1
A Study of the Historical Development of the Santa Barbara School District
A project presented to the Faculty of the School of Education the University of Southern California
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Education
by Robert Nelson Christian
January 1963
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Acknowledgements
I wish to express my appreciation to the many people who searched for information and
answered the innumerable questions that made this study possible. I particularly want to thank
Mrs. Alice Boettner for her diligent editing and helpful suggestions and Mr. Walker A.
Tompkins, local historical and author, for checking for historical accuracy.
My gratitude to my wife, Lolita, for her unlimited patience and help from the inception of
the study to its completion.
[Permission has been granted by Mr. Robert Christian for the Santa Barbara School Districts to reproduce this document as needed and display it in various formats, such as hard copy and/or posted on the Santa Barbara School Districts’ web site. April 13, 2006.]
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Table of Contents Page Acknowledgements ii List of Tables viii List of Illustrations ix
Chapter
I. The Problem and the Procedure The Problem
Statement of the problem Importance of the study Method of procedure and sources of data Organization of remaining chapters
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II. The Santa Barbara Area Prior to 1794 The first inhabitants Exploration
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo Sebastian Vizcaíno Gaspar de Portolá Juan Bautista de Anza
Early foundations for the city Founding of the Presidio The Mission of Saint Barbara
Summary
5
III. Schools During the Spanish and Mexican Era Spanish control
The first school Further Spanish attempts
Mexican control Schools under the Mexican governors
Summary
15
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Chapter
Page
IV. The Early American Period 1850-1899 The first schools under American rule
The inherited school First county school commissioners Mismanagement of the state school fund
Spanish versus English schools Money problems and curriculum A new school building
Schooling during the 1860s The great drought Founding of the Santa Barbara School District Public interest renewed
A new era begins The first playground The first Lincoln School The population and schools expand Early institutes
The Kindergarten Association Formation The first kindergarten Impact of the Kindergarten Association Child-centered curriculum
Further school expansion Curriculum and new high school The Sloyd School Dual function of the Board of Education School organization Tax rates and Board problems
Summary
23
V. The Dawn of the Twentieth Century 1900-1925 The first Board of Education
Rules and regulations of the Board Expansion and building program
Washington School Garfield School and McKinley School Miscellaneous building Lincoln School and Wilson School Franklin School and Roosevelt School Other school purchases and annexations The kindergartens
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Chapter
Page
Budgets, maintenance, and supplies Budgets and false economy Maintenance of the schools Supplies and equipment
Curriculum and Auxiliary Services Curriculum and books Special subjects and teachers Special education School lunch program School health program
Teaching and salary conditions First salary schedule Salary schedule of 1915 Sick leave benefits
Board actions Dual function of the Board Other Board actions
Summary
VI. Years of Awakening 1925-1945 Building and enrollment
Harding School and kindergarten-primary building Frederick Forrest Peabody School McKinley School Jefferson School Garfield School Other school construction
Maintenance, supplies and property Maintenance and repairs Supplies and equipment Demolition and sale of old buildings Property transactions
The curriculum moves ahead The new curriculum Developmental curriculum Department of visual aids Music, art, and physical education Health services
Guidance and related services The beginning of the program New records and evaluation procedures The remedial program Physically handicapped Group testing Teaching conditions and salaries
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Chapter
Page
A single salary schedule Leaves of absence and sick leave Other happenings
Board of Education actions and events The Superintendent Steward controversy Oil drilling at La Mesa School Other actions of the Board
Summary
VII. Growth, Expansion and Fiscal Problems 1945-1962 Building and maintenance
Additions to existing schools Washington School Adams School Monroe School Cleveland School Property transactions Maintenance of the school plants Supplies and equipment
Teaching conditions and salaries City Teachers’ Club action Personnel policies New salary schedule and position of vice-principal
Curriculum and administrative changes First curriculum revision New curriculum title and ideas Audio-visual department
Guidance and health services Guidance services Special education Health services
Actions of the Board of Education Projection of the Districts’ future Summary
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VIII. Summary The area prior to 1794 The Spanish and Mexican Periods The American period from 1850-1899 Foundations for the twentieth century 1900-1925 The era of enlightenment 1925-1945 Continued growth and fiscal problems 1945-1962
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Page Bibliography 147 Appendix A 151 Appendix B 152 Appendix C 153
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List of Tables
Table
Page
1. Enrollment Grades K-8, 1903-1925
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2. Santa Barbara Board of Education 1900-1925
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3. First Month Enrollments Grades K-6 1925-1945
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4. Budgets and Assessed Valuations 1919-1945
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5. Santa Barbara Board of Education 1925-1945
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6. First Month Enrollments Grades K-6 1945-1962
115
7. Santa Barbara Board of Education 1945-1962
133
8. Budgets and Assessed Valuations 1945-1962
136
9. Current Expense of Education per ADA 1945-1962
137
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List of Illustrations
Figure
Page
1. The Royal Presidio of Santa Barbara 1792
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2. Lincoln School, 1871-1921
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3. The Old Franklin School in 1906
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4. The Old Franklin School Building Today
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5. The Old Jefferson School in 1906
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6. The Little Sloyd School, 1893-1925
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7. Manual Training Class at Sloyd School
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8. Sewing Class at Sloyd School
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9. Washington School, 1901-1959
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10. McKinley School, 1906-1932
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11. Garfield School in 1906
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12. Garfield School Before Demolition in 1935
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13. Lincoln School, Built in 1922
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14. Wilson School, Built in 1922
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15. Franklin School, Completed in 1924
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16. Roosevelt School, Completed in 1924
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17. The Administration Building, Completed in 1922
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18. The Administration Annex, Completed in 1907
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19. Lincoln Kindergarten in 1906
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20. Lincoln Kindergarten Today
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Figure
Page
21. The Old McKinley Kindergarten Today
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22. The Old Garfield Kindergarten Today
64
23. The Old Washington Kindergarten Today
64
24. Harding School, Completed in 1927
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25. Harding Kindergarten-Primary Building, Completed in 1931
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26. Peabody School, Completed in 1928
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27. McKinley School, Completed in 1932
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28. Jefferson School, Completed in 1932
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29. Garfield School, Completed in 1935
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30. Franklin Kindergarten-Primary Wing, Completed in 1953
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31. Lawrence M. Parma School, Rededicated in 1953
116
32. Washington School, Erected in 1954
118
33. Adams School, Completed in 1954
118
34. Monroe School, Completed in 1958
119
35. Cleveland School, Opened in 1959
119
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CHAPTER I
The Problem and the Procedure
The elementary district of the city of Santa Barbara, known as the Santa Barbara School
District, has boundaries that are roughly the same as the city. The main exception is a county
area including part of what was formerly known as the Mission School District adjacent to the
Santa Barbara Mission and often considered part of the city by many of the residents.
The Santa Barbara area is rich in history, beginning with the early Spanish explorations.
The citizens of the community have exalted this cultural past to the degree that it has actually
become part of the present, being relived each year in a pageant of color and gaiety known
officially as “Old Spanish Days,” but to the local residents simply as “The Fiesta.” This does not
mean that the city is archaic and decadent in its thoughts and actions for it has also become a
modern cultural and scientific center. Such organizations as the Fund for the Republic, the
University of California, Santa Barbara, and numerous scientific and electronic firms have
formed the nucleus of this modern movement. Santa Barbara is also the seat of the county’s
government, a county including Vandenberg Air Force Base and Point Arguello missile
launching center.
Therefore, in Santa Barbara we find a very pointed mixing of the historical and cultural
past with contemporary cultural and scientific thought. The divergent views expressed by these
extremes do not always reconcile themselves and at times the schools are caught in between.
Satisfaction of these divergent views of the community, and at the same time application of new
methods and ideas to meet an ever-expanding school population and curriculum pose a very real
problem for the teachers and administrators of the district. It is necessary to utilize every aspect
of the community’s life and actions, past and present, to gain continual support for the schools.
I. The Problem
Statement of the problem. The purpose of this study was to compile the historical
development of the Santa Barbara School District. Purposes were:
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1. to inform and help teachers, administrators, and the lay public to understand better the
heritage upon which the school system was developed and the leadership role that the
district has assumed in education in the past;
2. to organize information about the district for possible use in various areas of the
curriculum, and
3. to make available a written history of the district so that this vitally important heritage is
not lost for the future.
In developing the study, answers to the following questions were sought:
1. What were the early foundations upon which the district was formed?
2. What brought about the original formation of the district and how was it organized?
3. What transitions have occurred in the size of the district and its organization?
4. How did the district’s particular form of administrative organization come into being?
5. How has the climate and cultural background affected the curriculum and school plant
construction?
6. What changes were made in the curriculum over the years, and in what areas of the total
curriculum has Santa Barbara gained national recognition?
7. What affect has population growth had upon the district’s building program, assessed
valuation, and tax rates?
Importance of the study. Although volumes have been written about Santa Barbara and
its environs, very little attention has ever been given to the recording of educational happenings
in the community. Except for bits of information recorded in various segments of these writings,
no history of the Santa Barbara School District has ever been written.
The need for such a study does exist, particularly to inform the lay public of the proud
heritage and foundation upon which the school district was built. Santa Barbara has been a leader
in various areas of the curriculum, pioneering early guidance programs and grouping techniques.
It is important that the community be cognizant of these facts and also realize that its continual
support is necessary if the district is to remain a leader and not become a follower. Teachers and
administrators need to know more about this past to better inform the community when
additional funds are needed and new projects are proposed. It is vitally important that the people
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of the community realize that the various areas of the curriculum are well-founded with a sound
past, and are not just untried innovations put into affect without thorough testing and evaluation.
This study can be of interest to new school personnel in helping them to understand the
system more fully and the general attitude that prevails throughout the schools. It should also be
a means of informing the rapidly growing new population about the particular feelings, attitudes,
and beliefs of the district.
Many of the areas covered in this study can be incorporated into the curriculum. The third
grade curriculum covers the county of Santa Barbara and the fourth grade includes the state as a
whole. It is also felt that more should be done to include the teaching profession and the basis of
our educational system in the curriculum at some grade level. At present this idea is still in the
formulative stage. If this should materialize, much of the information in this study could be used
by the teacher as a resource unit to help the student understand his local school system, how it
was formed, its beliefs, and its needs, and its future.
Method of procedure and sources of data. In reviewing materials written about the Santa
Barbara area, it was found that very little of it pertained to the schools, except those dealing with
the early history. In those cases the materials was generally included to round out a vignette of
the time or add as “dressing to the salad.” Therefore, other sources needed to be used for the
procurement of additional information. The following sources were used:
1. Santa Barbara School District Board of Education minutes and records
2. Santa Barbara City Schools publications
3. The County Superintendent’s Office
4. Santa Barbara City Library, California Collection
5. University of Southern California Library
6. University of California, Santa Barbara Library
7. Santa Barbara Historical Society
8. Santa Barbara News-Press, Santa Barbara
9. Microfilm of the Santa Barbara Gazette, the Santa Barbara Post, the Santa Barbara
Times, Daily Press, the Morning Press, and the Daily Independent
10. Present and former elementary principals
11. Present and former elementary teachers
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12. Present and former school administrators
13. Records of the Santa Barbara County Auditor
Recollections of those interviewed were substantiated as much as possible with existing
records.
II. Organization of Remaining Chapters
The remaining chapters of this study are organized to show the growth and development
of the Santa Barbara School District and its environs. Chapter II deals with the location of the
district, the Indians that were the earliest inhabitants of the area, the coming of the Spanish and
the founding of the mission and the presidio. Chapter III reviews the founding of the first school
in the state and subsequent schools that were formed in Santa Barbara prior to the organization of
the school district; the Spanish and Mexican influence, and the coming of the Americans.
Chapter IV covers the founding of the school district and accumulates the historical happenings
of the school district to 1899. Chapter V deals with the stabilization of the school district and its
first sizable growth from 1900 to 1925. Chapter VI covers some of the more progressive years,
from 1925 to 1945 when the district pioneered new ideas and concepts in various areas of the
school program. Chapter VII lends itself to the task of chronicling the rapid post war growth and
its affects upon the curriculum, building program, and tax rate. It also gives a projection of what
the future might hold for the district. Chapter VIII is a summary and conclusion of this study.
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CHAPTER II
The Santa Barbara Area prior to 1794
The area known as Santa Barbara is located on the coastal shelf between the Santa Ynez
Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, one hundred miles northwest of Los Angeles. Off shore the
California current moves silently between the shore and the Channel Islands that help to break
the destructive force of storms and heavy seas. With the protection of the mountains on one side
and the islands on the other, coupled with the warming sun, a near-perfect climate exists all year
around. These, as well as beautiful beaches and many different types of vegetation, have caused
man to live in and enjoy the area for countless centuries. The area today has of course been
changed by the many modern contrivances of our time, but many of the basic elements that
attracted man to the area centuries ago still remain today.
