In Surprise Move, School Board Backs Parcel Tax -- Again

In Surprise Move, School Board Backs Parcel Tax -- Again

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  File photo by Sam Hodgson

  Richard Barrera
  

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Posted: Tuesday, July 27, 2010 8:24 pm

By EMILY ALPERT

In a stunning switch, school board President Richard Barrera decided to forge ahead with a proposed parcel tax that even backers say is an uphill slog, less than a day after he said it was a lost cause. The whirlwind back-and-forth over the tax perplexed onlookers and parents who followed it.

"Amateur hour at San Diego Unified School District. Is this a homeowners association or a school board?" joked school board candidate Scott Barnett, when told about the switch.

The San Diego Unified school board decided to put the school tax on the November ballot two weeks ago, despite critics' crowing that it couldn't pass. Barrera was one of its biggest champions, arguing that parents and teachers would mobilize to pass it. But on Monday,