or 40 days before the election.

Four candidates are vying for two open positions on the school board. The two with the most votes will be sworn in mid-April.

The contested elections in 2021 and 2022 were expensive, with candidates raising and spending more money than in prior years. This year is on track to be even higher.

More:In 2022, the SPS board candidates who raised the most money were the winners

The elections also reflected an uptick in donations from outside spending groups, including those with a political platform that leaned left or right.

Here is a breakdown of who donated at least $200 to each candidate. The job title, elected office of donors was included if listed or known.

Judy Brunner

Brunner, a business owner and retired Springfield educator and principal, reported $43,680 in donations, $2,000 in loans and $5,760 in in-kind contributions.

She is listed as nonpartisan on the report and her treasurer is Raylene Appleby, who owns an insurance company and donated $1,500. Brunner donated $3,250 in in-kind contributions to her campaign.

Her largest donations were $5,000 from Jeff Hutchens of Hutchens Industries; $4,500 from Jack Stack, president and CEO of SRC; $2,500 from Twibell Pierson Criminal Law; and $2,028 from Tyler Drenon, Pitt Technology Group, with a mix of donations and in-kind contributions.

There were $1,000 gifts from EduSafe, the company she co-founded; Missouri National Education Association; Sally Baird; Melissa Haddow, retired director of CPO; Rodney Loomer, attorney; and Gail Smart, wife of Clif Smart, the president of Missouri State University

She received $890 from Matthew Brunner, a teacher in Willard; $750 from Tiffany Brunner, who runs the Middle College program; and $500 from Michael Brunner, who works in probation and parole: $500 from Michael Brunner Sr.

Donations of $519 were made by Charlie O'Reilly, of Nixa and Kenton Childs. Donations of $500 were made by from Bill Turner, of Great Southern Bank; Steve Seal, a former SPS principal; Richard Chiles; Dan Chiles, former City Council member; Cynthia Cunningham; Richard Cunningham, a physician; Karen Garwitz; Julie Leeth, retired SPS principal; Richard Moger, of SRC.

Gus Krafre, an investor, gave $400, and Krystyna Clark donated $311.

Six former Springfield school board members donated: $250 each from Michael Hoeman, Tom Prater and Jean Twitty; $200 from Annie Busch; $150 from Bruce Renner; and $104 from Charles Taylor. Chad Courtney, who made a failed bid for the bid, donated $100 from his campaign committee.

The $259 donations included Janet Dankert, CEO of Community Partnership of the Ozarks; Lacy Baker, of Arkansas; James Fossard; and Mary Fry. Terry Bond, a teacher at Greenwood, and Steve Ingalsbe, a retired teacher, each gave $256.

Donations of $250 were from Brian Fogle, president of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks; Matt Hudson, dean of technical education at Ozarks Technical Community College; Craig Hosmer, City Council member; Barbara Hughes, financial advisor; Amanda Kutter of Nixa; Private investments; John McAlear; Melissa McGuire, a realtor from Ozark; Mark Ringenberg; George Rosenbury, city official; and Stephen Vaught, insurance. Debra Hart gave $208.

There were $200 donations from Randy Alberhasky, an attorney; Marilyn Bell; Kristina Boyer; Gary Grove; Gail Harris, an educator; Colton Lightner, a teacher; Scott McGee, an educator from Willard; Grant Rahmeryer, an attorney; David Reid; Gloria Thomson; Shawn Wheeler, of Texas; Ann White, retired SPS official.

The following gave $104: Rhonda Mammen, retired SPS official; Pamela Bailey; Les Brown; Deborah Huett; Patricia Moore; Susan McNeal; Cathy Primm; Mike and Janet Rand, of Ozark; Linda Regan; Peggy Riggs, retired SPS official; Vicky Trippe; Andrea Wise; and Susan McNeal.

Angela Wilbanks donated $156. The $150 gifts were from Julie Batson, Stephanie Reid, and Gary Prouty, a retired SPS principal.

The $100 gifts were from Logan Aguirre, publisher of 417 Magazine; Hal Higdon, chancellor of OTC; Kate Baird; Mary Boyer; Gloria Calhoun; Gale Clithero; Sally England; Teresa Evans; Lisa Fent; Kim Fench, a teacher; Jean Grabeel, retired director of health for SPS; Debbie Grega, retired principal; Shannon Gregg, of Rogersville; Laquita Hall, who works at the IRS; Marcia Johnson; Shirley Lawler, retired educator working with CFO; Kathy Lightner; Marla Marshall; Pam McGinnis, retired SPS principal; Beth McIntyre, a teacher; Terry McQuery: Morey Mechlin, community volunteer; B.J. Michell, of Georgia; Randy and Mary Mitchell; Dawn Mosely-Young, of SPS; Deborah Preston; Michael Pulley; Joyce Pyle; Ashley Russell; Olivia Selph; Julie Steiger, former SPS principal; Michael Suarez; Matthew Suarez, a banker from Ozark; Judy Wyrick.

Donations under $100 are not listed individually.

Shurita Thomas-Tate

Thomas-Tate, an associate professor at Missouri State University, is running for her second term. She is listed as non-partisan.

Her treasurer is Bob Stephens, a former Springfield mayor who has been involved in an outside spending group called Vote 417, which endorsed an incumbent and condemned negative ads in the 2022 race.

