Outside groups pour dark money into Denver Public Schools board races, again

Dark money — some of it from out-of-state multimillionaires and billionaires — is once again flowing into elections for the Denver Public Schools Board of Education.

With four of seven seats up for grabs, the spending is leading some to question how democratic and transparent the race to guide the education of 90,000 students really is. Others contend large sums of money help inform voters in races that traditionally have low turnout.

Dark money groups — organizations whose donors aren’t fully disclosed — cannot coordinate with candidates, but they can buy TV ads and glossy brochures. So far this year, one independent expenditure committee has spent big on a slate of candidates, while a second committee backing a competing slate has yet to give.

Back in 2023, donors backing charter scho