Iowa superintendent’s wife donates to school board candidate

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The wife of the Des Moines school district’s superintendent is raising eyebrows with her $400 donation to a local school board candidate’s campaign. School board experts and government watchdogs say the donation Jami Bassman Ahart made is legal but it raises ethical questions because the school board will be making decisions about Superintendent Tom Ahart’s future employment. Bassman Ahart told the Des Moines Register that she donated to Shelley Skuster’s campaign because she believes they share the same values because both women adopted their children, who attend schools in the district. Officials say the donation doesn’t appear to violate any campaign finance rules, but it is an uncommon situation.