The Cost of Campaigning: School Board Seats

School board candidates Sarah Pearson and Andrea Swenson have spent about twice as much – or more – than their opponents on the Feb. 7 ballot, according to the most recent campaign disclosure statements filed with the state and the's office last week.

The statements show three tiers of campaign spending, with two candidates in the $8,000 range, two at about $3,000 to $3,600, and one with no expenditures.

Pearson is the clear leader in contributions to date, having raised more than $10,000 for her campaign. Contributions for three other candidates are about $3,500 to $4,000 each.

Five candidates are running for three seats on the Piedmont Unified School District Board of Education: Nancy (Sunny) Bostrom, Jon Elliott, Sarah Pearson, Richard (Rick) Raushenbush and Andrea Swenson. Raushenbush is an incumbent seeking re-election. Two additional seats are open because incumbent June Monach is terming out and incumbent Martha Jones decided not to seek a second term.

The number of donors listed for candidates below reflects only those who contributed $100 or more; campaigns are not required to list donors of smaller amounts individually.

Nancy (Sunny) Bostrom, a last-minute candidate for school board after she failed to qualify for the Piedmont City Council race, filed a statement of intention in November, 2011 but has not filed financial statements showing contributions and expenditures.

To date, Jon Elliott has spent $2,937.63 on his campaign, including expenditures for campaign literature and mailing, postage and advertising (including $450 for advertising on Piedmont Patch).

Contributions to his campaign so far total $3,539 from seven donors.

Donors contributing $500 or more were Elliott himself; his wife, Elizabeth Taggart; and Steve Westly, Atherton, managing partner of The Westly Group. (Westly was California's state controller from 2003 to 2003, a candidate in the Democratic gubernatorial primary in 2006 and the California campaign co-chair for Obama for America in the 2008 presidential election.)

Sarah Pearson has spent $8,410 to date, including expenditures for campaign literature, mailings, postage, printing, campaign buttons, copy services, check printing (for the campaign bank account) and advertising.

She has received $10,616 so far in contributions from 26 donors.

Those contributing $500 or more to Person's campaign were Elinor Seevak, New York, N.Y., no occupation listed; Eric Sullivan and Teri Steele, Piedmont, self-employed; Sandra Pearson, no occupation or residence listed; and the candidate herself. Among those contributing less than $500 was State Senator S.J. (Joe) Simitian of Palo Alto (D-11th District), whose district encompasses much of Silicon Valley.

To date, Richard (Rick) Raushenbush has spent $3,609.71 for campaign literature and mailings, postage, delivery services, printing and newspaper inserts.

Contributions to his campaign to date total $4,049.71, all from donors giving less than $100. (Campaigns are not required to list donations of under $100 individually.)

Andrea Swenson has spent $8,042.52 to date, for campaign literature and other campaign items and printing.

She has received $3,629 in contributions from seven donors and has loaned her campaign committee $2,000. One person, Barbara Fremder, Berkeley, no occupation listed, contributed $500 or more. (Fremder is a co-founder of the East Bay College Fund.)

To see campaign expenditures and contributions for Piedmont City Council candidates, read "The Cost of Campaigning: City Council Race."