I. The First Inhabitants.
When the first Spaniards arrived they found an affluent Indian society in the Santa
Barbara area numbering in the thousands. These Indians were of a particular linguistic group
known as the Chumash, derived from the name “Ma-Chumash,” which was the name of a single
village on Santa Rosa Island. The Spaniards gave them the came Canaliño. Because they were
contemporaries of the early Spaniards, a good deal is known about them. They were, however,
the last of three groups of prehistoric inhabitants that had occupied the area. These three groups
have been classified by Rogers as the “Oak Grove People,” the “Hunting People,” and the
“Canaliño.”1
The “Oak Grove People” were so named because they lived in “deep-set circular huts in
the humid climate of oak-forested crests of the foothills.”2 The stonecraft of these people was
very crude and their culture, therefore, was probably very primitive. After several centuries of
1 David Banks Rogers, Prehistoric Man of the Santa Barbara Coast (Santa Barbara: Museum of Natural History, 1929) 2 Southern California Writers’ Project of the Work Projects Administration, Santa Barbara – A guide to the Channel City and Its Environ (New York: Hastings House, 1941), 26
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occupation they seem to have disappeared before a new race, with new culture, came into the
area.
The new group was the “Hunting People,” so named because of weapons found in a
higher stratification, indicating a culture more advanced than that of the “Oaks Grove People.”
With the passing centuries they discovered that asphaltum seeping up from the sand and from
out-croppings could be used to improve their weapons. They relied upon the sea, as well as the
land, mainly fishing from the shore. In later years they apparently abandoned their nomadic life
for a more settled mode of living.
Instead of disappearing like the earlier group they seem to have merged with a new group
that arrived in the area about the eighth to tenth century A.D. From the merging of these two
cultures, the third group, known as the Canaliño, derived its beginning.
The Canaliños were friendly, easy-going, and peace-loving. All of their material wants
were met by the climate, flora and fauna of the area. Warfare among neighboring tribes was
almost unknown. At the time of the arrival of the Spanish padres, an estimated 15,000 Canaliños
lived in the area around Santa Barbara.3
The population was divided into small tribes, each of which lived in a separate village or
rancheria. Each of these tribes had a separate name and a leader. According to Hawley:
Each tribe had its head; a number of tribes being united under one great chief who governed both in religion and secular affairs. In this county there was a triumvirate, of whom Yananoli ruled over the tribes dwelling between the Rincon and LaPatera; Alioliquit ruled over the tribes of Dos Pueblos; and Saliapuato over the tribes beyond Dos Pueblos as far as Lompoc and Santa Ynez.4
The leaders of the villages were allowed to have more than one wife, but the rest of the
members of the villages were monogamous. “The men showed a higher regard for the women
than was usual among most of the tribes of North American Indians,”5 and the labors were more
evenly divided. Both the men and the women wore their hair very long and sometimes decorated
it with pieces of shells, stone or flint. Some of the men wore very long beards that they tied
under their chins, but others were clean-shaven.
3 Ibid., 26-27 4 Walter A. Hawley, The Early Days of Santa Barbara California (Santa Barbara: The Shauer Printing Studio, 1920), 13 5 Ibid, 17
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The Canaliños were accomplished fishermen and plied the waters between the mainland
and the Channel Islands. They were able to accomplish that feat because of their mastery at boat-
building. Their boats were unique canoes of lashed boards with a coating of tar, capable of
carrying one or two dozen men. They also had smaller boats and rafts made of thatched tules.
The climate called for little clothing and the Indians led a simple life, a somewhat
cultured life when compared with other Indian tribes in the state. They were polytheistic and
believed in the immortality of the soul, the dead being buried with care.6
The Canaliños, even though well established, with a cultural pattern and a simple form of
government, could not survive the coming of the white man. They had inhabited the coast for
generations,
but the founding of the Presidio, the idle, careless life which for ages of the past they and their ancestors had lived, was with one stroke ended. Civilization, indispensable to those reared amidst its blessings, was fatal to these children of barbarism; and in a few years nearly all passed away.7
II. Exploration
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo. The first group of Europeans to visit the Santa Barbara area
was led by Juan Rodriguez, more commonly know today by his mother’s maiden name Cabrillo.
His group had set sail from Port de Navidad, in Mexico, on June 27, 1542, with two vessels, the
San Salvador and the La Victoria. As he sailed north he touched the land in various places and
claimed it for the king of Spain. About the middle of November the landed on the beach at Santa
Barbara and were warmly welcomed by the natives. He named the Indian Village “Pueblo de
Canoas,” or “Canoe Town;” the Indians called it “Xucu.”8 After leaving the area they proceeded
north, but due to rough weather they turned back and put in at San Miguel Island. Cabrillo had
broken his arm, and after a lengthy illness he passed away on January 3, 1543, and was buried on
the island. His grave has never been found.
Before he died, Cabrillo urged Bartholome Ferrelo, his pilot, to continue the exploration.
This he did and sailed as far as the capes of Mendocino and Blanco in southern Oregon before
6 Ibid., 14-19 7 Ibid., 20 8 Charles E. Huse, Sketch of the History and Resources of Santa Barbara City and County, California (Santa Barbara: Office of the Daily Press, 1876), 4
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returning to Navidad in April 1543. This voyage opened the way to later explorations and the
Spanish were able to claim the whole Pacific coast as far north as the forty-second parallel for
nearly three hundred years.
Sebastian Vizcaíno. Although it was possible that other navigators may have visited the
area after Cabrillo, including Sir Francis Drake and Cermeño, the next recorded visit was made
by Sebastian Vizcaíno, a merchant by trade, on December 4, 1602. He sailed from Acapulco
with three vessels and eventually landed in San Diego where he spent ten days. The object of the
voyage was to establish some station along the mainland that would shorten the voyage from the
Philippine Islands to Mexico. Under his command was a force of two hundred men and three
Carmelite friars. One of these friars was Father Antonio de la Ascension, who compiled notes
and maps of the voyage. Another of his customs was to name each new place where they landed
after a particular saint whose festival occurred on the day on which the place was entered. Thus
Santa Barbara and its bay were named on December 4, the anniversary of the death of Saint
Barbara.9
Leaving Santa Barbara, Vizcaíno continued north, and after reaching Monterey he sent
back one ship with the sick and disabled. Continuing north they ran into rough weather and the
two remaining boats were separated. After reaching approximately forty-three degrees north
latitude, they both turned back toward Mexico, each on their own, having harrowing experiences,
and nearly running out of supplies on the way. On the return trip in the spring of 1603 they each
again passed through the Santa Barbara Channel. Vizcaíno’s outstanding contribution was
naming the region.10
Gasper de Portolá. After the trip of Vizcaíno, 160 years elapsed before any European
group again ventured into the Santa Barbara area. This time the Spaniards in New Spain sent
Gasper de Portolá to found a settlement in Monterey. The main reason was to create a port for
the Manila galleons that had been trading with the Philippines. The report of Russian trappers
farther north had also caused some concern. By the time such an expedition was organized, many
9 Hawley, op. cit., 25 10 John Walton Caughey, California (New York: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1953), 69
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missions had been founded in Baja California with Father Junipero Serra as their head and
Gasper de Portolá as governor of the area.
Don Jose de Galvez had been sent as Viceroy to New Spain, as Mexico was then called,
and became the organizer and main force behind the expedition. The group was put together in
Loreto, in Baja California, and divided into four parts, two going by sea and two by land. The
contingents going by sea were headed by Lieutenant Pedro Fages on the San Carlos, and Juan
Pérez on the San Antonio. The land parties were headed by Captain Fernando de Rivera y
Moncada and Captain Gasper de Portolá, who was also governor. The rendezvous point at San
Diego was finally reached by each group, and even though they had a hard journey the land
parties still faired better than those going by sea. A third vessel, the San Jose, was sent later but it
was lost at sea with all on board.
Father Serra was in the contingent led by Portolá, and founded the first mission in Alta
California in San Diego on July 16, 1796. Although his forces were depleted, Portolá continued
north in quest of Monterey, leaving Father Serra to care for the invalid, and sending Pérez back
to San Blas, in Mexico, in the San Antonio for supplies. The group heading north was meager,
with no one overly strong. According to John Caughey:
Sergeant Ortega and the scouts constituted the vanguard. Next rode Portolá, Fages, the six Catalans who were fit for the service, Costanso, Fathers Crespi and Gomez, and the Indian auxiliaries. The 100-mule pack train followed, while Rivera and the remaining soldier-cowboys, driving the ‘caballada,’ brought up the rear.11
The trip through Southern California was a pleasant one with plentiful pasturage for the
animals. Numerous Indians were encountered and they were very friendly and inquisitive, and
loved to dance.
Passing through the “present site of Santa Barbara, which they name San Joaquin de la
Laguna,”12 they continued north and eventually marched right past Monterey by failing to
recognize it from Vizcaíno’s report. In their mistake, however, they discovered the inner harbor
of San Francisco Bay. During their trip back to San Diego they once again passed through the
Santa Barbara area, traversing the same route by which they had come. This by far was the most
important of the early expeditions, for it opened the way for overland travel from Mexico to Alta
11 Ibid., 108 12 Hawley, op. cit., 28
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California and made necessary places of rest and protection, on of which Santa Barbara was
destined to become.
Juan Bautista de Anza. Through parties sailed by or marched through the region in the
next few years, none were of significance until the Anza expedition of 1775-76. This group was
organized to guide settlers and herds of livestock to California, because the sea route was so
precarious. Plans were made for taking a group of settlers to establish a colony at San Francisco.
Preparations took time and
when the expedition left Tubac [in northern Mexico] October 23, 1775, it numbered two hundred and forty individuals, who brought with them six hundred and ninety-five pack and saddle animals, and a sizeable herd of cattle. After leaving San Xavier del Bac, the final outpost, the long and tedious journey was accomplished without fatalities. In fact, two children were born, making a total of two hundred and forty-two individuals who arrived at the mission of San Gabriel on January 3, 1776.13
The trek north was resumed on February 21, 1776. The geography of the area was more
familiar to the Spaniards and the route had been well traveled. During the journey they camped
“near the villages of La Rinconada (Rincon Creek), Mescaltitan (Goleta Estuary), and San Pedro
y San Pablo (Dos Pueblos Ranch),”14 all in the Santa Barbara area. They proceeded on to San
Francisco, having been the largest land party to travel through the Santa Barbara area to that
time.
III. Early Foundations for the City
Founding of the Presidio. The founding of the Presidio in 1782 was the first important
step leading to the eventual development of Santa Barbara and its environs. This event was
somewhat belated, for military outposts had already been started in San Diego and Monterey, as
well as missions. It was felt that the long coastal area between these two places needed
connecting links, so to begin with a mission was suggested at San Buenaventura, today called
Ventura.
13 Donald Lee Stillman, , A Historical Survey of the Santa Barbara California Area During the Early Years of the American Period, 1846-64, (unpublished master’s thesis, University of Southern California Library, 1948), 10 14 Ibid., 11
11
Events leading up to its founding became somewhat complicated, because of
disagreements between Father Serra and Governor Felipe de Neve. Prior to Neve’s appointment
as governor, Father Serra had an excellent understanding with Viceroy Bucareli and even with
Commander-General, Don Teodoro de Croix, both of whom were enthusiastic about the
missions. Neve, who was in direct command in the area, however, hindered the realization of this
endeavor.
Though Father Serra was the main force behind founding the mission at San
Buenaventura, Neve insisted in having a hand in its founding and so ventured to the area. At that
time he and Father Serra agreed to found another mission closer to the center of the channel.
Neve was insistent that a presidio be built at the new site before the mission could be started, for
the protection of the two coastal missions. To this Father Serra agreed, and the site was dedicated
on April 21, 1782, Santa Barbara’s birthday. The scene has been chronicled:
The soldiers clad in leathern waistcoats and leggings, their faces bronzed by exposure, were assembled, under the command of Governor Neve and Captain Ortega, and from the many villages throughout the valleys the Indians had come, impelled by curiosity and awe; and it must have been with great interest that they watched the newcomers and wondered at their purpose.
Padre Junipero [Serra], clad in alb and stole, stood in a hastily constructed chapel of brush before a roughly hewn table used as an altar. The soldiers under the command of Governor Neve and Captain Ortega, then formed in a square, and having laid aside their shields and lances, knelt with bared heads while the revered padre with uplifted hands invoked the blessings of heaven upon the congregation and their undertaking. After the dedication of the spot, the cross was raised, mass was celebrated, and an impressive sermon preached.15
After the dedication, the ground was broken and the Presidio started. Father Serra was
anxious to start a mission in the area, for it had been his wish to do so for a long time, mainly
because of the large, friendly, Indian population. Once again Governor Neve did not agree,
insisting upon a strong, finished Presidio Real de Santa Barbara for protection before the mission
could be started. Thus, Father Serra’s dream was not realized in his lifetime, for he traveled on
north to Monterey, never to return, dying on August 28, 1784.
The Presidio was left in command of Captain Jose Ortega who had originally arrived in
the area with Portolá’s party thirteen years before. In later years, having been the center of the
15 John R. Southworth, Santa Barbara and Montecito (Santa Barbara: The Schaurer Printing Studio, 1920), 26-27
12
community for many years, one of the old Presidio buildings was destined to become the first
school in Santa Barbara.
