CCISD elections will be held on May 6. Campaign finance reports will be due April 6, 30 days before the election and April 28, 8 days before the election. The reports will be available on the CCISD Election Page in pdf form.
The April 6 report will be the first report to gauge the strength of the candidates. Usually a few thousand dollars will be needed to run for Trustee but over the last few elections outside partisan money has flooded the district. When reviewing the reports look for the following:
- Large contributions from individuals, PACs, or political parties from outside of the district. Local elections should be about local issues funded by local individuals. Watch for any candidate who depends on this outside help especially from partisan organizations.
- Large contributions from the candidate in the form of a loan or donation. In Texas there is no limit to the amount of donations or loans. Current Trustee, Scott Bowen, loaned himself $20,000 to win with less than 50% of the vote. Many times a candidate will jump start their campaign with a personal loan, but $20,000? That is just obscene.
- Also look at the expenditures. Look for money spent on outside consultants. These are usually for mailer services. Lately candidates have paid for block walkers instead of using volunteers or family members.
- Look at in-kind donations. In-kind donations are services provided on behalf of the campaign in lieu of money. For instance someone could pay for food for an event and report it as an in-kind donation.
- All donations in any form should be disclosed but some are hard to find. For instance the Harris County Republican Party sent out a mailer for Scott Bowen but it is difficult to find the report describing the details of the expenditure.
Here are some websites for more information:
CCISD Election Page Candidates financial reports and filings
Bay Area Houston. Candidate websites, Facebook pages, etc
Texas Ethics Commission schedule for reports Campaign finance report schedules
Texas Ethics Commission Campaign finance website
Bay Area Houston 
Absolutely correct. Non political my rear.
Bowen and others have promised large amounts of money for anyone following “the script” and opposing qualified candidates with their only agenda is to do what is best for the children and therefore all the community.