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As the 2013 race for three LAUSD School Board seats heats up, so will the political fundraising that pays for the candidates’ campaigns. Just as they have in recent elections, independent expenditure (IE) committees are again likely to eclipse direct donations to candidates’ campaigns.

At least one IE committee is ahead of the game: UTLA-PACE, the political action council of the teachers union. While the latest number won’t be available until the next filing deadline in January, as of June 30th, UTLA-PACE already showed $634,901 in its account.

The report, available by request form the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission, shows that the committee added $324,000 in the six-month period. That number is sure to rise for the July-December filing period.

UTLA-PACE’s IE has consistently been the biggest spender in recent board elections, outpacing the Coalition for School Reform and an IE run by the local branch of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

It’s no secret that UTLA wants to have union-endorsed candidates control a majority of the board. The latest edition of the UTLA newsletter urges members to envision its candidates winning control over the board:

“It will take four votes on the LAUSD School Board for UTLA and its members to change the dynamics of the Board of Education… All UTLA members will have to be part of [the campaign] from January on if we are to elect a truly pro-educator School Board.”

Previous posts: Election ’13: Undisclosed Donors?, Attack Ads on the Horizon, Dark Money Dominates LAUSD Elections