Candidates are raising a lot of money in the highly watched Eanes school board races this spring, including one who has raised nearly $130,000, according to campaign finance documents that calculated contributions through April 21.
The candidates and community members say it’s not surprising that this school board race is attracting an unusually high amount of attention and donations. There are a number of issues at the heart of the election, chief among them the district’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiative. Some feel this race is a referendum on the initiative, which launched last summer in response to community concerns over racism. The district is also facing budget deficits and staff cuts, as well as searching for a path out of a challenging 18 months of pandemic schooling.
The Eanes community is grappling with division during an unusually fraught school board election. For many, the district’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiative is at the heart of the divide.
Incumbents Jennifer Champagne, Place 5, and James Spradley, Place 4, were part of the board when the initiative was created last summer and voted this year to make it a board priority. Both said they stand by the initiative
, which included hiring a consultant to examine the district s teaching practices and its traditions, as an important step in making sure all students feel safe in Eanes. The initiative was created in response to community concerns about racism in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis last May, Spradley said.