A donor using the name Student First gave $5,000 to the Support Socorro ISD Schools PAC on Oct. 8, according to campaign finance reports filed last week. El Paso Matters reported that the address and phone number the donor provided and that appear on the PAC's filings seem questionable.
The PAC has spent more than $47,500 supporting the Socorro ISD voter-approval tax ratification election, known as VATRE. If voters approve the measure on Tuesday, it would bring in up to $49.2 million a year. It appears on the ballot as Proposition A.
PAC Chair Joe Espinoza said he believed Student First is a political action committee that supports public school districts. He said he does not know how the group is funded and has not spoken with anyone connected to it. He said the PAC received a contribution check from Student First by mail. The Texas Ethics Commission has no registered PAC donor by that name, according to El Paso Matters. Socorro ISD Chief Communications Officer Daniel Escobar said the PAC works independently from the district and that he is not familiar with Student First.