The Mission of Saint Barbara. Although the founding of a mission at Santa Barbara had
long been the unfulfilled dream of Father Serra, it came to pass two years after his death. Father
Palou, Serra’s immediate successor, returned to Mexico to publish a biography of Father Serra’s
life. Therefore, it wasn’t until 1785, when Father Fermin F. de Lasuen was appointed his
successor, that anything was done. He “decided that his first official act should be the carrying
out of the cherished wish of Padre Serra,”16 by founding a mission at Santa Barbara.
This time the Padres had more authority than before, and chose a site somewhat removed
from the Presidio, even over the objections of Cammandante Goycoechea who complained to
Governor Fages. The main reason for this unprecedented act by the Fathers seems to have been
because of the poor morals of the Presidio soldiers and the influence that they had on the Indians,
rather than the physical environmental advantages of the site. As it turned out, however, the
decision was a very advantageous one, for the new site commanded a view of the whole Santa
Barbara area. As a result it has stood out as a symbol since its beginning, rather than being lost in
the congestion of downtown Santa Barbara.
Governor Fages decided to witness the founding of the mission himself, and to check on
the disputed location. He arrived ten days after the official dedication, because the Fathers
wanted it dedicated on the birthday of Saint Barbara, as it was on December 4, 1786. Fages was
“so well satisfied with the selection of the site that he at once ordered a hut to be built beside the
cross, in which mass was celebrated and a sermon preached by Padre Antonio Paterna.”17
The mission prospered, with new buildings and more converts each year. The aims in
regards to the Indians were similar to those of other missions; as well as being converted to
Christianity the Indians were taught usable skills.
The girls were under the care of a trusted Indian matron, who taught them spinning, weaving and other domestic duties. The boys were instructed in agriculture, in the art of wood and leather carving, silver work, shoemaking, blacksmithing, carpentering, and stone-cutting. They were taught how to be self-supporting and generally useful. A few skilled mechanics under government pay were sent from Mexico to teach their trades to the neophytes
16 Ibid., 31 17 Ibid., 34
13
and any white apprentices. About twenty such mechanics were sent between the years 1792 and 1795. After 1795, the padres, instead of the state, paid the artisans for their instruction to the Indians.18
This, then was the beginning of what could be termed formal education in the area. The
Indians had taught their young for many years the skills of hunting, fishing, boat making, tool
making, and the like. When the padres came they brought Indian converts Baja California to help
with the training of the local Indians; this was the first use of outside teachers for the training of
pupils.
The mission proved to be one of the most stalwart in the chain, overcoming earthquakes,
uprisings, changes of government, and secularization. Through the help of a local benefactor,
Don Nicolas Den, it managed to be the only mission to stay continually in the charge of the
Franciscan Fathers.
IV. Summary
The Santa Barbara area with its tranquil climate and inviting environment has, since pre-
historic times, served as a home for man. The earliest inhabitants were primitive acorn-gathering
Indians, but by the time the Spaniards arrived they found a peace-loving people with a culture
more highly developed than that of most other Indian groups of Southern California. Education
for these people was simply learning by doing, to fulfill the basic needs of life and the culture
they had developed.
After Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo passed by the area in 1542 it was nearly sixty years before
the existing pattern of life was disrupted. In 1602, Sebastian Viscaíno passed by and named the
area after Saint Barbara. These early visits had little affect on the area or the Indian population. It
wasn’t until 1796 when Gasper Portolá ventured into the area that any real change took place.
Following his exploration came Juan Bautista de Anza in 1775 with the first overland party of
settlers from Mexico.
The Presidio was founded seven years later in 1782, and the Mission in 1786. Although it
was the beginning of the colonization of the area, it was also the beginning of the end of the
Indian population. The mission flourished in its early years, and the first formal education was 18 Ian James Crow, A History of School Organization and Administration in Santa Barbara County,” (unpublished Ed.D. dissertation, University of Southern California Library, 1959), 19
14
started with the Indians when teachers were brought from Mexico to teach them skills to be used
in mission work.
15
CHAPTER III
Schools During the Spanish and Mexican Era
I. Spanish Control
The First School. The first public school in California was opened in a granary in San
Jose in 1794, at the urging of Governor Don Diego de Borica. The need for a school was also felt
at the presidio in Santa Barbara, and so in 1795 the second school in the Province of California
was opened. The teacher, as he was called, was a grumete or ship boy off of a Spanish transport
in the harbor. His name was Jose Manuel Toca and he was paid $125 per year. Each soldier of
the presidio was exacted a tribute of one dollar toward the teacher’s salary.
This school was as much for the benefit of the soldiers as it was for any of the children at
the presidio.
As late as 1800 there were many soldiers acting as corporals who could not be promoted because they could not read, and in 1794 there was not a man in San Francisco who could read, so that one was sent from Santa Barbara to fill the need.19
Figure 1: The Royal Presidio of Santa Barbara 1792
19 Owen H. O’Neill, ed., History of Santa Barbara County – Its People and Its Resources (Santa Barbara: Harold McLean Meier, 1939), 60
16
When Jose Toca started his school either he must have worked overtime, or his classes
were older than normally would have been found in a grade school, for “soldiers, corporals, and
sergeants were ordered to review their studies with him and prepare for promotion.”20 He taught
from October 1795 to June 1797, at which time he was called back into service as a ship boy.21
This is a good indication of the lack of interest shown in education at that time.
As of February 25, 1796 there were thirty-two children enrolled in this first school. “The
paper they used was collected afterward and saved for making cartridges.”22 Learning was based
upon the three educational necessities of the time prescribed by the governor’s orders. They were
reading, writing, and the teaching of the Christian Doctrine, known as the Doctrina Christiana.
The Spanish navy seems to have been able to boast of more educated men than the army,
or perhaps this was hoped, for in 1797 Jose Medina, another sailor, became the teacher of the
school. He was closely followed by an army man of some standing in the field of education of
the time, for in 1798 Manuel Vargas, the first teacher of the school in San Jose, became the new
teacher. “How long he continued to wave the pedagogical birch, or, rather ply the cat-o’nine-
tails, which was the schoolmasters’ instrument them, is not known.”23
The population of the presidio had grown to 370 in 1798, so it can be assumed that the
school also grew. It is very unlikely, however, that it grew in an equal proportion to the
population growth for the people were not prone to send their children, or others, to school. A
weaver by the name of Enriquez had only six boys as apprentices, even after the urging of the
governor, and that was a needed trade in the presidio.24
With the departure of Governor Borica, the schools of California disintegrated through
general apathy of the public and the church. This also included the Santa Barbara school, and it
became the first of many abortive attempts to establish a permanent school in the area over a
period of sixty years.
Further Spanish attempts. The Spanish period of history in Santa Barbara began with the
founding of the Presidio, and eventually gave way to the Mexican period which lasted until the
20 Ibid. 21 James M. Buinn, Historical and Biographical Record of Southern California (Chicago: A. M. Chapman Publishing Co., 1902), 163 22 O’Neill, op. cit., 60 23 Guinn, op. cit., 163 24 O’Neill, op. cit., 61
17
granting of statehood in 1850.
As the years passed after the founding of the Presidio, a culture peculiar to the area began
to develop. At first it was rather primitive, but it gradually became the exemplification of a new
culture developing within the whole state. It had its roots in the old customs and ways of Spain,
yet retained its own personality. Gradually, as the population increased, large land grants were
given and ranchos based on the cattle trade arose, using many Indians for help, and creating a
prosperous position for the whole area. The mild Mediterranean climate had a great influence on
this simple pastoral life. Just as the Indians of the area had been friendly, hospitable, peaceful
people, so were the Barbarinos.
With this simple, feudal, and somewhat romantic existence, the need for schooling was
not in great demand. Some of the more liberal Californians sent their sons to other parts of the
United States and to Europe for an education. However, “education was usually the thing about
which the Californian, priest or layman, troubled himself least. For girls it usually consisted of
dancing, music, religion, and amiability.”25 For boys, to be expert horsemen and polished
gentlemen was enough. There were a few, however, that wanted their children to receive a fuller,
more rounded education. For those who couldn’t send their children away or hire private tutors,
various schools were started, but none of them quite made a success of their ventures. The
governors of the province were the main force behind these schools.
In 1807, Captain Jose Arguello became the Commandant of the Presidio. He was very
concerned about its respectability and that of the town growing up around it, and he wanted to
make it a better place to live. When prisoners were sent from Mexico as punishment, instead of
locking them up to become liabilities, he used them to help clean up the Presidio and town,
making walls, side-walks, and other improvements. “Another important act of Arguello was the
opening of common schools. Thus by availing himself of every opportunity, he succeeded in
obtaining for Santa Barbara all the improvements that could tend to make it a modern cit y.”26
Whether Jose Arguello’s efforts were fruitful it is not known, but in 1817 a girls’ school
was in operation and “in 1819 it would appear from old records that Diego Fernandez was
25 Southworth, op. cit., 121 26 C. M. Gidney, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura Counties in California (Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1917) 52
18
receiving fifteen dollars a month for teaching.”27
II. Mexican Control
Schools under the Mexican governors. Three years later, in 1822, the Spanish flag was
lowered and the citizens of Santa Barbara took the oath of allegiance to the new Mexican
government. Apparently the school of Diego Fernandez survived through the change, for in 1828
Governor Echeandia considered the amount being paid to the teacher useless because no students
were attending the school. The governor ordered the commandant to compel parents to send their
children. The records didn’t show whether this effort was successful or not.28
In December 1826, Governor Echeandia issued an order known as the First
Ayuntamiento, which changed the Santa Barbara Presidio from military to civil government.
This had far reaching affects on the area, for it was no longer just a military post, and the town
could grow and prosper as a community with a civil government of its own. The first Mexican
school under this order was established in 1829. in fact, there were two schools,
one at the presidio with 67 scholars, and one at the mission with 44, but these do not appear to have been very successful owing to lack of funds and the impossibility of obtaining suitable teachers. No progress was made, due to Governor Echeandia being unable to contend against the indifference of the people and the poverty of the treasury.29
After this the schools throughout the province once again declined and were only open
about one-third of the time, irregularly, relying on the condition of the treasury.
The rancho life, with its cultural peculiarities, came to the apex of its grandeur during the
1830s and 1840s in the Santa Barbara area. The rancheros were involved in rodeos, matanzas,
bear roping, and fiestas. New land grants were established in Santa Barbara County by the
Mexican government and large herds of cattle roamed the foothills and valleys with a myriad of
brands and owners. During that time, on August 17, 1833, the missions were secularized and the
Indians released into an unknown world, differing greatly from their past and their adopted
mission life. Many of them became a cheap labor force for the ranchos. All of the material
27 Southworth, op. cit., 198 28 Ibid., 199 29 Ibid.
19
affluency made the establishment of schools harder that ever, for all material wants were being
met for the average white man.
By May 1834, Governor Figueroa reported that the school situation had deteriorized to
such a state that only three primary schools were operating in the whole state,
among them one at Santa Barbara, and these were taught by ill-qualified, inexperienced men, and attended by but few children. These schools were for boys, for girls none existed, nor for several years had any attempt been made in connection with female education.30
The governor presented these facts to opening session of the assembly and they in turn asked for
aid from the supreme government, but no attention was paid to the request. The governor, a just
and understanding man, had very little time to put any plan into action, for he died the following
year.
A school of a sort was operating in the city in 1840, when the population was estimated at
about nine hundred. One of the belles “relates how she went to school in an adobe house in Santa
Barbara, where a Spaniard taught them many new things, but when he said the earth was round,
they all laughed out loud!”31
Again in 1844 another governor, Micheltorena, made an attempt to establish schools in
several cities of the state, among them Santa Barbara.
The plan adopted provided for teaching reading, writing, and the elementary rules of arithmetic; also that girls should have lessons in making and mending clothes, and to a certain extent in embroidery and weaving by hand. All children between six and eleven years were to attend, unless they were being taught at home, or there was some other valid reason.32
Apparently the statement in the proclamation about a “valid reason” was the only thing
taken literally by the local authorities and the general population, for even though an opening
date of the first Monday in June was set, in most places schools didn’t materialize. In Santa
Barbara a primary school was opened, but was closed after a few months for want of funds.
“Within a year of its adoption, this scheme was found to be impractical, and once more the
question of education was shelved.”33
30 Ibid. 31 Ibid., 121 32 Ibid., 200 33 Ibid.
20
The last Mexican governor of the province, Pio Pico, also had education on his mind, but
like all the others, his efforts were fruitless. Also, by this time he had other worries, with the
Americans invading the province. Santa Barbara was in the middle of this situation; and,
therefore, concern for anything but the impending crisis was unimportant. In August of 1846,
Commodore Robert Stockton captured the city, raised the stars and stripes for the first time over
the city, left a small garrison, and sailed away. He returned in September, dine and wined the
local citizenry, removed his garrison, and once again sailed away.
A week later Fremont passed through the area and left a garrison of ten men to protect the
American population. In October the garrison was recaptured and the men fled to Monterey.
