An unprecedented $300,000 from a group established by two out-of-state billionaires is flooding Albuquerque’s school board races — contests where only a small fraction of voters usually decide the outcome.
Campaign finance reports reviewed by City Desk show that the Oregon-based Campaign for Great Public Schools political action committee (PAC) donated $300,000 to NewMexicoKidsCAN Action Fund in mid-August. Within six weeks, that group provided a group of four pro-business candidates for school board large donations of between $5,000 and $15,000 each, in addition to paying more than $98,000 for “independent” or outside media advertising and another $30,000 in polling in support of the candidates.
In every case, the PAC money was the largest contribution to the APS candidates – in some cases more than doubling the candidate’s personally-raised funding and then then adding thousands more in additional polling and media ads.
The contributions and expenditures were only reported on Oct. 15 following state finance report schedules because APS does not have local campaign reporting requirements.
The influx of cash could have an outsized impact in Albuquerque’s school board races, where voter turnout is notoriously low. In 2023, about 29,000 ballots were cast across three APS board contests, according to the New Mexico Secretary of State’s office — roughly 6% of Bernalillo County’s registered voters.
In past elections, participation has often stayed in the single digits, giving well-funded campaigns an outsized voice in who governs the district.
The money trail
The $300,000 contribution hit NewMexicoKidsCAN’s account on Aug. 15, dwarfing any previous funding in Albuquerque school board races. The prior record was Courtney Jackson’s 2021 campaign, which raised $63,974, according to Source NM, with a large portion of her funds also coming through NewMexicoKidsCAN.
The finance reports show the action fund has funneled money to four candidates — more than $15,000 to board president Danielle Gonzales in District 3, about $17,300 to board vice president Courtney Jackson in District 7, $13,000 to David Ams in District 6 and more than $5,800 to Joshua Martinez in District 5.
In the case of David Ams, state finance reports show that the in-state lobbying group NewMexicoKidsCan Action Fund, which is affiliated with the national organization, also paid for Ams’ campaign website, photos and voter data.
All total, Ams himself raised just over $16,000 for his race, but support from NewMexicoKidsCAN doubled that amount and “independent expenditures” of $27,000 in additional advertising nearly doubled that again. That brings total fundraising for one APS candidate to over $58,000.
His opponent, Margaret Warigia Bowman, has raised $49,000 including $10,951 from the Albuquerque Teachers Federation union. Rebecca Betzen, running against Gonzales, raised $45,845, also with major contributions from the teachers union.
But the spending doesn’t stop with direct contributions to candidates. The PAC also hired a Washington, D.C.-based media firm to produce $98,000 in so-called “independent expenditure” ads supporting those candidates. An additional $30,000 went to local polling.
“The APS Board gave themselves failing grades for the past two years on a test they chose themselves,” Betzen said in a press release. “As a teacher for 27 years, I know that D and F scores mean you are failing. My opponent says she believes the board can hold themselves to account but really, the board is accountable to the voters.”
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The billionaires and their national campaign
Netflix founder Reed Hastings and hedge fund manager John Arnold have spent more than $200 million nationwide promoting charter schools and school choice through their City Fund organization, according to Chalkbeat, an online outlet covering education policy. The Campaign for Great Public Schools, also called City Fund Action, was established as a political advocacy arm of City Fund.
Hastings has called for eliminating democratically elected school boards and serves on the national KIPP charter school board, according to Colorado Newsline.
The Campaign for Great Public Schools PAC that sent money to Albuquerque also gave $1 million to the American Federation for Children — a private school voucher group previously led by former U.S. Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos — for Louisiana campaigns, according to Chalkbeat.
Similar spending patterns have appeared in Denver, Newark, Atlanta and St. Louis school board races.
Amanda Aragon, NewMexicoKidsCAN’s executive director, is an alumna of the 50CAN Education Advocacy Fellowship, part of the national network.
“We all want better test scores, student outcomes, and accountability,” Warigia Bowman said in the press release. Bowman is challenging Ams in District 6 with teachers union backing.
“The way these out-of-state groups operate is to reduce parents’ input, remove important topics from the Board’s jurisdiction—like schools without heating and cooling—and remove the ability of board members to speak for themselves,” Bowman said. “Student outcomes need more parental involvement, not less.”
