Who really runs Jacksonville's schools? A bunch of rich white millionaires, that's who.

Who owns our schools? It certainly isn’t the taxpayers.

Who runs our schools? It certainly isn’t the duly elected school board members.

The answer to both questions is a small cabal of rich white families; some of who don’t even live in Jacksonville and who have close times to the privatization movement.

I did an analysis of School Board donors over the last few cycles and below contributed the most amount of money by far and contributed to multiple races at the same time. You only do that if you are buying influence.

Cynthia and Dan Edelman

2014: 1000 Becki Couch, Scott Shine and Daryl Willie

2012: 1000 Ashley Smith Juarez, 500 to Martha Barrett  

2010: 1000 Fred Fel Lee

Her Husband also gave 1000 to Ashley Smith Juarez in 2012, 500 to Martha Barrett and 500 to Couch in 2014

The Chartrand family (and Greg Delaney and wife)

2014, 1000 to Couch and 3000 to Willie

2012, 1000 Fischer, 5000 Ashley Smith Juarez

2010, 100 Couch, 500 Barrett

2008, 2000 Ken Manuel

Preston Haskell

2014, 1000 to Couch

2012, 1500 to Hall, 1500 to Grymes, 2000 to Cuff,  1250 to Smith-Juarez

2010, 500 Barrett

2008, Hazouri 500, Manuel,  935 (in-kind), Stan Jordan, 500

2006, 500, to Bronner, Priestly-Jackson and Drake

Halverson (President of Haskell)

2014, 500 couch, 1000 to Willie and shine

2012, 500, Hall, Cuff, Jenkins and Grymes, 1000 Ashley Smith Juarez

2008, 500 Ken Manuel

Peter Rummell (and family)

2014, Couch 500

2012, 1000 Hall, 1500, Grymes, Cuff, Jenkins, 500 Heymann

2010, 1000, Lee, 500 Barrett,

2008, 2000, Gentry, 1000 Manuel, 500 Hazouri

Jonathan Baker (there were lots of Bakers so it’s hard to know about family members)

2014, 500, Shine, 1000 Couch and Willie

2012, 1000, Fischer, 500 Smith Juarez, Cuff, Hall, Barrett, Burney (returned) and Heymann

2010, 500 Cohen, Eric Smith, Fel Lee

The Weavers (including Thomas Petway)

2014, 3000 Couch, 2000 Willie

2012, 2000 each Heymann and Smith-Juarez, 500 Grymes (Petway)

2010, 500 Eric smith

2008, 500 Manuel, 1000 Gentry

The Clements

2014 2000, couch

2012, 1000, Smith Juarez, 500 Cuff

Weaver, Chartrand and Edelman are also part of the QEA, the shadow school board

Chartrand, Baker and Edelman’s husband Dan are on the board of KIPP,  Baker is on the board of several charter schools.

Edelman, Baker, Chartrand, Deloris Weaver, Poppy Clements are on the board of the JPEF, Chartrand’s pseudo education club which has ever closer ties to the district.

Money not what’s best for our kids seem to drive education policies here in Jacksonville.