New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, having already given more than $1 million to a group supporting incumbent L.A. Unified Superintendent John Deasy, donated an additional $350,000 Wednesday to back Deasy ally Antonio Sanchez in his race for a seat on the school board.

As the Daily News reports, Bloomberg was urged to step up his financial support by outgoing Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who also asked Bloomberg for his initial seven-figure contribution. Both mayors support the policies promoted by Deasy, which include more data-driven testing of teachers and expansion of charter schools.

ALSO SEE: LAUSD School Board Elections: The Rundown

L.A.’s school board election has attracted national attention, with luminaries like the mayor of New York and former D.C. schools chancellor Michelle Rhee taking on major roles in support of Deasy and his agenda.

The Bloomberg-backed group, Coalition for School Reform, supported Sanchez, Monica Garcia and Kate Anderson in March’s primary election. Garcia cleared the 50 percent threshold needed to avoid a runoff, while Anderson fell to incumbent board member Steve Zimmer in a two-person race. Sanchez faces teacher Monica Ratliff in a May runoff.

Read more of Neon Tommy’s coverage of L.A. Unified here.

Reach Executive Producer Matt Pressberg here.