Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has donated more than $1 million to support the initiative campaign pushing for charter schools in Washington state.
According to a document filed with the state Public Disclosure Commission, Gates has donated $1.05 million to “Yes on 1240: Washington Coalition for Public Charter Schools.
The campaign has attracted a number of other large donations, including almost half a million dollars from Mike and Jackie Bezos, the parents of Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos. The campaign also has received donations of $100,000 from Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, and Katherine Binder, chairwoman of EMFCO Holdings.
The PDC reports total donations to the campaign of $1.8 million. No money has been reported for the group opposing the initiative, but proponents are still gathering signatures to get it on the ballot.
The Associated Press