The threat of state officials stripping power from Houston ISD trustees has not scared off donors interested in the district’s school board elections, with 13 candidates combining to raise about $210,000 through early October.

With about a month before the Nov. 5 general election, candidates running for four school board seats were collecting money at a similar pace as the 2017 election cycle, campaign finance records show. That year, 19 candidates took in about $300,000 with a month remaining before the general election, which featured five regular races and one special election in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

This year’s election, however, comes as HISD sits on the brink of the Texas Education Agency temporarily ousting the district’s elected trustees, the result of the district’s failure to raise achievement at chronically low-performing Wheatley High School on the city’s near-northeast side. Barring a successful appeal of Wheatley’s seventh consecutive failing grade, which district officials say is highly unlikely, Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath is expected to replace HISD’s school board with an appointed governance team in early 2020. State law dictates Morath close Wheatley or oust the school board.

While elected trustees likely will not hold power for much of 2020 or 2021, some could rejoin the board before their four-year terms end. As a result, donors and voters have reason to remain involved in the four races, said Jasmine Jenkins, executive director of the education nonprofit Houstonians For Great Public Schools. The organization’s political action committee has been the largest donor in HISD races to date, giving $37,000 to five candidates.

“We have to think about the longer-term future of the district and our board, and I’m encouraged by the fact that people are still taking notice,” Jenkins said. “They’re people who are still going to be in their positions when that time comes. This election is as important as any other.”

The bulk of donations to date have been collected by five non-incumbent candidates.

In District IV, which covers parts of southern and downtown Houston, Matt Barnes and Reagan Flowers outpaced the two other candidates running to replace Trustee Jolanda Jones, who is not seeking re-election. Barnes, the founder of Barnes Strategies Consulting, took in about $61,000, more than any other candidate had raised at this time in 2017. Flowers, the CEO of nonprofit C-STEM Teacher and Student Support Services, netted about $31,000.

“I think there’s some recognition that I have the experience to help bring HISD back,” said Barnes, who has served on several early education, charter school and college governing boards. “Fundraising gives me the space to have a lot more time talking to people.”

To HISD’s east, District VIII challenger Judith Cruz collected about $60,000 in donations as of early October, far more than the single $2,500 contribution reported by incumbent Board President Diana Dávila, who traditionally does not raise campaign funds.

Armed with a fundraising advantage and several endorsements — Houstonians For Great Public Schools, Harris County Young Democrats and Latino Texas PAC, among others — Cruz is campaigning as a voice of change and transparency. The race comes as Dávila faces accusations from TEA investigators that she misled state officials during an inquiry into potential violations of the Texas Open Meetings Act and improperly interfered in district vendor contracts. Dávila has denied the allegations.

“I think if people have come to realize that if (state intervention) happens, it’s going to be temporary, and we need to make sure we elect strong school board candidates regardless,” said Cruz, a former teacher and director for the education nonprofit DiscoverU. “At the end of the day, the everyday voter, what resonates with them is who cares about their community and knocking on their door.”

Dávila maintains strong name recognition on the city’s east side after winning three school board races in 16 years, lessening her need to raise funds. She also benefits from a key endorsement: the Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation, which includes the influential Houston Federation of Teachers union.

“I like to consider myself an independent candidate who runs based on the voice of the community, which usually happens to be heard on Election Day,” Dávila said. “I’ve been around politics for over 20 years, and you spend your time and money and efforts doing grass-roots campaigning.”

In the two-person race for District III, which covers much of southeastern Houston, challenger Dani Hernandez’s $26,600 haul beat out incumbent Sergio Lira’s $6,600.

In District II, which spans much of northwestern and northeastern HISD, retired postal manager Katherine Blueford-Daniels’ $17,700 led the pack of five candidates seeking to replace outgoing Trustee Rhonda Skillern-Jones.

Candidates must report another round of campaign donations and spending totals in late October.

jacob.carpenter@chron.com