This is a letter about a dysfunctional state and a strong community's response.

Sacramento has for too long been forced to have the wrong conversation about education: fighting for slices of a state revenue pie that, in relative terms, shrinks as time goes by. The right conversation in Sacramento would be one that speaks to the investment required to meet the learning expectations we have for all of our children. Expectations that are unassailably high, and rightly so.

But readers will notice that this conversation is exactly what we have in Davis. It is exactly why Measure W is before us and is exactly why it deserves all of our votes. In our community, the conversation is always about giving our schools what they need to insure that our children learn, excel, and grow into prosperous, thinking, and participating adults. It is about the best investment we can make in their (and our) futures. Please vote YES on Measure W Tuesday.

Gavin Payne and Susan Strachan