Following that, Major John C. Fremont led forces over San Marcos Pass, and recaptured the
town on December 28, 1846, lowering the Mexican flag for the last time.
These and other Americans who were soon to arrive were concerned about the lack of
schools and the unsteady progress of education. The Spanish were used to it.
The curriculum of the Spanish and Mexican schools was like the annals of the poor – ‘short and simple.’ …The principal numbers in the course were the doctrina Cristiana and Fray Ripalda’s Catechism. These were learned by rote before the pupil was taught to read. If there was any time left him after he had committed to memory these essentials to his future spiritual welfare, he was given a little instruction in reading, writing and numbers for his earthly advantage.34
And so the Mexican era bowed out and a new one began. With the coming of the
Americans, demand for better schools was felt, but we shall see that even this force required a
number of years to overcome the apathy of the public, the lack of funds, and the scarcity of
competent teachers to fulfill the needs of the schools.
III. Summary
The first school in Santa Barbara was the second in the state and proved to be the first of
many unsuccessful attempts at public-supported education in the area. This formative period was
one of much support by the governors, but of little support from the public.
34 Guinn, op.cit., 164
21
The earliest school was as much for the soldiers as for the children, and supplies and
quarters were very limited. When a school would get started it was difficult to maintain, for those
who needed the public schooling did not attend, and those able to support the schools had their
children tutored or sent abroad. The need for a public school was there, however, and as the
years passed it became much more apparent.
This chapter has chronicled the many abortive attempts to establish public education in
Santa Barbara. It dealt with the general apathy of the community, the lack of good teachers, and
the beginning of conflict between the Spanish-speaking and English-speaking populations.
22
23
CHAPTER IV
The Early American Period 1850-1899
As the middle of the 19th century dawned upon Santa Barbara, an opulent society
flourished in and around its environs. All areas of society had benefited in some form from the
affluency of the ranchos, made possible by the sale of beef in the northern part of the state to the
hungry, gold-seeking argonauts.
Four years earlier, the transferal from Mexican to American control had hardly raised an
eyebrow, and the American population was gradually increasing in the area and becoming
established in the community. With this backdrop, realization of imminent statehood was causing
great interest and excitement. In fact, the citizens showed so much zeal that Santa Barbara was
incorporated as an American city on April 9, 1850 by an act of the first California legislature,
and the first Common Council and Mayor were elected on August 26, 1850. Statehood wasn’t
granted until September 9 of the same year.
The responsibilities of this first council were great, being compounded by one Jack
Powers, outlaw extraordinary, who harassed the area until 1859.
I. The First Schools Under American Rule
The inherited school. Amid this affluency and turmoil, a need for public schooling still
existed for those children whose parents couldn’t afford tutors or private schooling abroad.
Among its many responsibilities, this first council inherited a vestige of the old Mexican council,
the Ylustre Ayuntamiento, a public school. Although the flame of education flickered low and
was often in need of relighting, it had managed to survive the change of government and the
onslaught of the gold rush.
This school was conducted along old time Spanish lines by Victor Vega Villareal, and
was in part supported by public funds. The Ylustre Ayuntamiento had assigned him $70 per
month in return for which he admitted twenty free pupils. The secretary of the Ayuntamiento had
24
given up his salary in order that education might be subsidized.35 After the Common Council was
elected, the committee appointed to examine the school reported, and Villareal was then paid $64
per month, until he closed the school in the early months of 1852. When the school was closed,
the Council received a number of petitions asking for the re-establishment of the public school. It
is not surprising that the Council didn’t act quickly to do so, for the truancy had been so high that
it had been necessary to appoint Jose M. Covarubias to examine the school once a month and
report the names of those who had missed over a day, so that someone else could take their
place.36
First county school commissioners. In November 1852, an important move was made in
the county that directly affected the city schooling. Three school commissioners were elected in
each of the three townships, with each township being a school district. Even more important
was the fact that it took the control of the schools out of the hands of the Council, and placed it
with the school commissioners.37
It wasn’t until 1854, however, that an ordinance was passed creating a school fund and
naming J. J. Sparks, H. B. Blade and V. W. Hearne as School Commissioners.38 A county tax of
five cents on $100 was also levied.
Mismanagement of the State School Fund. Hope for good schools also came with news
of a new State School Fund, but receded temporarily in 1854 when the County Superintendent
failed to file a report. When efforts were made to recover the apportionment, it was objected to
on the grounds that Santa Barbara had no schoolhouse and that the English language was not
taught there at all. The old presidio chapel was being used; it was older than the mission
buildings, and was damp and poorly lighted. This was located on the northwest side of Canon
Perdido Street between Ana Capa and Santa Barbara Streets. “It is said that about forty scholars
attended. For lack of books they studied an alphabet written upon the wall in chalk.”39
35 Laurence L. Hill and Marion Parks, Santa Barbara Tierra Adorada, A Community History (Los Angeles: Security First National Bank of Los Angeles, 1930), 52. 36 Guinn, op. cit., 164. 37 Ibid. 38 O’Neill, op. cit., 70. 39 Hall, op. cit., 53.
25
They eventually received some of the apportionment, although it was overlooked again
the next year. “The first school warrant drawn on the State School Fund was paid to Miss
Manuela Cota, sister of Don Miguel Burke, and was for $375, a year’s salary, in 1854.”40
The newly-established Santa Barbara Gazette took up the cause of education early in its
career, commenting in its third issue:
Through the efficiency of our School Commissioners in this district, we have now in this city a school containing nearly seventy scholars, who are making rapid progress in the acquisition of a practical education.
The greatest want at present felt in the public school of this city is the absence of suitable books for instruction. The difficulty in obtaining the apportionment of the school fund has hitherto been the cause of this, which will, we trust, be removed by speedy payment.
The very great necessity of education for all classes must be so evident to everyone that we trust no one having children will delay sending them where they may be taught what they must know in after years to become either good citizens or to attend the duties of life.41
The school was run by Pablo Carracela, whom one historian referred to as:
An illiterate individual who made Spanish the sole medium of communication with his pupils, and whose services were repaid at the rate of $80 per month. In order to draw public funds for the support of the school, it was essential the teacher be examined as to his proficiency. It is remembered that in answer to the query, ‘Which is the largest river in the world?’ he unhesitatingly replied, ‘The Santa Maria!’42
This was a small, insignificant river in Chile, the country from which the teacher had
apparently come.
The district that this school served was sixty miles long and varied in width from five to
forty miles. The school census showed a total of 453 white children of school age, while the
teacher reported only sixty scholars in attendance. Even though they were taxed for the school,
parents took little interest, causing the Santa Barbara Gazette to editorialize on September 20,
1855:
In this county there is, as yet, no public edifice for a school house, and in this respect we are far behind our neighbors. … It is believed that parents take far too little interest in the education of their children in this county, and keep
40 O’Neill, op. cit., 170. 41 Santa Barbara Gazette, June 7, 1855 42 Jesse Mason, History of Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties (Oakland: Thompson, 1883), 325
26
them at home from too trivial causes. The effect of irregular attendance is highly detrimental, and prevents a uniform progress in the various classes.43
II. Spanish versus English Schools
In September of 1855, new trustees of the Common Schools were elected. Seven men ran
for the positions, with Daniel Hill, G. D. Fisher, and Antonio de la Palma y Mesa receiving the
most votes. The public opinion that they had to contend with in their new capacity couldn’t have
been very pleasant, for many were dissatisfied with the schools, particularly the English-
speaking population. The Santa Barbara Gazette added fuel to the fire of unrest, running
editorials about the need for more school districts and the need of an English-speaking school. It
questioned the curriculum and system of instruction, and last but not least the capacity of the
teacher. It ended one scathing editorial with these words:
The system of instruction adopted in the school in this city might do for some countries, but it is not likely to prove profitable in this. The salary paid to the present teacher is sufficient to employ a person properly qualified to take charge of a school here. It should be required that the English language be taught, and a teacher unacquainted with that language does not possess the required qualifications to teach an English school.44
The handwriting was on the wall for this teacher and this old type of school. The Santa
Barbara Gazette had become so incensed over this and similar situations that it dropped its
Spanish page in the very next edition.
Early in the new year the commissioners interviewed four candidates for teaching
positions. They were Mr. Bailles, Owen Connally, Victor Mondran, and Pablo Carracela.
Connally and Mondran were subsequently chosen as the new teachers, but only after a protest by
Carracela who claimed that his certificate was good for another year. These new teachers were to
be paid $75 per month for a period of one year, beginning February 1, 1856. Two schools were
established, Connally teaching the English school, and Mondran the Spanish one. Neither school
met in very desirable quarters; one met in “the house adjoining the billiard saloon, and the other
in the house of the late Pedro Diabelar.”45
43 Santa Barbara Gazette, September 20, 1855 44 Ibid., December 20, 1855 45 Santa Barbara Gazette, February 7, 1856
27
Two schools soon became a great burden on the community, for although the children
were plentiful and both schools were needed, the community was not ready to carry the financial
burden. Because of the tardiness of state money, a tax of $3 per month had to be imposed on the
parents that could afford it. However, when $441.56 was found in the treasury that had not been
known to the trustees, the tax was withdrawn. This was the first of many problems that started a
slow death of both schools which was eventually climaxed with the discontinuing of the Spanish,
and the combining of both schools into one. This sad state of affairs was faithfully chronicled in
the Santa Barbara Gazette:
A memorial was received from one of the teachers of this district, setting forth that the room now occupied by him as a school house is wholly unsuitable for that purpose, being adjacent to a billiard saloon and in other respects objectionable. …46
The school money due this county for the last two years has been received here by the County Treasurer. The arrival is opportune, and will give a new impulse to our public schools. The teachers deserve credit for continuing so long on promise of payment merely.47
The money received from the state amounted to $1,969.92, of which $890 had been for
the year 1855.
Money problems and curriculum. In December of 1856, a long letter from Owen
Connally to the School Commissioners appeared in the Santa Barbara Gazette and after inviting
them to the school, using very flowery terms, extolling the benefits of the school and of his
teaching, he hit them with this closing remark:
And permit me here to state for your information, that I have been teaching this school for nearly a year past at a salary of only $75.00 per month. I now respectfully and earnestly appeal to your honorable Board, hoping you will be kindly pleased to increase my salary, and thereby five us new impetus in the discharge of our laborious duties.48
This had no effect upon the right people and so he wrote them again on April 15, 1857,
using many, many superlatives about Santa Barbara and stating that the school had seventy-eight
pupils, half of whom were young ladies. One-third of the school was American and the rest
Spanish. The subjects that were being taught were recitation, orthography, reading, penmanship,
46 Ibid., April 3, 1856. 47 Ibid., October 2, 1856. 48 Mason, op. cit., 101
28
arithmetic, geography, and syntaxical analysis and grammar of both English and Spanish.
Furthermore, he was going to add bookkeeping, composition and declamation, and bring culture
to Santa Barbara, hoping that the day wasn’t too far distant when the visitors of the schools
would “have their eyes and ears greeted by the classics, the arts and sciences, for the cultivation
of which Santa Barbara is peculiarly adapted to inspire taste.”49 He went on to say that, due to the
depreciation of the county scrip in which he was paid, he felt obligated to tender his resignation.
The continued deterioration of the school was particularly due to the attempt to teach two
linguistic groups in one room. At first the Santa Barbara Gazette had been in favor of the move,
because it was the only solution, but as time wore on it expressed its opinion:
It is indispensably necessary to establish another school for the education of the children of American parents. School exercises cannot be advantageously conducted in two languages in the same room. This has been sufficiently demonstrated already in this city, and the parents of American children, unwilling that they should learn a confused jargon and gibberish, prefer to keep them at home.50
The paper went on to say that people were moving elsewhere and not settling in Santa
Barbara because of the lack of good schools. It furthermore suggested that the Common Council
separate the necessary funds from the County funds and that a special tax should be levied, “not
exceeding one-fourth of one per cent upon all the property, real and personal, within the city, to
support them.”51
In 1857, Santa Barbara County contained four school districts. School District One
included all the land between Los Angeles County line and the Rincon Ranch, extending back to
Kern County—including all that is now Ventura County—or nearly 1,500 square miles. District
Two extended from the Rincon to Nopala Street in Montecito, and the east side of the City of
Santa Barbara, now containing more population than the whole County at the time.
The third district had as its eastern boundary Nopala Street in Santa Barbara and extended
to the Cañada del Corral near the Gaviota Pass. Included in this area was the west side of Santa
Barbara, the town of Goleta, and Dos Pueblos.
Cañada del Corral at Gaviota was the eastern boundary of the fourth district, and the
western boundary was the County line. The larger towns in this district were Los Alamos, 49 Ibid. 50 Santa Barbara Gazette, May 7, 1857 51 Ibid.
