NAACP agrees to support Cleveland school tax increase

CLEVELAND - The city's NAACP chapter has agreed to support a tax increase to help rebuild city schools after all.

George Forbes, president of Cleveland's National Association for the Advancement of Colored People local chapter, had said the group would campaign against a school bond issue to raise $335 million for repair and rebuilding schools and a levy to raise $46 million for building maintenance.

But Forbes said Saturday that he had second thoughts after he heard an area minister on television talk about the need to protect the district's 77,000 children.

The association's executive board Saturday voted unanimously to support the tax measure after meeting behind closed doors for 90 minutes. U.S. Reps. Dennis Kucinich and Stephanie Tubbs Jones, two Cleveland Democrats, implored the board before Saturday's vote to support the issue.

If voters approve the two-part proposal, the district will qualify for $500 million in matching state funds.

Forbes initially denounced the measure April 5, saying contracts for school repairs would go to friends of Mayor Michael R. White, a Forbes political rival who controls the city's schools. Forbes also said minority contractors would be overlooked.

NAACP executive board member Meryl Johnson, who also is second vice president of the Cleveland Teachers Union, said she was happy with the NAACP's reversal.

"Getting people on board takes time," she said. "With the NAACP on board, it's a brand-new day for the campaign."