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Unmasking Dark Money Behind Charter School Ballot Question14:31
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Let's talk about dark money in Massachusetts politics. It's still pretty dark in places, but there's the occasional ray of light. Take the news from earlier this week, that the state's office of Campaign and Political Finance levied its largest ever penalty — more than $425,000 — on a dark-money organization that was a massive player in last year's battle over ballot Question 2, the proposal to raise the charter school cap in the state.
Question 2 was the most expensive ballot question in state history. More than $40 million spent by both sides. Nineteen million of that came from Families for Excellent Schools - Advocacy, a group connected to the New York based pro-charter Families for Excellent Schools.
Turns out, Families for Excellent Schools - Advocacy, or FESA, was required to disclose its donors. It did not. The state's campaign finance watchdog has forced that disclosure. We now know that about $15 million of those funds came from approximately 40 individuals: including Amos Hostetter, the former cable television businessman from Boston; Seth Klarman, chief executive of the Baupost Group; other hedge fund executives; and Paul Sagan, chair of the state's Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
We did reach out for an interview with Families for Excellent Schools. We received this statement from CEO Jeremiah Kittredge, "Though we believe we complied with all laws and regulations during the campaign, we worked closely with OCPF to resolve this matter so we could move forward with our mission of working alongside families desperate for better schools."
Guest
Michael Sullivan, director of the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance, which tweets @OCPFReports.
This segment aired on September 15, 2017.
Related:
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- Radio Boston Who's Funding The Groups For And Against Ballot Question 2?
- Radio Boston A Look At The N.Y. Organization Backing Question 2 To Lift The Mass. Charter Cap
- Edify Where The Money Comes From In The Fight Over Charter Schools
- Radio Boston Why A Donor Gave $100,000 In Support Of Raising The Charter School Cap
- Radio Boston Why This Teachers Union Is Fighting The Charter School Ballot Question
- Edify Question 2 Donations — For And Against — Top $41 Million
- Radio Boston What Parents Think Of Lifting The Charter School Cap
- Radio Boston Election Ballot Debate Series: Should Mass. Lift The Cap On Charter Schools?

Kathleen McNerney Senior Producer / Editor, Edify
Kathleen McNerney is senior producer/editor of Edify.
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