2023 ISD 197 School Board Campaign Spending

Thanks to Zak’s Auto Service and Minnesota Locks for their support.

After last month’s ISD 197 school board election, we look into campaign finance reports to see how much candidates (and other groups) spent on the election.

Here’s spending by each candidate:

You can look at 2021 and 2015 spending for a sense of context.

Diving Into the Numbers

Here are a few stats and observations about this year’s spending:

• Total candidate spending: $2,716, compared to $12,031 in 2021 and $8,840 in 2015 (both 2017 and 2019 were uncontested races).
• Average amount spent: $542, compared to $1,203 in 2021 and $982 in 2015.
• Outside spending: The West St. Paul Federation of Teachers spent $4,808 to support their preferred candidates—Rowen Elsmore, Morgan Steele, and Randi Walz—primarily with several mailers. We’re not aware of any other spending from non-campaign groups.
• Does money win: This year is another interesting exercise in the power of money (or lack thereof) in elections. Elsmore spent more than Walz (though not significantly so, given the disclaimer below), but it didn’t translate to votes. Another example of the candidate spending the most losing (also happened in 2015).
• Vote Yes: The Vote Yes campaign supporting the levies spent $709 (compared to $7,589 in 2021). The West St. Paul Federation of Teachers also spent $1,190 to support the levies. There was no organized vote no campaign that we’re aware of.

Disclaimers: 

• Our analysis of campaign spending in the ISD 197 school board election is based on public campaign finance reports. We’re limited to what candidates actually report. Also, these reports can be confusing for everyone, so it’s possible we’ve confused some of the numbers.
• Candidates are not required to report spending less than $750, so in cases where we list $0, candidates could have spent up to $750. Both Walz and Byron certified that they spent less than $750. While Byron could have spent $0 relying on previous campaign materials, Walz certainly spent something on a first-time campaign with signs, website, etc. All that to say, the $0 in our chart is likely not accurate, but they’re not required to report exact numbers.

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