Penn-Harris-Madison school board candidates raise thousands in contentious races

MISHAWAKA — In an election cycle where typically under-the-radar school board races have taken center stage, tens of thousands of dollars have been poured into campaigns this year in the Penn-Harris-Madison district.

Candidates supported by a Coalition for Common Sense political action committee appear so far to have outraised challengers endorsed by Strengthen Our Schools — a group of parents and community members who have consistently rallied against “CRT, medical coercion and the politics of division” in schools.

These Penn-Harris-Madison races have drawn heightened attention locally for their increasingly political rhetoric and reflect national trends after two years of debate surrounding mask policies, diversity initiatives and “culture war” topics enveloping suburban school boards across the country.

Experts say these highly charged conversations have led more candidates to run for local school board seats and have led to greater funding for those candidates compared to past election cycles.

More:These are the candidates running for Penn-Harris-Madison school board.

There are 1,346 candidates for school board in Indiana this year, which is a 17% increase from four years ago, according to the Indiana School Boards Association.

And, in a 2018 National School Boards Association survey, 75% of respondents said they spent less than $1,000 on their most recent election. Sixteen percent said they spent between $1,000 and $5,000 and just 9% said they spent $5,000 or more on their campaigns.

The Tribune requested pre-election finance reports for all P-H-M candidates, as well as those in two neighboring districts, and found total contributions surpassing $1,000 in nearly every example among those who filed reports. However, P-H-M races have, by and large, brought in the most money of St. Joseph County’s largest school districts. One P-H-M candidate had already raised nearly $20,000 by mid-October, reflecting a school board campaign season far from the typical cycle.

How much money are local candidates raising?

School board candidates, like most others seeking local office, are required to file finance reports in the weeks leading up to Election Day. School board candidates who are running unopposed or who have not spent or received more than $500 are exempt from reporting.

In P-H-M, six of seven candidates running for the district’s open Penn Township, Harris Township and at large seats filed reports. Only incumbent candidate Larry Beehler, running unchallenged for the district’s Madison Township seat, and George Bashura, running in a three-way race for P-H-M’s at large seat, did not file reports.

Finance records for remaining candidates show a level of collaborative campaigning that's become more common among school board races this cycle.

“There certainly are a lot more candidates running this year than there have been in the past two years, the past four years,” said Adam VanOsdol, a communications specialist with the Indiana School Boards Association. “And, we’re definitely seeing a lot of candidates running together with coordinated messages.”

More:P-H-M defends academics as conservative-backed candidates target test scores

Candidates Bryan Jones for Harris Township, Andy Rutten for at large and Matt Chaffee for Penn Township, have campaigned together using the acronym BAM and have received endorsements from the local, conservative-backed group Strengthen Our Schools.

Each of the three candidates appear to be their own largest supporters and have transferred small amounts of money between the three campaigns, according to reports filed by the candidates themselves or by a campaign committee treasurer.

So far, Jones’ campaign has raised $6,560 through a combination of donations from individuals and personal loans totaling more than $2,000 from Jones to his campaign committee. The Friends of Andy Rutten committee has raised $2,488, with two supporters contributing a combined $500 and Rutten’s wife named as loaning $1,889 to the campaign. And, the Committee To Elect Matt Chaffee has raised $12,463 with more than $9,500 of that supported through loans from Chaffee to his campaign committee.

More:A P-H-M school board candidate is pushing for a more conservative board

Like the BAM candidates, the finance reports of each of their challengers, with the exception of Bashura, who did not file, show a coordinated campaign effort. Those candidates include Christopher Riley, the board’s current president running for Harris Township; James Turnwald, also an incumbent running for Penn Township; and Dana Sullivan, a first-time candidate running for the district’s at large seat.

The Committee to Elect Chris Riley for P-H-M has raised $19,514 through a combination of individual donors and Riley’s own support, including more than $11,000 the candidate has directly contributed to his campaign. The Friends of Turnwald campaign has raised $11,857 through about a dozen individual donors and Turnwald’s own direct contributions of more than $875. And, the Friends of Dana Sullivan campaign has raised $9,641 through nearly a half dozen individual donors, about $175 in loans from Sullivan to her campaign, and a $1,000 direct contribution from the candidate to her campaign.

Though these candidates appear not to have transferred money between their campaigns, they do share a similar and significant funding source in the Coalition for Common Sense PAC — a committee its founder says was created to build an infrastructure for candidates they believe exhibit a commitment to public service and respectful dialogue.

Amid tense election, PAC support emerges

The last two years have been anything but normal in school boards across the country. P-H-M parents as early as August 2021 told board members they would remember trustees’ decisions on school masking as they prepared to head to the polls this fall. The ongoing debate of COVID-19 policies, mixed with an emerging conversation about how best to support students of color in the wake of the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd, drew out tense disagreements in hours-long board meetings at the P-H-M administration center.

It was around this time Warren von Eschenbach, who in a past job worked with a Texas state senator, said he felt the need to create a political action committee that would support values of “common sense leadership, responsible government, evidence based public policies and best practices in local government,” according to the committee’s mission statement.

More:P-H-M schools wrestle with diversity as 'social emotional learning,' CRT draw attention

A political action committee, or PAC, by Indiana’s definition is an organization that seeks to influence an election and collects or spends more than $100 in a calendar year.

Counter to a national trend of conservative-fueled PACs attempting to sway local school board races, von Eschenbach says his PAC is nonpartisan. The PAC is not advocating for candidates in any races outside of P-H-M and does not ask its donors their political affiliations.

The coalition’s vision, von Eschenbach says, is to back candidates who put children, teachers and administrators before the political rhetoric that’s taken hold nationally.

“We live in great neighborhoods and people’s home values have increased because of the great schools we have, and we have lower tax rates and wonderful teachers and we’re able to recruit teachers at a time when there’s national shortages,” von Eschenbach said. “That’s what the focus should be on, not these cultural wars and distractions.”

Voting guide:Voting in Indiana began Oct. 12. Here's where and how to vote early in St. Joseph County.

As of its mid-October filing, the Coalition for Common Sense has, in the most recent reporting period, raised $21,940 from nearly 50 individual donors and spent $13,063. The coalition during that time has directed about $4,350 each to Riley, Turnwald and Sullivan through direct and in-kind contributions for campaign items like postcards, mailers and Google advertisements.

Von Eschenbach says supporters of the PAC are primarily parents within the P-H-M district. The coalition plans to continue fundraising up to Election Day and has set a goal of raising $30,000, meaning $10,000 for each preferred candidate. Von Eschenbach said the coalition has now secured support from more than a hundred individual donors and plans to continue its outreach.

“Where your schools go is where your community goes,” von Eschenbach said, “And, we want to keep going forward.”

USA Today contributed reporting to this story.

Email South Bend Tribune education reporter Carley Lanich at clanich@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @carleylanich.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Penn-Harris-Madison school board candidates raise tens of thousands