NewMexicoKidsCAN’s website describes the organization as supporting “bold education policies” and creating “world-class” schools. The site does not disclose the $300,000 contribution.
What’s at stake for Albuquerque
The Nov. 4 election will decide control of New Mexico’s largest school district, which serves 76,756 students and manages a $1.9 billion budget.
Four of seven board seats are up for grabs, and the current board is split between business-backed and union-backed members. The races will likely determine whether the board maintains its current direction under Superintendent Gabriella Durán Blakey or shifts course.
The teachers union is backing Betzen in District 3, Bowman in District 6 and Kristin Wood-Hegner in District 7. The union did not endorse a candidate in District 5, where Joshua Martinez faces Brian Laurent Jr.
“We need real community engagement from local parents and teachers, not out-of-state billionaires and interest groups more focused on removing books from schools than keeping our students safe,” Wood-Hegner said.
The Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce has endorsed all four candidates receiving PAC support, calling them essential to continuing the district’s current strategic direction.
At the Chamber’s Board of Directors meeting on Sept. 25, Aragon told members that Gonzales and Jackson face the tightest races, according to the Chamber’s newsletter.
Chamber President and CEO Terri Cole said aligned school board leadership is critical for continued academic progress. Records show that Cole has personally donated $4,250 to three of the four business-backed candidates.
“Dr. Durán Blakey has made tremendous progress, working in tandem with the board majority, to ensure our district has a strategic plan tied to student improvement,” Cole said in the newsletter. “She and Danielle and Courtney have instilled accountability in the system, and voters should support them so that work can continue.”
Aragon defended the outside funding, saying NewMexicoKidsCAN supports candidates focused on student outcomes.
“For the first time in over a decade, we’re seeing real progress in Albuquerque Public Schools,” Aragon said in a statement to City Desk. “More students are reading and doing math on grade level, and that’s good for them and good for our community.”
She said the organization’s supporters “are deeply invested in New Mexico, as employers, partners, and community builders. Our focus isn’t on politics, misinformation, or scare tactics,” Aragon added. “It is on students and their success.”
What’s next
Early voting for the Nov. 4 election is underway and continues through Nov. 1. Four districts are on the ballot — District 3 covers the North Valley and Corrales, District 5 includes West Mesa, District 6 spans the Foothills and East Mountains and District 7 represents the Northeast Heights.
Voters can check registration and find polling locations at bernco.gov or by contacting the Bernalillo County Clerk’s Office at (505) 243-8683. All campaign finance reports are publicly available at login.cfis.sos.state.nm.us.
The PAC spending is legal under New Mexico law, which sets no contribution limits for political action committees in school board races in districts with more than 12,000 students.
This article is factually sound but misses the bigger picture. Why is the teachers union pushing so hard against incumbents that have overseen the first hints of improvement that APS has seen in ages? It’s telling that the attack lines involve national issues (eg book bans and private vouchers) that haven’t actually been a problem here. Why isn’t City Desk investigating the misdirection? The agenda of the out of state funded candidates is fairly straightforward (accountability, importing things that have worked elsewhere, focusing on student outcomes). What does the teachers union want? If they want the same things why all the effort in opposition?
YIKES. Great article, Mr. Jones. //// Well, I’ve read the article twice (and I’ll read it again), and I’ve thought about it (briefly). I think, no matter what, nothing is going to change for NM children’s education. This year (last year?) NM was No. 50 for education (K-12) and for “child welfare”. And for many years, NM has always been one of the five worst states in The US in most areas — education, medical care, etc. If I had children under 18 living at home, I sure in The H would not be living in NM (which I love — but, again, I don’t have young children or even adult children living in NM). Lastly — and I know that no one cares — I’m 77 — and I have come to realize that all local and state governments are corrupt and that our federal government has been corrupt at least since Eisenhower — and I simply don’t care anymore. There is nothing the average American can do to make things better for living life in The US. “No Kings” protests allowed people to vent their dissatisfaction — but nothing will change. I’m spending the few remaining years of my life trying to keep body and soul together, helping others when I can, and just enjoying life. I even have a plan for if and when my very ample CA state government pension stops coming in.