The largest donations were $5,000 from Shelby Hahn, a physician; $2,500 from John Oke-Thomas, an architect; $1038 from Rob and Sally Baird; $1,000 from Thomas and Nancy Dornan.

She also received $1,036 from Dana Ford, men's basketball coach at Missouri State; $777 from Charlie O'Reilly, who lives in Nixa; and $518 from Natalie Cobb, of Kentucky;

The $500 gifts were from Jennifer Baker, a psychologist; and Kendra and Jr. Chappel, a former Willard teacher who directed "The Milly Project" and now lives in California; $400 from David and Vicky Trippe; and $363 from Marla Marantz, a retired teacher who is politically active.

She received $259 from Tyrone Bledsoe, executive director of SAAB, a program headquartered at MSU and active in SPS schools; Holly Acharya, a software consultant; Leslie Anderson, MSU faculty; and Cindy and Andy Lear, who is on City Council but opted not to run again; Linda Regan; and MSU faculty Kyler Sherman-Wilkins, who has frequently advocated for LGBTQ students at SPS board meetings.

There was a $250 from Dee Ogilvy, active in the Springfield Chapter of the NAACP; $208 from Benica Hight of Ohio, and Cathy Primm; $207 from Lowell Thomas, of Oregon, and Jeff Munzinger, a community volunteer who has made unsuccessful bids for elected office in Missouri; $200 from business leader Shawn Calhoun; and $198 from Margaret Castrey.

Thomas-Tate received $208 each from former school board members Annie Busch, a retired library leader, and Drury University professor Charles Taylor and $155 from Daniel Ogunyemi, a college director of diversity equity and inclusion who made a failed bid for the school board.

She received $155 from Terry Bond, an instructor at the Greenwood Laboratory School and $104 from Karis Agnew, Denver; Holly Beadle, of Community Foundation of the Ozarks; Chandler Carlson, wife of former mayor Tom Carlson, publisher of the Springfield Daily Citizen; Leslie Carrier; William Cooper; Barbara Dershimer, an SPS employee; Rachel Dockery, general counsel for MSU; Mary Fry; Gloria Galanes, faculty emeritus and MSU; Joan Gentry; Carolyn Gerdes; Tamra Jahnke, an MSU dean; Lisa Langley, an educator; Colton Lightner, an SPS teacher; Sarah Lockenvitz, MSU faculty who lives in Nixa; Julie Masterson, an MSU dean; Dorothy McClendon, an attorney; Cindy and Kent Merrill; Matthew Patterson, executive director of the Missouri Democratic Party; Carolyn Ruff; Mary Schrag, fpr,er member of the MSU Board of Governors; Tehesha Stegall, a nurse practitioner; and Roy Tate of Oregon.

She also received $1,954 from individuals donating less than $100 and not required to give their name.

Landon McCarter

McCarter, a business owner and entrepreneur, will appear first on the ballot. His campaign treasurer is Mark Morris and he is listed as non-partisan on the report filed this week.

He has raised $21,935 from more than 20 donors. He made two donations to his own campaign totaling $3,030.

His largest donations were $2,500 and came from Tim Fowler, a bank president; Linda Fowler, a retiree; and Richard Hughlett, a business owner from Nixa.

Todd Wilson, chief operating officer of Rapid Roberts, donated $1,250 and retiree Robert Wilson donated $1,250.

SWMO Forward PAC, based in Columbia, donated $1,000. Loren Cook II, CEO of a local company, donated $1,000.

McCarter received $1,000 from Swayne Loftis, who made an unsuccessful bid for the board in 2015 and sued the district in 2014 in an attempt to be added to the ballot after failing to submit enough verified voter signatures.

Jim Hutcheson, a realtor, donated $750.

There were $500 donations from Brad McCarter; Connie McCarter; Ralph Duda III, an entrepreneur behind the proposed University Heights project; Danette Proctor, chair of the Greene County Republican Central Committee; and Tyler Creach, who works for Jared Properties and was campaign treasurer for board member Kelly Byrne.

Donations of $300 came from Paul Ebisch, CEO of Classy Llama and Tyler Thompson, president of sales at Thompson Buick GMC.

The $250 donations were from Fred G. McQueary, a retiree; Jamie Rossi, entrepreneur from Ohio; Sherry Byrne, who is self-employed; and Cameron Jones, an attorney.

Tom and Regina McClain donated $150. Lydia Chestnut, a retiree from Willard, donated $130.

He reported $825 from donors giving $100 or less.

Chad Rollins

The last of the four candidates to form a campaign committee, Rollins was the first to file a report. His treasurer is Michelle Herring.

Under state law, the school board race must be nonpartisan. On the report, Rollins lists himself as a Republican.

The report states Rollins has raised $1,275 so far and still has $813 of that available.

In addition to $25 raised by people giving $100 or less — who are not required to give their name — Rollins had three donations.

The largest donation was $1,000 from Loftis, who regularly donates to conservative candidates.

Rollins, a pharmacist, received a $150 donation from former state Rep. Lynn Morris, a Republican from Christian County, whom he used to work alongside.

He also received a $100 donation from retired Springfield teacher Carl Herd, who made an unsuccessful bid for the board. Herd is the only member of the Community Task Force on Facilities to publicly oppose the timing of the $220 million bond issue on the April ballot.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Campaign finance reports filed by Springfield school board candidates