The Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce has decided not to take a position on Measure T, a Nov. 3 ballot measure that would assess properties $92 a year for five years in the Long Beach Unified School District.
The initiative, which seeks to raise $12.5 million a year for five years, would help restore some of the state-mandated funding cuts to the LBUSD.
Anti-tax groups have opposed the measure, arguing that property owners are already paying LBUSD assessments for building projects.
The chamber's statment appears in full below:
At its October 22, 2009 meeting, the Board of Directors of the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce voted to remain neutral on the Classroom Teacher, Student Safety and Education Measure on the November 3, 2009 ballot, commonly referred to as Measure T.
The Long Beach Chamber has a long-standing position of supporting LBUSD and its endeavors. The Chamber is committed to supporting education for our students today which leads to innovation, economic development, and ultimately wealth creation in the future. Fundamentally, an educated workforce is essential to success in the business community.
Conversely, a primary concern to the Chamber is fairness: the parcel tax would apply only to owner-occupied single-family homes, not to renters and not to those over the age of sixty-five. Thus, the tax base appears to be narrow compared to those who would directly benefit, which in particular may include many who rent their homes.
Another concern is that Long Beach voters recently approved Measure K. This measure was a bond to fund the repair of schools and classrooms that will result in a property tax assessment of $60 per $100,000 in assessed value for the next 25 years.
The Chamber is concerned that there never seems to be an end to requests for taxes to fund education. Instead, the LBUSD should seek to reduce costs rather than increase revenue.
The Chamber does, however, recognize the extent to which LBUSD has made dramatic recent budget cuts -- $100 million in the last five years - and has reduced staff. District Superintendent Chris Steinhauser has voluntarily accepted a 10 percent pay cut. At the same time, the LBUSD has won once and been a finalist five times for the Broad Prize for Urban Education, and has improved the quality and impact of its programs so that enrollment has actually increased.
However, in the end, the Board of Directors of the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce did not come the conclusion that the benefits of passing Measure T outweighs the costs, and vice versa.
For these reasons, the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce will remain neutral on Measure T."