29
Guadalupe, Santa Maria, and Lompoc. Because the pupils were so widely scattered, the cost was
almost one dollar per pupil to make a school census. The schools were small and were but
apologies or miserable substitutes for the institutions of the present time.52
A new school building. In the latter part of 1857, an earthquake rendered the old chapel
building, where school was once again meeting, unsafe and a new building was built at the
corner of State and Carrillo Streets at the cost of $1,500, and occupied in 1858. One-half of the
money was subscribed and the other half came from the County School Fund. This was unheard
of extravagance and the Board of Trustees was removed. Another monumental decision the same
year was that the schools were to be taught in the English language, which the native
Californians strongly opposed.
Between 1858 and 1861 the records show that E. B. Williams, Sophia Allego, and S. L.
Allyn were teaching in the district.53
This then set the basis for a relatively stable education for the time and the place, and
little was written about the schools for the next few years, because of other monumental
happenings that were filling the lives of every Barbareno.
III. Schooling During the 1860s
The great drought. The first happening to subdue the cause of education and relegate it
to a subservient position was the thunder of guns at Fort Sumter and the beginning of the Civil
War. Although Santa Barbara was a continent’s length away, it felt the effects of this tumultuous
occurrence. The calm and tranquility of the rancho life of the area was jolted a little but started to
right itself as it would after an often-felt California earth tremor. However, the old self-
assurance, vigor, and agility of the Barbarenos had hardly been restored when an even greater
force, mother nature, pulled the rope that rang the first resounding death knell, sounding the end
of a way of life, peculiar to California, and particularly to Santa Barbara. For in 1862, a very
severe drought started that lasted through 1864. For an economy that depended on cattle, which
in turn depended on the grass that was nourished by the annual rains, it meant the end.
52 Mason, op. cit., 114 53 Crow, op. cit., 61.
30
However, during the term of office of Pablo de la Guerra, the sixth County
Superintendent of Schools, between 1861 and 1863, a new school house in the Santa Barbara
district under the supervision of the County Superintendent, was built. The entire cost of the new
school amounted to $2,074.38. The plasterer was paid a total of $137.42; W. A. Tryhorn and Jim
Cartwright, the carpenters, were paid $15 and $48, respectively. J. O’Brien was paid the sum of
$2.50 as a digger.54
Because of the drought, the ranchos fell into disrepair, thousands of head of cattle and
horses died, and fortunes were lost and never regained. Many of the ranchos had to be sold and
were divided into smaller holdings. Santa Barbara itself started to decay, and the buildings, many
of adobe, started to crumble away.
The schools of Santa Barbara of 1865 were reported upon by Carr as follows:
Morning light shows us Santa Barbara, a fossil old town covered with tiles, looking like some old centenarian under a shocking bad hat. The boy’s school, we find, is not remarkable either for order or scholarship. As for the girl’s school, the mean unventilated adobe fifteen by twenty feet packed with some sixty girls, is a libel on the town and a disgrace to the trustees. Santa Barbara can boast, we conclude, of perhaps the very finest climate in California, and of the unexcelled thriftlessness and indolence of its native population; but not of the efficiency of its schools. Planning to arouse the population to action, the State Superintendent makes an appointment to lecture on common schools at the courthouse at half-past seven. Unfortunately, the steamer from San Francisco docks at the same hour. Nobody comes to the courthouse except the school ma’am and three little girls and the meeting is adjourned immediately.55
An era had ended, never to be forgotten but never to return. And, as the life-giving rains
came, so did the city begin to be renourished and to regain its composure. As an old era ends, a
new always dawns; the new one for Santa Barbara proved to be an abundant one.
Founding of the Santa Barbara District. With the coming of abundance came a renewed
interest in the schools, which had once again managed to weather the storm. On June 6, 1866, the
Santa Barbara School District was formed. The schools no longer administered by the County
Superintendent, but in complete control of the electorate of the city.
54 Crow, op. cit., 65-66 55 William S. Carr, John Swett (Santa Ana, California: Fine Arts Press, 1933), 92
31
In 1866, Alpheus B. Thompson, County Superintendent reported that there were three
school districts in the County: San Buenaventura, Montecito, and Santa Barbara. The census
showed that there were 1,243 children between the ages of five and fifteen residing in the
County, with only 325 pupils enrolled in schools, plus forty-one enrolled in private schools. Each
district had two schools, with the length of the school year varying from three to five months.
The teachers’ salaries varied from $30 to $50 per month, with the Santa Barbara district paying a
total of $1,165.25.
The County Superintendent made eight visits to the schools of the Santa Barbara district
during the year, and received a salary of $200 for the year. The teachers in the County were
Alexander Forbes, Abbie Greene, Mary Furlong, H. E. Williams, A. D. Chateuneuf, and Alice
Brinkerhoff.
During 1867, the attendance in the County rose to 340 students, with fifty-seven in the
San Buenaventura district, forty in the Montecito district and 243 in the Santa Barbara district.
The average salary for male teachers in the County was $70 per month and for female teachers
$62 per month. The County tax was thirty-five cents and the total assessed valuation was
$773,285.56
The census for 1868 showed that the Santa Barbara district had a total of 785 children;
395 white boys and 362 white girls; fourteen Indian boys and fourteen Indian girls. The Indian
children were members of white families. “Boys and girls over fifteen are allowed to attend the
public schools, and when the schools are not crowded even adults are admitted.”57
From articles in the Santa Barbara Post during the month of October 1868, it appears
that there was at least a department for boys and one for girls. Miss Green ran the department for
girls. And Miss Birmingham headed the boys’ department. Her arrival was noted in the Santa
Barbara Post on October 10, 1868:
Miss Birmingham, who formerly taught school at Montecia has been employed by the Trustees to take charge of the boys’ school in this place, arrived on the Orizaba on Thursday last, and will commence her duties immediately.58
As a follow-up, the paper did some further checking and reported that:
56 Crow, op. cit., 67-68 57 Santa Barbara Post, July 18, 1868 58 Ibid., October 10, 1868
32
Miss Birmingham opened the boys’ department of the Public Schools in this place on Monday last. We do not know the number of scholars in attendance, but we do know that this lady keeps a very orderly school.59
Public interest renewed. In 1869 agitation started for the improvement of the school
facilities. Letters to the editor of the paper complained about the School Trustees and the
condition of the schools. The newspaper also began editorializing and spearheaded investigations
for improvements. One person complained in the newspaper about the number of children
between the age of five and eighteen who were not attending school and felt that the little boys
who were playing marbles, spinning tops or “carrying around fighting-cocks under their arms”
should be sent to school, as well as the little girls “making mud pies and almost getting run
over.”60
This person went on to give a very graphic description of the schools. In describing the
boys’ school his selection of words were so choice that it would be unforgivable to paraphrase or
omit them:
On four sides a dusty street; within forty yards an institution emitting an affluvia daily that would knock down a well-bred hog, with a water-closet near the door without anything to screen it from the public gaze; old adobe walls, moist at all seasons, and you have an object sufficient to disgust the minds of your children and it ought to bring the blush of shame to the cheek of any and every school officer who insists on a school being kept in any place so entirely inappropriate…the building for the girls school is one degree, and only one better; the walls are brick and the water-closet has a board fence around it; otherwise it stands naked, not even a fence around the lot, not a shade tree planted, although it has been some seven or eight years used as a place to corral children in for you can scarcely call that education which ignores all the finer feelings of the children and only requires then to be kept off the streets for a certain number of hours daily.61
In March, the lot around the boys’ school was duly fenced.
Miss Green, in charge of the girls’ school, was a good organizer and an outstanding
teacher. When she arrived in Santa Barbara the quality of the schools was at an educational low
and very few of the children spoke English. She worked with what she had and had done such a
marvelous job under the circumstances that an article in the San Francisco Bulletin commented
59 Ibid., October 23, 1868 60 Santa Barbara Post, January 13, 1869 61 Ibid.
33
that “after years of labor, Miss Green was rewarded by an improvement so great that she could
almost feel herself the creator of the minds that had so rapidly developed under her care.”62
In the County Superintendents’ report of June, it was noted that the girls’ school was
divided into a primary and an intermediate department with Miss Abbie Green as head teacher
and Miss May Furlong her assistant. The school accommodated about eighty pupils, most of
whom were in the primary department. The boys’ school was an old two-story adobe known as
the Sebastopol building and was large enough to accommodate everyone on the ground floor.
Miss A. E. Birmingham was the principal and Miss C. J. Langely her assistant. Attendance at the
boys’ school was very irregular. The report went on to comment that the Trustees should
establish a graded grammar school to fulfill needs, that the school should be the focal point of the
community, but was not, and that the land on which the brick building stood was land for which
the Trustees had no deed. He further stated that no district school tax had been levied and that
other districts in the county were doing better than the city.63
IV. A New Era Begins
The most important happening for the schools in 1870 was the erection of a new school
house on Cota Street facing the ocean.
The first playground. On April 7, 1870, the City Council had granted the School
Trustees permission for establishing the first playground in the city. It was a portion of the Plaza
de Vera Cruz between Ortega, Cota, Anacapa, and Santa Barbara Streets. It was fenced in by the
schools, and was given by the Council after the Trustees agreed to plant a least twenty shade
trees and care for their growth.64
A further interest by the public was shown by the fact that over three hundred attended a
picnic given under the auspices of the Public Schools on May 6. At this grand event, as later
reported in the Santa Barbara Times, Miss Emma Pierce was crowned May Queen and Revered
P. Y. Cool and Judge Maguire spoke and “if possible eclipsed themselves.”65
62 Santa Barbara Post, May 19, 1869 63 Santa Barbara Post, June 10, 1869 64 O’Neill, op. cit., 232 65 Santa Barbara Times, May 7, 1870
34
The first Lincoln School. Shortly after that on May 28, it was reported by the local
newspaper that June 30 had been set as the day for voting on a proposed tax rate of seventy cents
per $100 to raise $5,000 to build a new school house and to give the Trustees authority to sell the
old one. The Santa Barbara Times reported:
Intelligent persons usually draw their conclusions as to the respectability and standing of a people by their institutions of learning; and we venture to ascertain that no one would ever concede to our people any interest for the welfare of our children from the imposing appearance of the old Sebasopol hulk. Let us have a decent building in which our children may be at least comfortable while they are endeavoring to obtain a knowledge that in a few years they will be called upon to exercise.66
From that point on, there was a running feud between the Santa Barbara Times and the
Trustees as to the size, and the number of schools that should be built from the money acquired
by the successful tax rate. The Trustees finally won out with the erection of the new school. It
was called Lincoln school, and was a two-story structure with four rooms on each floor and
abundant ventilation. The basement could be used in inclement or hot weather. It was reported:
The building will be an ornament to the portion of town in which it is to be built, and will be amply fitted for all the purposes for which it is to be devoted, making comfortable, quiet, and above all, healthy rooms for the youth of both sexes to remain in during the wet as well as dry seasons.67
The corner stone was laid by the Masonic Lodge on Wednesday, November 23, 1870,
with five hundred people in attendance. The money for the school totaled about $7,300, Taxing
has realized $4,500, $800-$1,000 from the sale of the Sebastopol building, and $1,600-$1,800
from the school fund.68
The building was completed in June, 1871, and on the Fourth of July a ball was held in
the new school to help pay off the $1,400 still outstanding.69 The final cost was about $16,000.
The school house seventy-eight boys and seventy-two girls, with Miss Green in charge of
the girls and Mr. Stone in charge of the boys.70
One interesting happening involving the schools during this time was the proposal of
Leland and Company to run a lottery to aid the school district. This became a very controversial
66 Ibid., May 28, 1870 67 Santa Barbara Times, September 10, 1870 68 Ibid. 69 Crow, op. cit., 50 70 Santa Barbara Times, November 19, 1870
35
issue and the “proposed measure evoked a storm of dissension, and the local newspapers were
drawn into the dispute, the Press opposing, and the Times supporting the project.”71
During all of the confusion, contention, and disagreement the teachers kept on teaching
according to their principles and in the end came out with a new and, for the first time, functional
building. They also had the praise of the populace:
The progress of the pupils is rapid and the course of instruction…speedily advances the scholars…to enable them to understand the principles sought to be inculcated, a desideratum not often found in our schools. Our corps of teachers in this department are such as to make the school one worthy the patronage of our people and one displaying the benefits of a munificent and protecting care of the state.72
The population and school expand. By 1871, with the coming of Col. W. W. Hollister
and others like him, the Americanization of Santa Barbara took on new impetus. With this
natural growth, plus the influx of visitors, as many as one thousand pupils needed space in the
schools, but accommodations for only three hundred were available. Therefore, an election was
held to determine whether the city should provide means of increasing school facilities, but the
issue was lost.
Figure 2: Lincoln School, 1871-1921.
The first high school was eventually housed upstairs.
