|
A one-room schoolhouse may sound like a thing of the past. But California still has a handful in operation. In fact, one still exists here in San Diego County - located on Palomar Mountain. Yesterday KPBS Education Reporter Ana Tintocalis introduced us to the seven students at the school. Today she explains why this one-room school may be forced to shut down at a time when state officials prefer smaller school environments.
Its math time at Palomar's one-room schoolhouse. Three eighth graders study Algebra on one side of the room. The three elementary students study basic math on the other. Fifth grader Aaron Whittenberg says since he came to Palomar, his grades have improved.
Wittenberg: You get a good education when you come to this school because its not as much kids here and well you don't have as much teachers.
Parents like Palomar for those reasons. Joleen Tamm's daughter is the only kindergartner here.
Tamm: I'm really grateful for the school being open and being here and I don't she would get a quality education anywhere else. I mean I couldn't pay for this.
Which is why she and the other parents here worry about the future. This tiny schoolhouse has stood the test of time even in the grips of October's wildfires. But now it may have to close down because student enrollment at Palomar has dropped. A decade ago about 30 kids attended, now it’s down to just the seven. Families are either leaving the mountain or choosing to homeschooling instead.
The next nearest school is down the mountain, about an hour away. Mary Gorsuch is the principal there, but she also oversees the Palomar Mountain School. She says the state funding system favors bigger schools.
Gorsuch: Schools are funded based on daily attendance. Typically in a school you would have about 20 students per class for the primary and 30 students per class for the upper - so we can see with the seven, even if you look it as a primary class it’s significantly underfunded.
California public school officials say there's not much they can do. They say the state can't afford to pump dollars into these very small schools that are losing kids when there are bigger schools with more students in need of extra funding.
But parents say it shouldn't matter if even one child goes to a school. The fact is their kids are excelling in this small learning environment, and they expect the state to provide a school building that close to their community.
The sad twist to this tale is that, as the Palomar school struggles to survive, the state is pumping a lot of dollars into large schools that are trying to mimic the small school environment.
Take the new Lincoln High School in San Diego for example. More than 2,500 students attend the inner city school, but its divided into three smaller schools so kids can get more personalized instruction and attention. Mel Collins is the head principal.
Collins: You get to know them on a more personal basis. And you have to understand too, a lot of our kids do good in just getting on campus because they do come from some very challenging circumstances at home and in the community.
Collins admits the jury is still out on whether smaller schools in one big school is better. He believes it all depends on the teachers and their dedication inside the classroom. Palomar's principal, Mary Gorsuch, concedes the state needs to find the right balance.
Gorsuch: While I probably wouldn't say that going to a very small k-8 school multiple grade class is ideal, I don’t think that’s ideal. I think the spirit of what you saw in the classroom where every student has a place, and if they don’t master their content, we know their name and their face, and we know what we are going to do about it. That’s I believe the key larger schools are trying to do when they talk about small learning communities.
The people on Palomar Mountain are waiting to see what happens next. They've donated money to help with field trips and computers. And by all accounts they're just happy San Diego County's firestorm didn't ravage the school or their homes.
But still, Lee Fowler worries about his 13 year old grandson.
Fowler: Well, its the best thing that's every happened to him. I don't know what we're going to do.
Palomar Mountain School will remain open for the rest of this school year, thanks in part to a one-time $55,000 grant approved by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
A local senator and the school district's superintendent have vowed to do what they can to drum up financial support. They community says it will do whatever it can to keep the mountain school open.
Ana Tintocalis, KPBS News.
