Cincinnatians Active to Support Education spent more than $900,000 on November's campaign to pass a tax levy for Cincinnati Public Schools, finance reports show.

        Of that amount, $350,000 was to pay back loans from the Cincinnati Business Committee for the March 2000 levy campaign.

        That means CASE spent nearly 68 times as much money as those opposed to the levy. COAST, the Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes, reported campaign spending of $13,325.

        The latest campaign finance reports were released Friday by the Board of Elections.

        The reports show that CASE spent $901,295 to encourage the public to vote for a 6-mill, $35.8 million levy, which voters approved Nov. 7.

        CASE listed an account balance of $90,000. CASE owes $265,000 to the business committee for additional loans.

        In all, CASE spent about $470,000 on television ads, levy signs, consultants, mailings and general office and campaign ex penses, including rent and utilities for a headquarters at Swifton Commons Mall.

        COAST spent its money on radio ads that urged a no vote on the levy.

        Brewster Rhoads, CASE campaign director, said this campaign was about 25 percent more expensive than levy campaigns in last Marchand November 1999.

        “We needed to do it to reach the number of voters for the turnout we wanted,” Mr. Rhoads said. “It was expensive, but it paid off.”

        Most of the money raised by CASE came from local businesses, which gave more than $400,000 to the campaign.

        Procter & Gamble was the most generous with $72,790 in donations.

        Other big contributors included the Kroger Co., Federated Corporate Services, General Electric, Cincinnati Insurance Companies, FirStar Bank and Western Southern Life Insurance.

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