71 Mason, op. cit., 326 72 Santa Barbara Times, August 27, 1870
36
The vast majority who were deprived of the inestimable benefits of a fine education had their case presented, but although the fact would seem neither credible nor creditable, their necessities were ignored and their rights withheld. This narrow and discreditable decision was brought about through the combination of Mexicans, who desired no schools, and Americans, who were afraid to entrust the then Board of School Commissioners with the money required to build proper accommodations.73
Mr. Stone had become the principal of the school, and the receipts of the Santa Barbara
District showed the total of $2,972.58 being received from the State Fund; the Library Fund
contributed a total of $50; $3,349.93 was received from the County Fund; and $4,300.15 was
received from the Special Tax Fund. An additional $1,000 was received from the sale of the old
school building, making a grand total of $11,672.66. The expenditures during the year 1871
amounted to $12,644.40, $3,000 of which was paid out for teachers’ salaries to educate those
enrolled in the schools.74
The year 1872 proved to be a relatively quiet one for the schools, and the few statistics
available show that as of May 3 children enrolled in the schools numbered 273, with an average
daily attendance of 204.75 The schools opened on Monday, August 11, and by November the
Santa Barbara Times was singing the praises of the school, a complete reversal of a year or two
earlier. Beside the fact that the school building stood head and shoulders above its neighbors and
being an outstanding piece of architecture, it felt that:
Few if any places afford greater educational advantages than Santa Barbara, taking into consideration its age and size. The public schools are ably and thoroughly conducted, and offer to everyone more than an ordinary common school education.76
Things were so satisfactory that for the next ten years or so the schools once again
received relatively little attention, a pattern that seemed to typify the role of the schools in Santa
Barbara at that time. In 1875, according to the census there were 2,282 children in the county,77
with 796 attending school in the city. Out of this number, 485 were in public school, 145 at St.
Vincents, sixty-two attending Santa Barbara College, thirty-one at the Mission School, and a
73 Mason, op. cit., 326 74 Ibid., 325 75 Santa Barbara Times, May 11, 1872. 76 Mason, op. cit., 325 77 Huse, op. cit., 29
37
scattering going to other private schools.78 The total apportionment for the county, including state
and county funds was $27,096.41.79
The following year showed that the city had 1,247 children between six and seventeen,
and was only 106 children short of having half of those in the county. The city received
$2,344.12 in apportionment from the State and County, and an additional $100 from the County
Library fund.80
In 1878 the only thing that caused the people of the community to take notice of the
schools was a furor over the changing of the state text readers. This soon calmed down when a
letter was published explaining that the new readers were better books and that they could be
bought at a savings to the taxpayer.81
By this time Santa Barbara had two privately run kindergartens, with growing interest
shown in the enterprise in the Daily Press, but not by the Santa Barbara Times. A Miss Tuckey
was the head of one of these kindergartens and Miss Kate Wiggins headed the other one. By this
time also, periodic examinations were being held before teachers could obtain grade certificates.
Proficiency was apparently high, for out of nine trying in March, only two passed, one being a
Miss Wheelock of Santa Barbara, who received a First Grade certificate.82
At this time the city was divided into wards for voting and other city government
purposes. Because of this, Lincoln School was often referred to as the Fifth Ward school. The
schools were being well run as was attested to by the editor of the Daily Press of March 12,
1878:
The cheerful faces of the scholars, taken with the good discipline maintained, spoke volumes for the ability and efficiency of the corps of teachers. The proficiency of the pupils is a matter for real wonder. Parents who have not done so should visit our public schools and see for themselves that in this respect Santa Barbara can hold her own with the largest cities on the coast.83
This proficiency was due to good teaching and the raising of standards of those teaching,
as well as written and oral examinations required of each pupil each year. Those administering
the exams comprised at least a partial list of teachers of the city at the closing of the school year 78 Mason, op. cit., 326 79 Huse, op. cit., 29 80 Daily Press (Santa Barbara), September 6, 1876 81 Ibid., January 14, 1878 82 Ibid., March 9, 1878 83 Daily Press, March 12, 1878
38
1877-78. They included Mr. Raymond, Mrs. Dickinson, Mrs. Clark, Miss Sherman and Miss
Winchester in the Third Ward; Mrs. Ford, Mr. Menefree, Miss Stone, Miss Nelson, and Mr.
Snow the Fifth Ward; and Miss Wright the First Ward.84
Early institutes. By 1882, the teachers had started to hold institute type meetings to
discuss various aspects of the curriculum and methods of teaching it. The meeting held in
February took up the subjects of drawing and penmanship, with the group being divided about
using rulers in drawing, but all agreeing that a correct and uniform position should be insisted
upon in penmanship. Drawing lessons were done on paper and slate and some teachers were
using drawing cards which the children copied to learn specific drawing skills. Those attending
were Mr. Wood, Miss Cullinan, Miss Woods, Miss Hails, Miss Stone, Miss Harrison, Miss
Sherman, Miss Dodge, Mrs. Ford, Miss Fyfe, Miss Shepard, Miss Owen and Mr. Snow, which
probably comprised the majority of the teaching staff of the city schools. A meeting was set for
the next month to discuss map drawing and geography.85
In 1884, Eugene Fawcett sold a tract of land to the school district for the construction of
the Franklin School. This is the site where Parma School stands today. The cost of this property
was $1,000.86
By 1886, the total county appropriations had reached $46,990.20 of which $37,947.95
went for teachers’ salaries. In 1887 the city had five public school buildings, accommodating
primary, grammar, and high school rooms, with an enrollment of 1,031 pupils, taught by twenty
teachers.87
V. The Kindergarten Association
Formation. A very significant happening was taking place in the city at this time which
the enrollment figures do not reflect, for on February 4, 1887, the Kindergarten Association was
formed. Included among the six charter members were Mrs. Corinne Wilson, Mrs. W. H.
84 Ibid., May 18, 1878 85 Daily Press, February 27, 1882 86 Santa Barbara News-Press, March 8, 1962 87 Yda Addis Storke, A memorial and Biographical History of the Counties of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura, California (Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1891), 77-78
39
Woodbridge, Mr. T. D. Tallant, Mrs. Nellie Backus, and Mrs. Edwards.88
The first kindergarten. The forerunner of this association had been initiated by Kate
Douglas Wiggin in 1877. This was her maiden endeavor in the field of early childhood
education, for which she was to become nationally famous. After spending a year in Los Angeles
studying, she obtained the use of an old adobe building in town, named it the “Swallow’s Nest,”
and started the first kindergarten.89
Said the Santa Barbara Times in regard to her endeavor:
So we are to have a kindergarten. The kindergarten belongs to large cities where mothers were compelled, before its introduction, to leave their offspring to care for themselves while they were at their daily toil in the factory. We have here no mothers who go out to toil and the cases are exceptional where they will part with half their life for the ease secured by the kindergarten. We can see no need of the kindergarten here…90
So, with little support from the public and much opposition from the local paper, the first
kindergarten in the county began its operation. Miss Wiggin had only moderate success with the
kindergarten venture at that time, which was due mostly to the fact that a kindergarten program
was not, at that time, accepted as part of the educational program of the State.
Impact of Kindergarten Association. The affect of the Kindergarten Association, formed
in 1887, was to be felt not only in Santa Barbara, but throughout the state. It gained national
recognition for Santa Barbara and the city schools, for the kindergartens were eventually
assimilated into the school system.
With nothing more than faith in an idea, the six charter members started a kindergarten
charging a twenty-five cent per month tuition and with $12 subscribed by private citizens. As
various gifts came in including a piano, a membership fee of $3 per year was agreed upon, and
by the end of February 1888, they had run the program for one year and had a balance on hand of
$278.83. Miss Warner was the first teacher and she was assisted my Miss Mary Scollan. They
taught in the Old Carrillo building on De la Guerra Street and started with only seven children.
By the end of the first month they had attracted thirty-five, and by the end of the first year
88 Frederic Burk, Ph.D. and Caroline Frear Burk, A Study of the Kindergarten Problem (San Francisco: The Whitaker and Ray Company, 1899), 9. (Only five names listed in reference.) 89 O’Neill, op. cit., 234 90 Santa Barbara Times, May 16, 1877
40
seventy-seven were attending. During the second year they had to acquire an old church on
Ortega and De la Vina and were then forced to move to the Oddfellow’s hall on State Street
because of lack of children due to the poor location of the church.
After several more moves and continual growth, a new Central Kindergarten was built in
1895 at a cost of $2,800. In June 1896, a special tax of $2,500 was levied by the city. It was
successfully passed showing the support of the kindergarten movement in the same city that had
rejected it twenty years earlier. In 1897 they received $3,500, and in 1898 the amount was
$4,500. Although the kindergartens were being run at that time by the city schools, and were
supported by tax money, the buildings were still primarily owned by the Kindergarten
Association. This condition prevailed until after the turn of the century.91
Child-centered curriculum. At the time the kindergartens were started in Santa Barbara,
they were still in the infant stage in this country, particularly the concepts behind those started by
the Kindergarten Association, their curriculum and methods used in teaching. By 1898, the
curriculum had evolved to a basis of child psychology, and the daily program was quite different
from most kindergartens of the same period. The daily program was as follows:
1. Prayer, Singing, Movement Songs, Stories, Mother Goose Stories, Aesop’s Fables, Anderson and Grimm.
2. Blackboard Illustration of Story. Child Tell Story. 3. Recess. Free Play, Ball, Incentive for Individual Plays—dolls, reins, toys,
bubbles, and sand pile. 4. Number—Counting or groups with objects. Beads or other suitable kindergarten
material. 5. Use of objects, pictures, and picture books as language incentives. 6. Recess. Free play with incentives. 7. Free use of clay, sand tables, paper cutting or other kindergarten materials without
dictation.92
As can be readily seen, this program was very similar to the one used by most
kindergartens today and was bearing good results then, as now. As a comparison with other
methods being used at the same time one primary teacher commented that “the children are more
91 Burk, op. cit., 5-9 92 Ibid., 20
41
obedient, more self-reliant, more prompt to comprehend my requests than any children who have
ever come to me from any kindergarten.”93
The schools were so successful in achieving similar results in all the kindergartens that
Frederic Burk, the superintendent of schools, wrote a book to help other communities in
establishing like programs. In the introduction to his book he stated:
The success of the movement is unquestioned. In many other communities, similar in conditions to Santa Barbara, the kindergarten is struggling for public recognition and support, and the history of a successful establishment in our community may be of assistance to sister-city attempts.94
VI. Further School Expansion
Although the development of the other schools in the city was not as dynamic as that of
the kindergartens, they were by no means standing still. This was not only attested to by several
sources, but the lack of information in the newspapers was generally a sign of contentment of the
populace.
Figure 3: Franklin School in 1906. It was built before 1900.
93 Ibid. 94 Ibid., 6
42
Figure 4: The old Franklin School today. It is used as an
auditorium for the adjoining church at 810 E. Montecito Street.
Figure 5: Jefferson School, pre 1900-1928. This picture was taken in 1906.
In the early months of 1888, Mr. Kellogg, the editor of the School Journal in New York
City, expressed surprise at the excellent accommodations, the large and clean rooms and good
desks found in Santa Barbara. Referring to the grammar school pupils he commented, “It appears
that a society exists here that debates literary subjects, and the two leading debators were
introduced to the visitor.”95 This was one of the few early, favorable impressions made by the
Santa Barbara schools on an outsider.
As the school population increased, so did the teaching staff as well as the number and
variety of subjects being taught. In December 1889 teachers passing the examinations given by
the county included Miss Sclover, Mrs. McEwing, Nellie Buckingham, Elmer E. Dana, Emma
95 Morning Press, February 11, 1888
43
Crowell, Gertrude Owens, Ben D. Moore, Eloise Lawrence, Nellie S. Gray, and Lorenzo Ward.
Curriculum and new high school. The subjects taught in the primary school were
orthography, arithmetic, grammar, geography, U. S. history, physiology, mental arithmetic,
bookkeeping, theory and practice, entymology, word analysis, penmanship, school law,
constitution, music, drawing, oral geography, oral grammar, oral U. S. History, oral physiology,
oral theory and practice, oral penmanship, oral composition and oral reading. If you were able to
accomplish eighty percent in all of these studies you were awarded a Primary Certificate and
passed on to grammar school where you had more of the same, plus algebra, natural history,
natural philosophy and English literature. In the fourth, fifth, and sixth branches you had to
average sixty percent to continue with the examinations, and to eventually get a Grammar School
Certificate you had to achieve eighty-five percent in all studies. The president of the Board of
Education, overseeing this curriculum was T. N. Snow and the Secretary of the Board was G. E.
Thurmond.96
In 1890, there were 4,429 children in Santa Barbara County according to the census,
3,439 of whom attended school.97 In 1891, the city had 1,630 children with 1,228 enrolled,
having an average daily attendance of 840. It took twenty-four to instruct the children with the
average salaries for women being $61 per month, and for men $75. The total expenditures for the
year as of June 30, 1890, were $81,450. In 1891, Mrs. Yda Storke wrote:
There are five school buildings of plain but substantial style, the valuation of buildings and furniture being $50,000.00. The corps of teachers numbers a city superintendent and twenty-three assistants.98
The valuation of the system was to be sizeably increased, however, for in 1890 the public
had voted $60,000 worth of bonds for a new high school building.
