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Twelve Davis teachers in support of Measure V

[Doug Buzbee emailed the following to the Davisite for posting]

Dear Neighbor,

We are Davis teachers, and we are lucky to teach in this wonderful community. But our schools are in trouble. Every year, we have fewer and fewer new students. It’s gotten to the point that unless something changes, we will struggle to sustain the quality schools that Davis expects and deserves.

Because of declining enrollment, the Davis Joint Unified School District announced potential plans to close two elementary schools and possibly a junior high school.

Make no mistake – the ripple effects of school closures would be felt across our town, and not just by families with students. Deep-rooted school communities would be dissolved, surrounding neighborhoods would become less desirable, biking to school would become harder, car traffic would increase, teachers would be let go, and the list goes on.

Those of us who teach at these threatened schools face a simple question from our students: why is this happening? The answer is clear – Davis has not done enough in recent years to make it possible for young families to move here.

This is why we are supporting Measure V on the June ballot.

Many of our fellow teachers drive to work in Davis from other communities with more affordable homes. It’s not just teachers though – a huge portion of our school district staff and the UC Davis community live outside of Davis and drive here to do their jobs. That’s not right. People should be able to live in the community they serve.

We’ve heard people say that we shouldn’t build houses just to keep our schools open. We agree. But declining school enrollment is just one symptom of a much larger problem in Davis.

It’s not just our schools that are hurting. Small businesses across town could use a boost, and we struggle to adequately maintain our roads and parks. It all points to one thing – the future of Davis will be brighter if we can help a new generation join our community.

Now we have a chance to take a simple step in the right direction. Please join us teachers and vote Yes on Measure V to support our schools and ensure a vibrant future for Davis.

Sincerely,

Brooke Agee
5th Grade Teacher
Patwin Elementary

Juli Chang
2nd Grade Teacher
Pioneer Elementary

Rachel McLemore
Kindergarten Teacher
Cesar Chavez Elementary

Lill Beechinor
2nd/3rd Grade Teacher
Fairfield Elementary

Joshua Crowell
4th Grade Teacher
Birch Lane Elementary

Jed Miille
3rd Grade Teacher
Willett Elementary

Julie Stephens Bistolfo
Music Teacher
Marguerite Montgomery Elementary

Cate Dayan
Kindergarten/First grade teacher
Fairfield Elementary School

Beth Ochsner
4th Grade Teacher
Pioneer Elementary

Elise Brewin
6th Grade Teacher
North Davis Elementary

Hayley Kercher
Special Education Preschool Teacher
Early Learning Center at Korematsu

Darren Wong
Teacher
Davis School for Independent Study

P.S. We have included a recent news clip on the issues facing our Davis schools.

November 12, 2025

Davis schools weigh closures as enrollment drops, district says

Falling birth rates and high housing costs are driving steep enrollment declines in Davis, pushing district leaders to consider school closures and broader redesign.

DAVIS, Calif — The Davis Joint Unified School District (DJUSD) is facing tough choices as declining enrollment forces leaders to consider closing schools or restructuring the district.

District data show kindergarten enrollment has dropped sharply, with officials reporting an unexpected loss of about 88 students last year. They attribute the decline in part due to falling birth rates and Davis’ high housing costs.

“Housing affordability and availability are real challenges,” said Davis Joint Unified School District Chief Strategy Officer Maria Clayton. “If there were more houses, we know that there would be more kids.”

According to district projections, DJUSD could lose about 1,000 students over the next decade, in addition to a 300-student decline since 2019.

Because state funding is tied to enrollment, fewer students will mean less revenue and the need to explore consolidating campuses…

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Comments

2 responses to “Twelve Davis teachers in support of Measure V”

  1. Donna Lemongello

    When the earth rejects you all there will be nothing left but the suffering it took to get there. And the earth needs a declining birthrate.

    Reply
  2. Kathleen Curry

    I’m a retired teacher who is voting NO on Measure V. I do support the schools, and I do support affordable housing, but Village Farms will not supply many, if any, affordable homes, and those “maybe” affordable homes ( not guaranteed to be built in the baseline features) wouldn’t be built for several years. Besides, no one can predict that people with school-age children will buy those Village Farms homes.
    The housing project to vote for is Willowgrove. We don’t get to vote on it until November, but it is an excellent project ( building twice the affordable housing units required!) with none of the problems that Village Farms has. Because the Willowgrove project does not require a massive engineering feat (as Village Farms does), the affordable homes of Willowgrove( which are guaranteed in the baseline features and are slated to be built in the first phase of construction ) should be ready years before any housing is ready on the Village Farms site ( assuming it goes forward). We can’t predict who will buy the Willowgrove homes, of course, but Willowgrove offers a much better chance of bringing young families to Davis in the next few years.

    Reply

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