With Election Day looming, there's another political action committee focused on education in town.
The Horizon PAC, the group behind the Facebook page "Saveourpublicschools," has been launching attacks on UnifiEd, a local education advocacy group with its own political action committee, for weeks.
In the past month, Horizon has spent more than $22,000 on advertising - in the Times Free Press and with Strategic Media 21. The group has also paid for several ads on Facebook, denouncing UnifiEd and endorsing Hamilton County school board candidate Joe Smith and Joseph Graham for the Hamilton County Commission District 6 seat.
Though Horizon has publicly endorsed several school board, county commission and a mayoral candidate in newspaper advertisements, some of those who have been endorsed said they had no conversation with the group about an endorsement.
Smith, incumbent school board candidate in District 3, has gained support of the group but said he "hadn't received any money from them" and "hadn't sought their endorsement."
The group's activity on Facebook and attacks on UnifiEd's Action Plan for Education Excellence (APEX) policy report gained momentum in early June, weeks after Smith and fellow school board member Rhonda Thurman, of District 1, denounced the same report.
School board Chairman Steve Highlander, of District 9, also received Horizon's support, and though he has not publicly been endorsed by UnifiEd, he has not been a critic of the organization.
"I am happy to get all the endorsements I can from any legitimate group," Highlander said. "There is a proverb that says the fool speaks before he listens. I think we need to listen to people, and we owe it to our constituents to listen and then decide what's best. I want to listen. If Horizon wants to talk to me and give advice, I would certainly listen and weigh it. If UnifiEd wants to give advice, I would listen and weight it."
"[Horizon] did not contact me to seek my approval for their endorsement, though," Highlander added.
Many of the comments on the Facebook page have been outrage over the group's posts - which have called UnifiEd "too radical for Chattanooga," an "Obama machine" and accused the group of pushing a "liberal agenda."
Taylor Lyons, a member of Chattanooga Moms for Social Justice, questioned who was behind the group and its lack of transparency.
"It's murky where those ads are coming from," Lyons said. "That lack of transparency, I find disturbing."
According to the group's pre-primary financial disclosure report, of its $34,000 in contributions since April, all but $4,000 came from Hugh Maclellan of the Maclellan Foundation.
Maclellan could not be reached for comment for this story.
The group's treasurer is Tony Sanders, former Hamilton County Republican Party chairman. Multiple attempts to reach Sanders on Monday were unsuccessful.
The group has also received contributions from the Committee to Elect Ken Smith, Robert Decosimo and Tom Decosimo.
Horizon has made contributions to Kyle Hedrick's campaign to keep his Circuit Court seat, for District 7 County Commissioner Sabrena Smedley's re-election campaign, to Gerald McCormick, Esther Helton, Jonathan Mason and Jenny Hill, though not all have received public endorsements.
Smedley recently returned the $500 she received from the UnifiEd PAC.
"It's pretty much a controversy, nothing more, nothing less," she said.
She also noted that she did not know much about the Horizon PAC and that money was given to her by Chattanooga City Council Chairman Ken Smith, of District 3, at an event.
Smith also was unable to be reached for comment.
Jenny Hill is the only school board candidate to have received funds from the Horizon PAC, though her opponent has accused of her being one of UnifiEd's token candidates.
Hill acknowledged receipt of $100 last November from the Horizon PAC, but said she has never received any funding from the UnifiEd Action PAC.
"I have worked exceptionally hard for many months for Hamilton County students," Hill said. "My average [campaign] gift is $159.50. And I can't be bought for $159.50."
Mayor Jim Coppinger, who is running for re-election, also received endorsements from both groups - UnifiEd endorsed mayoral and county commission candidates in April, but has not released public endorsements for school board.
Coppinger said he has not received any contributions from Horizon, and only in-kind contributions from UnifiEd.
The mayor said he is not surprised that two political groups were advocating for education, as it is "the most important thing we do in Hamilton County."
Jonas Barriere, executive director of the UnifiEd Action PAC, would not address Horizon's attacks on UnifiEd's work or the APEX report, but was happy to see the group's financial disclosures were reported.
"I'm happy to see some transparency around the source of political funding to stop all efforts to improve public education for every child. Propping up the status quo instead of providing open and transparent dialogue to improve outcomes is not the path forward," Barriere said it a statement.
Representatives of the Horizon PAC could not be reached for comment.
Contact staff writer Meghan Mangrum at mmangrum@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6592. Follow her on Twitter @memangrum.