By Jann Murray Garcia and Jonathan London
Enterprise staff writer
The Davis Enterprise

Imagine a school day without music, without art, with no librarians, science, P.E. or sports. That sad day will be a reality in Davis unless 66 percent of Davis voters say yes to Measure W on Election Day.

As we both prepare to vote yes on Measure W, we are thankful that our two families will likely absorb $120 extra in support for Davis schools without much distress. We acknowledge that this tax may be a challenge for other families.

Without Measure W, the school district will need to cut more than $2 million in programs. Because Measure W will not pay for any administrative costs, its funds will go directly to the education programs that we value and count on in Davis schools.

We consider this parcel tax as a worthy investment in our children's future. This is especially poignant as our own children attend the Spanish immersion elementary school and Emerson Junior High School, whose closure we hope would be off the table with this additional tax. Additionally, one of our children takes advantage of the instrumental music program, and one is playing seventh-grade basketball.

We ask you, our neighbor, whether you have children or not, to consider how much more wealth your family can claim, directly related to the increased value of your home, which in turn, is directly related to the enviable reputation of Davis schools.

All of us benefit as well from a community that is oriented to its children, their safety, and the realization of their full potential. If you're angry over legitimate concerns about the district's past financial management, please don't express it by taking a musical instrument out of a child's hand, or by turning off the lights to students' microscopes.

Across the state, many other school districts (including affluent communities) have already eliminated "extra" programs such as art, music and science. Last spring, it seemed like Davis achieved a kind of community consensus, as constituents representing each service to be eliminated agreed these programs were not "extras." Small class sizes and librarians and on and on: these were seen to be essential to continue the high quality of education received from Davis schools.

Parcel taxes such as Measure W are not perfect — its flat fee falls harder on lower-income home owners and it is a community-by-community fix that doesn't address the structural problem of California's chronic underinvestment in public education. But, until the people of the state rise up and make fundamental changes in public financing, we will need such measures. We need Measure W for the Davis we are and the Davis in which we hope our children will thrive.

Remember last spring? How many hours did we spend at school board meetings? How many rallies did we attend? All of that collective action was inspiring — but how many times can we pass the hat?

More importantly, how much did the uncertainty of those times emotionally and physically tax our teachers and administrators? How many good teachers did we lose because we had no job to promise them?

And it would be great to be able to release our young, talented and dedicated superintendent, James Hammond, to move beyond trying to adequately fund Davis schools, to improving them for all children. For instance, as a community of educators, students, parents and others, we are making progress on closing the achievement and discipline gaps within our school district. Data from the Davis High School Catalysts for Social Justice Student Research Scholars show the following:

* The percentage of African-American students enrolled in the Gifted and Talented Program has doubled over the past five years, though it is half that of white and Asian students.

* The suspension rate for Latino students has fallen by nearly 50 percent, compared to the rate five years ago.

* The proportion of African-American students who felt like their counselors expected them to perform "above average" tripled over the past five years, and the proportion for Latino students doubled.

How much more quickly could we close Davis' achievement gap if we were not consumed with budget deficits?

We shift now to some of the innovative and wonderful opportunities our schools extend to all of us in Davis. Parents, teachers, community members and, importantly, students can be involved in furthering the progress we have made to achieve educational equity in Davis.

District officials, in partnership with the California Teachers Association, will host the second "Community Conversations with Focus on the Achievement Gap" on Saturday, Nov. 15, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Brunelle Performance Hall at Davis High School, 315 W. 14th St. Come and work and strategize together about how we can secure the highest possible quality education for each and every child in Davis. Lunch and child care will be provided. For more information, contact Associate Superintendent Pamela Mari at (530) 757-5300.

This season will be revolutionary for its firsts in our nation's presidential history, whomever is elected. Come and enjoy the DHS drama department's production of "Les Misérables," an epic of personal redemption against the backdrop of the French Revolution.

The DHS drama department, under the direction of Gwyneth Bruch, provides so many Davis young people a place to grow, to discover and to stretch themselves beyond what they may have imagined they could do, both singly and in camaraderie with dozens of other students. It is one of the many jewels of the Davis school system.

— Jann Murray Garcia, M.D., M.P.H, is Davis parent and pediatrician; reach her at jmurgar@comcast.net. Jonathan London, Ph.D., is a Davis resident and parent; reach him at jonathank_ london@yahoo.com