The Sloyd School. In the autumn of 1893 Miss Anna Sophia Cabot Blake opened the
Sloyd School at the corner of De la Guerra and Santa Barbara Streets. “Miss Blake’s free school
boasted a gilded Roman dome matched only by that of the old county courthouse up the street,”99
and was the first school built on the Pacific Coast that had a curriculum that dealt only with 96 Daily Independent, December 31, 1889 97 Guinn, op. cit., 165 98 Storke, op. cit., 78 99 Santa Barbara News-Press, September 24, 1961. An article by Walker A. Tompkins in his Santa Barbara yesterdays column
44
manual, applied, and household arts. The word “sloyd” was derived from the Swedish “slodj”
meaning skilled labor or manual training.
Miss Blake was born in Boston in 1844, and arrived in Santa Barbara in 1891. She
wanted to build and endow a sloyd school that would be available to the children in the
elementary schools of the city.
When opened, the Sloyd School’s pupils in woodworking and cookery came on foot from the city schools, on designated days. Sometimes girls took carpentry and boys took Home economics.100
Figure 6: The Little Sloyd School, 1893-1925.
Figure 7: Manual Training Class at Sloyd School.
100 Ibid.
45
Figure 8: Sewing class at Sloyd School.
Miss Blake died on Easter Sunday in 1899 and left a small endowment to keep the school
going. Miss Ednah Rich, who had been her assistant, ran it until 1916. Before her death, Miss
Blake had deeded her property to the city and when her bequest ran out the school was placed on
a tax supported basis. In 1907 it was necessary to expand into another building located on
Victoria Street between De la Vina and Chapala which had been provided for by Miss Blake. It
was called the Anna S. C. Blake Normal School in her memory and in 1962 was being used by
the city schools and was known as the Administrative Annex.
After many years, moves, and changes in curriculum, Miss Anna Blake’s dream of a free
sloyd school grew into the University of California, Santa Barbara, with full general campus
status in 1958.
Dual function of the Board of Education. The first Board of Education minutes
available were dated July 3, 1897. At that time C. Y. Roop was Superintendent and the Board of
Trustees consisted of J. W. Taggart, C. F. Carrier, and E. M. Pyle. The Superintendent was also
the Principal of the high school and received $2,000 per year. This Board acted for both the
elementary and high schools, and their functions concerning both levels remained in a state of
confusion and question for some years. Apparently when the high school was built, the
elementary board had automatically taken over its responsibilities and no one had given it a
second thought. This then was the beginning of the dual functioning Board of Education found in
Santa Barbara today.101
101 Santa Barbara Board of Education Minutes, July 3, 1897
46
At that time all teachers were elected each year and as of July 13, 1897, there were
twenty-four teachers, all female, five principals, and one substitute in the Elementary
Department. For the use of the Channel City Hall for a kindergarten, the Board voted $20 per
month for a ten month period.102
School organization. On August 10, 1897, the first real plan for organization of the city
schools was presented by Superintendent Roop to the Board, and adopted as follows:
The schools of the Santa Barbara district shall consist of the Kindergarten, Elementary, Manual Training, and High School Departments. The Kindergarten department shall be open to all children of the district between four and six years of age. The course of study shall extend over a period of three years. The Elementary Department shall be open to children over six years of age and the course of study shall extend over a period of eight years. The Manual Training Department shall be open to girls in grades five, six, and seven for instruction in sewing and to girls in grade eight for instruction in cooking, and to boys in grades five, six, seven, and eight, for instruction in Sloyd. The High School Department shall be open to pupils who have completed the work of the Elementary Department and shall extend over a period of four years. In each building or group of buildings occupied by the different departments of the schools there shall be one teacher designated as principal. He shall be responsible under the superintendent for the discipline and control of the pupils in and about such buildings or group of buildings. A Vice-Principal shall be appointed for each building or group of buildings who shall perform the duties of the principal in the absence of the same. The Board of Trustees shall elect a Superintendent who shall have general supervision over all schools, employees, and property of the district, and he shall perform such duties and make such reports as the Board may direct. He shall also be Principal of the High School and teach in the High School such portion of his time as in the judgement of the Board may be spared from his other duties. All pupils in the schools and employees of the Board are governed by the rules and regulations printed in the state register.103
On August 30, the Board started meeting as separate boards, when taking up the business
of the High School or the Elementary district.
Tax rates and board problems. Because of the lack of funds for the Manual Training and
the Kindergarten Departments, a proposition of $7,500 was presented to the voters on June 3,
1898 and passed. In July, Frederic Burk was Superintendent, but was replaced by John A.
102 Ibid., July 13, 1897 103 Santa Barbara Board of Education Minutes, August 10, 1897
47
Hancock who served for only one year. The principals were being paid $75 per month and
teachers $65 per month.
In 1899 the Manual Training and Kindergartens once again needed money and $8,700
was voted on June 2. Of this $4,200 was for Manual Training and $4,500 was for the
Kindergarten. In July the Board organized, with C. F. Carrier elected President and C. A.
Edwards elected Recorder, the significant fact being that they were the only ones present at the
meeting.
On July 25, a second petition was received asking that Spanish be taught in the schools,
upon which the Board took no action, a favorite pastime of this particular Board. This and other
similar actions caused some of the populace to complain. The newest member of the Board was
C. A. Storke who went on record on August 8, 1899, protesting any action of the Board in which
Mr. Carrier voted, for he claimed that Carrier had no right to be on the Board, for he lived out of
the school district. Amid this atmosphere the first music teacher, Mrs. Rice, was hired at $75 per
month. Mrs. Quayle was the supervisor of the Kindergarten on Santa Barbara Street, and had a
staff of five teachers. Other business continued on its regular course, with such items as
advertising for firewood taking up Board time. The Kindergarten situation was becoming more
entangled, for it was neither a private enterprise nor a public one. In an attempt to clear up the
situation, the clerk of the Board was instructed:
To execute a lease of the Kindergarten buildings in the third, fourth, and fifth ward from the Santa Barbara Kindergarten Association for five years from January 15, 1899 at a yearly rental of $300.00. The Kindergarten Association to pay all taxes and insurance. The Board to agree not to use the buildings for other than kindergarten purposes.104
The elementary schools ended the nineteenth century with twenty teachers counting the
principals, plus one music teacher, five Kindergarten teachers, and three in Manual Training. The
actions of this Board not only ended the nineteenth century, but were the first concrete
realizations of true organization for the schools of Santa Barbara. They weren’t always
rewarding, nor suitable to fragments of the population, but they were honest attempts, and
foreshadowed not only the beginning of a new century, but the dawn of a new era and an
energetic Board, coupled with public interest and responsibility.
104 Santa Barbara Board of Education Minutes, November 3, 1899
48
VII. Summary
Between 1850 and 1899 the basic foundations were formed for the Santa Barbara School
District as it is known today. With the founding of the first paper, the Santa Barbara Gazette, in
1855, interest was kept alive and not allowed, as in the past to dwindle and turn to apathy. The
breach between the Spanish and English speaking populations widened and finally English
became the language used in the classroom.
The first Board of Trustees of the Santa Barbara School District took office on June 6,
1866. For about a decade the district had been under country control. During this period of time,
between 1850 and 1899, the curriculum and teaching staff underwent dramatic changes. The
simple Doctrina Cristiana and knowing a few numbers was replaced by a very lengthy course of
study, with oral and written exams to move from one level to another. Although it was difficult
for the teachers at first to manage to get paid for their services, the area was able (we may
assume it was because of local climate), to attract a group of very competent teachers.
The construction of new schools never did really keep up with the needs, for the latter
part of the period saw a greater increase in tourism and the school population. The kindergartens
were founded in 1887 as a private venture and quickly and successfully integrated into the
district. The first high school was built in 1890 and the early joint Board of Education had begun.
Despite the progress in all areas of the educational program—curriculum, teachers,
buildings, and philosophy—the Board still had a constant uphill struggle to maintain the schools
adequately. The one great problem that continued to plague the school district was public apathy,
or from another point of view, lack of sustained interest. The general population was lulled into
lethargy for periods of about ten years, and then would suddenly awaken to the needs of
education in the community. Things would happen in a flurry and again decline. This was largely
due to lack of communication between the schools and the general public, the general lack of
interest and apathy by the Spanish-speaking population regarding the need for schools, and the
frequently demonstrated laissez-faire attitude of the Board of Trustees. No minutes were kept of
Board meetings until 1897.
Taken as a whole, however, much progress had been made upon which the future would
be built.
49
CHAPTER V
The Dawn of the Twentieth Century 1900-1925
As the late spring rain often settled the dust on the streets of Santa Barbara to bring relief
to the residents and visitors during the nineteenth century, so did the commencement of the
twentieth century settle and clear away the dust and cobwebs of the city schools. Although the
second half of the nineteenth century had been years of progress for the schools, the lack of
consistency in planning and action had hindered the progress immeasurably.
I. The First Board of Education
The beginning of the new century held high hopes for most people in the United States
and the populace of Santa Barbara, like those of cities all over the nation, were caught up in the
feeling of well-being and, in a sense, of renaissance. People in general wanted to do better, to
become more accomplished, and to take advantage of the new wonderful ideas and developments
around them. With this impetus behind them the new Board of Education attacked its job with
enthusiasm and vigor, and set forth the first really concrete written statement of philosophy and
organization for the schools of the city. The Board consisted of A. B. Williams, H. B. Brastow,
Edward W. Hayward, A. C. Schuster, and Charles A. Thompson. The superintendent was
William A. Wilson.
Rules and regulations of the Board. In 1900 were published the Rules and Regulations
of the Board of Education of the City of Santa Barbara, California. This document was
distributed in the community, and it enumerated for the first time in writing not only the duties of
the members of the Board, but what was expected from everyone connected with the system,
including the children in school. The duties of the superintendent were many and varied, as the
following list shows.
It shall be the duty of the City Superintendent of Schools: 1. To act as the executive officer of the Board of Education and transmit all
orders of the Board to principals, teachers, and other employees of the
50
school district. 2. To direct and supervise the details of instruction in the schools of the city,
noting the manner in which their defects may be remedied and their efficiency promoted.
3. To recommend to the Board, from time to time, such measures as, in his judgment, will promote the welfare of the schools under his charge.
4. To hold monthly meetings of the principals and teachers for the purpose of discussing school affairs and regulating the details of school administration.
5. To report to the Board the names of any teachers who shall, unexcused by him, fail to attend the teachers’ meetings or any other meeting called for their benefit.
6. To visit each school from time to time, observe carefully the methods of discipline and instruction, offer such suggestions, and give such directions as are calculated, in his judgment, to promote the efficiency of the schools.
7. To make a report to the Board in January and July of each year, showing the condition of the schools and the work accomplished by the Department for the previous six months.
8. To suspend any teacher for the willful violation of the Rules of the Board, and report such suspensions to the Classification Committee, who shall investigate the charges, and report the result at the next regular meeting of the Board.
9. To recommend to the Board the dismissal of teachers, stating the reasons therefore, whenever, in his judgment, the best interests of the Department so require.
10. To have the name of the teacher and the grade of the class posted on the outside door of each class-room.
11. To issue supplies to teachers and janitors on their written requisitions. 12. To report to the Superintendent of Public Instruction and to the Board of
Supervisors of the county, on or before the first day of July in each year, the number of children in the Santa Barbara School District between the ages of five and seventeen years, as appears by the latest returns of the Census Marshal on file in his office.
13. To attend to such other matters as may, from time to time, be referred to him by the Board.105
These regulations were very explicit, and although they differ in many respects from the
duties of the superintendent today, they were definite and purposeful for the time, and were a
huge step forward in organizing the district.
At that time the classification of schools as to grades consisted of two kindergarten
grades, four primary grades and five grammar grades, and three high school grades.
105 Santa Barbara Board of Education, Rules and Regulations of the Board of Education of the City of Santa Barbara, California (Santa Barbara: Daily News Press, 1900), 9-10.
51
Table 1
Enrollment Grades K-8 1903-1925
1903-1904.................................................................. 1,294
1904-1905.................................................................. 1,197
1905-1906.................................................................. 1,623
1906-1907.................................................................. 1,452
1907-1908.................................................................. 1,453
1908-1909.................................................................. 1,420
1909-1910.................................................................. 1,396
1910-1911.................................................................. 1,460
1911-1912.................................................................. 1,462
1912-1913.................................................................. 1,466
1913-1914.................................................................. 1,616
1914-1915.................................................................. 1,668
1915-1916.................................................................. 1,638
1916-1917.................................................................. 1,833
1917-1918.................................................................. 2,218
1918-1919.................................................................. 2,127
1919-1920.................................................................. 2,097
1920-1921.................................................................. 2,173
1921-1922.................................................................. 2,386
1922-1923.................................................................. 2,741
1923-1924.................................................................. 3,125
1924-1925.................................................................. 3,342
52
The kindergartens were in session for two hours per day, grades one and two for three and one-
half hours, grade three for four hours, and grades four to eight for four and one-half hours. No
homework could be assigned to pupils below the fourth grade, and in the fourth a maximum of a
half hour per night was allowed. In grades five and six it was three-fourths of an hour.
