Hawaii’s Children First, the leading force behind the high-profile “Vote YES” campaign for an appointed Hawaii State Board of Education, has raised another $302,000 in the last month, bringing its total funds raised to more than $512,000.

More than $360,000 of the organization’s total contributions have come from philanthropist Bill Reeves, who is also co-founder of The Learning Coalition, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving Hawaii’s schools. He donated $260,000 in both monetary and non-monetary contributions of various sizes between Sept. 19 and Oct. 18.

The contributions were reported in Children First’s latest filing with the Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission. The majority of the money has been spent on advertising and literature, according to the organization’s expenditure report filed Monday.

Reeves said he tries to keep a low profile on his giving, but that he and his wife, Debbie Berger, have supported a better board of education for several years.

“This might be one of the ways we can get one,” he said of the initiative for an appointed education board. “Everyone should be trying to do all that they can to support public education in Hawaii, and this is one of the ways we can.”

Other significant contributions in this report:

• $10,294 in non-monetary contributions from DiscoveryBox, of which Hawaii’s Children First Chairman Randy Baldmor is president. DiscoveryBox has donated a total of $62,474 in consulting and other services to Children First this year.
• $10,000 in advertising from Bright Light Marketing.
• $10,000 from First Hawaiian Bank.
• $5,000 from Bank of Hawaii.

Although the Hawaii State Teachers Association has formally advised its 13,000 or so members to vote “no” in the amendment, Civil Beat has been unable to confirm whether the union has organized an official campaign against it. Its campaign spending reports reflect no significant expenditures on advertising or literature this election season.

Members of the elected board of education have spoken at several public forums in opposition to the amendment, though. The board has also dedicated a portion of its website to the issue.

To learn more about previous contributions and endorsements for Hawaii’s Children First and the campaign for a “yes” vote, read our earlier report, “Money in the Movement.”