I just heard back from Scott Barnett, the school board candidate who lost the teachers union endorsement after deciding that he couldn’t support a new tax to support San Diego Unified schools.
Barnett has always been skeptical about putting a tax on the ballot in a bad economy, but had earlier said that he would support the tax despite his misgivings. However, Barnett said his worries only deepened after seeing a study from the Center on Policy Initiatives, a left-leaning think tank, that said almost one-third of working households in San Diego County struggle to make ends meet.
“There’s a season for everything and this is not the season to raise taxes on working people who are already struggling and hurting,” Barnett said. “So I told them I did not feel comfortable supporting it.”
The union has been one of the most powerful forces in school board elections in recent years, supporting a majority of board members. It’ll be interesting to watch Barnett and his opponent John de Beck race without the teachers weighing in.
Please contact Emily Alpert directly at emily.alpert@voiceofsandiego.org or 619.550.5665 and follow her on Twitter: twitter.com/emilyschoolsyou.