Dear Editor:

The April 10 issue of the City Times included an article titled, “Faculty Expected to Support Tax Measure.”  The article stated that “The upper administrators of the district, most notably Chancellor Constance Carroll, have yet to voice public opinion on this subject.  A senate resolution might force her to take a stance against Brown’s tax proposal which is an increase in (the) current sales tax.”

There are three important points that I would like to make.  First, the federal tax proposal would have no direct financial benefit for California’s public institutions of higher education and therefore is not a viable alternative to the Governor’s proposal.

Second, the “Millionaires’ Tax Initiative,” sponsored by the California Federation of Teachers, was merged with the Governor’s Tax Initiative into a single measure, also called the “Millionaires’ Tax,” which will bring over $7 million to the San Diego Community College District if it passes; if it fails, the District will face an additional $9.1 million in cuts to classes and other support affecting faculty, staff, and students.

Third, as presented in an April 7 article in the Union-Tribune, the merged tax measure is publicly supported by most of the higher education community in California, including myself and our Board of Trustees.  After three years of drastic budget cuts, it is imperative that we all do our best to provide the support that our students need throughout the state of California, including City College. The Governor’s Tax Initiative, which is the basis of the Governor’s proposed budget, was crafted with precisely that goal in mind. That is my opinion, which is quite public.
— Constance Carroll
Chancellor, SDCCD