FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	CONTACT
July 21, 2009	Scott Garrison 512-535-1235

 
            Judy Jennings, Democratic candidate for the District 10 State Board of Education seat held by Republican Cynthia Dunbar, dramatically outpaced other candidates in fund-raising, reports show.

            According to reports filed with the Texas Ethics Commission and available online, Jennings not only raised more contributions than any candidate–Democrat or Republican–running for the seat, but also raised more than any candidate, including incumbents, for any of the 15 SBOE seats. The reports cover the period January 1 through June 30, 2009.

            “I'm grateful for the support that we've been receiving. I think it shows that Texans know that our children need more support and less extremist rhetoric from the SBOE,” Jennings said. “The State Board of Education has become so distracted with fighting the so-called ‘culture wars’ it has lost its focus on improving public education for all Texas schoolchildren. With only fifteen members representing more than 24 million Texans, our children can’t afford even one board member, such as Cynthia Dunbar, who is a self-proclaimed opponent of public education.”

            Momentum has been building in recent years to oust extremist board members, such as Dunbar, and refocus the SBOE on its mission to provide leadership for Texas public schools. Laura Ewing raised over $100,000 in her District 7 bid last year, representing the highest total ever raised by a Democratic SBOE candidate. Donna Howard raised the next highest total with nearly $70,000 during her campaign for District 10 in 2000. Jennings’ $10,000 in contributions raised 16 months prior the 2010 general election puts her on a record-setting fund-raising pace.

            Jennings is currently the Director of Assessment at Resources for Learning, LLC, an Austin-based educational consultancy. She holds a PhD in Education from the University of Texas and has previously worked for the Texas Education Agency.

            Cynthia Dunbar is the author of One Nation Under God, in which she calls public education, “a subtly deceptive tool of perversion,” and claims to be, “fighting a culture war…along party lines.” Dunbar also authored an article before Election Day 2008 predicting, “a planned effort by those with whom [Barack] Obama truly sympathizes to take down the America that is [a] threat to tyranny.” The Austin American-Statesman called for Dunbar’s resignation over her remarks.

            Party nominations will be decided in the March 2, 2010 primary elections. The winner of the November 2, 2010 general election will be sworn in on January 1, 2011 and serve for four years.