MURRIETA —— The eight candidates in the race for the Murrieta Valley Unified School District board aren't exactly lining their election coffers with greenbacks as they battle for two seats up for grabs this November.

Financial disclosure forms released this week by the Riverside County registrar of voters office show that the top fund-raiser, Richard Ackerman, collected a total of $1,360 in contributions and loaned his campaign $500 for the most recent filing period, which ended Sept. 24. The deadline to file the paperwork was Sept. 29.

Ackerman is also the only candidate of the eight to report individual campaign contributions of more than $1,000, according to paperwork turned in to the registrar of voters office.

In an interview, Ackerman said he plans to use his contributions to pay for mailers, campaign literature and "meet and greet" functions, adding that since the filing period ended he has raised at least $1,000 more in contributions and expects to raise up to $10,000 by the end of the month.

The other seven candidates, according to the registrar's office, either plan to raise and spend less than $1,000, gave personal loans to their campaign of more than $1,000, or have yet to turn in their paperwork itemizing all of the campaign contributions they received for the period.

Rebecca Martine, election coordinator for the Riverside County Registrar of Voters, said Friday that her office does not have a record of candidate Sheree Jederberg or John Wells filing the contribution paperwork, nor do officials have an itemization of Robin Crist's donations and personal loans.

In interviews, Jederberg said she believed she had turned in the report, and Crist and Wells said they were looking into the status of their paperwork.

As for the amount of contributions, Kris Thomasian, an incumbent running for re-election, said the fund-raising reports are not surprising. Thomasian, who ran and lost in 1999, then won a seat in 2001, said the race is typically low-key.

"Murrieta school board races have always been low-budget, nonpartisan community campaigns since I've lived here," she said. "That does get harder as our community has grown quite a bit."

Thomasian, along with candidates Jan Fletcher and Wyatt Haupt, filed forms with the office stating that they did not plan to raise or spend more than $1,000.

Jederberg, who also said she does not plan to raise more than $1,000, said she believes candidates can be elected without raising thousands of dollars.

"I think (my campaign) is going to be more grassroots," Jederberg said. "In our community, as long as your name is out and people know who you are and what you are about, I think that is going to sell the candidate."

Candidate Jacqueline Hanny reported that she loaned her campaign $1,031.

Crist in August filed a form with the registrar's office stating she did not plan to raise or spend more than $1,000, but amended that paperwork in mid-September to state she has raised or spent more than that.

In an interview, Crist said Friday that she raised $560 in campaign contributions and loaned her campaign $1,500.

Wells said he expects to report that by the end of September he had raised about $2,000 from individual donors.

There is another deadline to report contributions raised in October at the end of this month.

Thomasian's and Trustee Austin Linsley's seats are up for grabs this November. Linsley is not seeking re-election.

Contact staff writer Jennifer Kabbany at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2625, or jkabbany@californian.com.