CPS levy effort raising more money

The pro-Cincinnati Public Schools levy campaign can afford a few of the nicer things in political life this time around.

As of mid-February, the district’s independent political committee had raised $55,253 – or 2.5 times as much as they had collected at the same point in last year’s effort.

After adding $5,780 left over from the fall and spending $29,141, Cincinnatians Active to Support Education reported $31,892 in cash on hand on Feb. 13, according to financial disclosures due Thursday.

The improvement over last fall’s fundraising effort comes mostly from a threefold increase in the number of individual, small-money donors, up from 98 to 335 this time around.

“I think it’s because people realized how critical it is this time, and maybe there was some complacency last fall,” said campaign coordinator Jan Leslie.

The single biggest donation was $10,000 from Turner Construction, which has a lead role in the CPS schools rebuilding program. Another boost to the warchest came via an $8,000 loan from Leslie, who said she made the loan because she believes in the cause.

The list of donors still lacks a signficant business community contingent, as it did in the fall.

The Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes reported $2,000 in donations, and has taken limited action to oppose the CPS tax hike.