In providing the duties of the principals, the Board enumerated eleven sections, covering
areas from “Management and Discipline” to “Advertisements and Entertainment.” The teachers
were provided with twenty-three sections to abide by, ranging from “Reporting for Duty” to
“Harsh or Passionate Expressions,” and the pupils had sixteen sections to remember such as
keeping their desks clean and avoiding the use of tobacco on the school grounds.
At that time the family of the pupil had to provide most of the books and supplies to be
used:
No pupil shall be allowed to attend school unless furnished with books and other necessary articles required to be used in the class to which he belongs; provided, that no pupil shall be excluded for such cause until the following conditions have been complied with: 1. The teacher shall furnish the parent or guardian with a list of the books or
articles needed. 2. One week shall elapse after such notification without the books or articles
having been provided. 3. The teacher shall be satisfied that the parties are financially able to provide
such books or other articles.106 These supplies and books were authorized by the Board of Education and a teacher could
not require the pupils in his class to purchase any others. One teacher who did make such a
request was released.
With such a firm statement of policy and intentions, the new century seemed to be off to
a very good start. The first quarter of the century proved to be one of achievement, advancement,
growth, and evaluation; thus it was a time of progress.
II. Expansion and Building Program
In 1900 there were four elementary schools and three kindergartens in the district. They
had been known simply as ward schools and in one or two cases had names by which they were
106 Ibid., 23
53
known. However, in that year they were officially named Franklin, Lincoln, Jefferson, and
Washington. The Santa Barbara Kindergarten was known as the Lincoln Kindergarten and the
others located in the fourth and fifth wards were known as the Jefferson and Washington
Kindergartens respectively.107
During the period from 1900 to 1925, Santa Barbara’s building program was quite
extensive including the completion of seven major schools and a number of bungalow buildings
in various parts of the city.
Washington School. The original Washington School was located near the corner of
Anacapa and Arellaga Streets, but burned down on May 24, 1900. On May 29 of the same year,
a notice for bids for a new grade school building was voted by the Board. The new building was
to be located at the south corner of Anacapa and Arellaga. In July a bond issue for $10,000 to
purchase school lots and buildings, and to build one or more schools was passed by a majority of
253 to fifteen. Two complete bids were received for the building, but both were rejected because
they were too high. The architect was to revise his plans to come within $8,000, and on August
30 a bid for $7,868 was accepted and the building was started. This building was completed in
1901, and until its completion the children were given half-day sessions at Jefferson School.108
In 1904 Webster School was constructed on the high school property. It was a small
wooden frame building and wasn’t used for too many years.
Garfield School and McKinley School. The first Garfield School and the first McKinley
School were built from identical plans and the specifications for them were advertised by the
Board in the Morning Press, starting on
107 Santa Barbara Board of Education Minutes, December 18, 1900 108 Santa Barbara Board of Education Minutes, May 29 to August 30, 1900
54
Figure 9: Washington Elementary School, built in 1901 and
torn down in 1959. This picture was taken in 1906.
Figure 10: The old McKinley School in 1906, the year it was built.
It was demolished in 1932.
Figure 11: The old Garfield School in 1906, the year it was built.
55
Figure 12: The old Garfield School just before its demolition in 1935.
March 22, 1905, and read as follows:
1. A one-story, six-room modern school building with the necessary halls, closets, and sanitary conveniences. Preference will be given to the adaptation of the Mission Style of architecture. Classrooms to be at least twenty-four by thirty-four feet, basement not to exceed one-half of the floor space.
2. Each of said school buildings not to exceed the cost of $12,000.00. 3. The same plans for both or separate ones in option of architects.109
A bond election was held on April 15 to finance these new buildings and was passed by a
majority of 319 to twelve. In May a piece of property known as the Neals Addition was bought
for the Garfield site. At least two parties owned parts of the property and altogether it cost the
Board $3,990. The McKinley site was known as lot #233, and various amounts were paid to
several owners. All the early bids for the two schools had to be returned because they were too
high. Finally on August 18, the bid of Elliot and Miller for $24,600 was accepted, since it was
the lowest bid.
At first the Garfield School was to be called Webster School but was subsequently
changed. In the early stages, the McKinley School was referred to as the Haley Street School. A
committee from the Board went to Los Angeles to inspect the schools there in an attempt to
make the new schools as modern as possible. This one recommendation that they returned with
was that they should have outside toilets equipped with automatic flush, a sign of the wonders of
scientific advancement. They were on cesspool, however. Besides the mission style architecture,
109 Ibid., March 21, 1905
56
specifications were changed so that wood used on the outside would be resawed to give a rustic
finish to the buildings. They were wired for lights in the halls and the principal’s room. On
February 6, 1906 they were accepted from the contractors as completed.110
Miscellaneous building. Between 1906 and 1921 no major building was done in the
school district, but to meet the ever-expanding school population, wooden bungalows were
added to the existing schools and were put up in other sections of town. In 1907 the number of
children between the ages of five and seventeen exceeded five hundred, and so another bond
election was held on May 18, for $20,000. It was passed by a majority of 207 to five.111 In 1906-
07, Franklin School was enlarged. Additions were also made to kindergarten buildings and
several of them were moved.
In July, 1916 bids of $538 were accepted for bungalows for Franklin and Jefferson. The
Riviera was to get a bungalow also, but it was to be built by day labor, due to lack of bids. The
next year a structure known as an “open-air building” was constructed on the Riviera site. This
property had been given to the district by the Riviera Association with the understanding they
would build a school there and promise to keep it open so that the children of the area wouldn’t
have to commute to Washington School.
During this same period of time a group of four buildings were constructed at Anapamu
and Rancheria Streets, and was known as the Rancheria Group. This would later become the site
for the Wilson School, and in 1918 the need for this larger school became more apparent when
another bungalow had to be added to the group.112
Lincoln School and Wilson School. In 1919 it was decided that more classrooms were
necessary to fulfill the needs of the district. Therefore, it was proposed that the old Lincoln
School and the Rancheria Group be replaced by new buildings. To this end the Board asked the
District Attorney to call a bond election for $430,000 to be held on November 28. In an effort to
publicize the needs of the district, the Board had a handbill printed in the Morning Press
comparing Long Beach with Santa Barbara in terms of the amount that each city had spent
110 Santa Barbara Board of Education Minutes, April 22, 1905 to February 6, 1906 111 Ibid., April 22 to June 1907 112 Ibid., May 31, 1916 to August 30, 1918
57
Figure 13: Lincoln School built in 1922
Figure 14: Wilson School built in 1922
on its schools. It pointed out that Long Beach has spent $1,233,000, whereas Santa Barbara had
only expended $151,000. The handbill concluded:
It has also been pointed out by opposition to the bonds that Long Beach is almost twice the size of Santa Barbara. This is readily granted; at least one reason for the wonderful growth of Long Beach is its equally wonderful school system. Long Beach doesn’t make any apologies for her schools—she doesn’t have to. Within Long Beach’s populations are a good many that moved there from Santa Barbara on account of the better school facilities. Personal letters can be shown to this affect. The Morning Press expects to print some of the. Santa Barbara a few years ago was a larger city than Long Beach. Santa Barbara today cannot compare with Long Beach either as to
58
population or schools; there must be a reason.113 This was strong language, but apparently the opposition was more convincing, for the
bond issue failed to get the necessary two-thirds by a vote of 1,510 yes to 1,018 no.
Because of the desperate need for more classrooms the Board, in January 1920, organized
a group which was the forerunner of today’s Citizens Advisory Committee. The group was
composed of one member from each of the following organizations: Chamber of Commerce,
Commercial Club, Rotary Club, Women’s Club, PTA, Catholic Church, Auto Club, Federated
Council of Labor, Employers Association, Ministerial Union, Episcopal Church, and the
Christian Science Church. Its responsibility was to find ways and means to remedy the
overcrowded school conditions.
Due to the efforts of this group to make the community aware of the needs of the district
and to pare down what was needed, a bond issue for $295,000 was passed in the early fall of
1920 by the overwhelming majority of 1,347 to seventy-seven. With this signal to go ahead, the
Board bought several parcels of land to complete the Wilson and Lincoln sites, and employed
Windsor Soule as architect for both schools. Specifications called for the use of reinforced
concrete, twelve rooms of identical design, and a single set of plans.
On May 23, 1921, the contract was awarded to J. Y. Parker for Lincoln and Wilson for
$117,886 each. This did not include plumbing, heating, and ventilation, which went to Ott’s
Hardware for a total of $41,615, nor the electrical work which was given to Wilson and Nielson
for a total of $6,894.114
The money from the bond issue was being used rapidly, and it cost another $3,700 to tear
down the old Lincoln School and to erect temporary quarters until the new Lincoln was finished.
Because of the conditions at Lincoln School, classes were dismissed early each day, and recess
and lunch periods were shortened. These new buildings were the first to have exhaust air duct
heating instead of wood or oil stoves, but fire alarms were not installed because the Board didn’t
think they were necessary and told as much to the city council.
Wilson School was officially dedicated on Friday, March 17, 1922 and kept open for
public inspection during the weekend. However, school had started on Monday, March 13. The
Native Daughters of the West presented to the school a flag as well as several trees. 113 Morning Press, November 8, 1919 114 Santa Barbara Board of Education Minutes, January, 1920 to May 23, 1921
59
Lincoln classes began April 17, 1922, but the official ceremony was held on April 18,
when the Native Sons of the Golden West presented a flag in the presence of Governor Stephens.
The cornerstones for both schools had been presented by the contractor, Y. A. Parker.
Franklin School and Roosevelt School. By January, 1922, the number of students had
increased by 429 more than the preceding year’s enrollment. Even though Lincoln and Wilson
were rapidly being completed they could not accommodate this increase, so Franklin and
Roosevelt Schools were planned. Franklin was to be built in the same general area, but a few
blocks away. Because of the move more property had to be purchased, and on October 12, 1922
the Board paid $31,750 plus interest and taxes for several parcels of land. In February 1923,
Block #276 at Gutierrez and Canada Streets was purchased for $22,000, but wasn’t used and it
was later sold for $22,700.115
Figure 15: Franklin School, completed in 1924.
115 Ibid., January 12, 1922 to February, 1923
60
Figure 16: Roosevelt School, completed in 1924.
The property for the Roosevelt School was located in what was known as the Hawley
Tract and was purchased for $52,000. To finance these projects, a bond election was held on
January 23, 1923 for $400,000 and passed by a majority of 1,565 to 466. The architects for the new schools were Soule, Murphy, and Hastings, who charged
$1,000 for the plans. The Board wasn’t as fortunate on bids, and all initial bids were rejected.
Therefore, plans and specifications were revised and the general contract for both schools was
awarded to D. R. Wagner. The total of his contract and other various contracts for Franklin
amounted to $140,050 and for Roosevelt $153,952. The assembly hall at Franklin came to
$34,576. The Board allowed 160 working days for the completion of the first building.
In an attempt to ease the overcrowding of the schools, a living room and a dining room in
a house near Franklin were rented for $35 per month. Garfield School had to lease the Lutheran
Church building for nine months for $200.116
The cornerstone was laid at Franklin at 2:00 p.m. on December 14, 1923 by the Santa
Barbara Masonic Lodge, and at Roosevelt at 4:00 p.m. on the same day by the Magnolia
Masonic Lodge. When Franklin was ready for occupancy in April of 1924, the board would not
accept it as being complete, and the contractor had to bring it up to original specifications. The
building was finally accepted by May 9, 1924.117
The original name for the Roosevelt School was to have been Washington-Riviera
School, in hopes that it would replace the two older schools which had had those names, but it
116 Ibid., January, 1923 to October 4, 1923 117 Ibid., December 1923 to May 9, 1924
61
proved to be an impractical plan.
Other school purchases and annexations. The Board had a number of offers of property
and most of the time had to refuse them because they had no need for the locations at the
particular time and had no extra funds to buy them. Among these were four and one-half acres in
the Rutherford Tract for the sum of $10,000. When they couldn’t accept the offer, Mr. Peabody,
president of the Board, purchased five acres for the schools to be used when needed at cost plus
interest. The Board was also trying to get rid of a parcel of land on the Riviera for $5,000, and a
large parcel on the east side of town for $16,000, but could find no buyers. They did sell the old
Franklin site on Montecito Street for $15,150 in 1925.
Because of crowded quarters and the need for more clerical help as the district grew, an
administrative building was needed. In 1922 a new building was completed. The cost of the
building was estimated at $15,000, and was shared with the High School District. In the interim
the Board of Education met in rented offices in the McKay Building.118
In 1921 the La Mesa School District started proceedings for annexation to the city
district, and was officially taken over and funds were transferred on October 5, 1922. This
consisted of one school house, with an organ, but very little of anything else.
Another district to follow suit was the Mission School District, on February 5, 1925, by
petition. The teacher-principal of the one-room school house was Mrs. Kallona Harpster. She had
come to school from the Montecito District, and had about fifty children of all ages, from grades
one to five. When it was annexed, the size was cut down to about thirty-five. Many of the
children came from Italian and Japanese families. Because of the lack of sanitary facilities in
many of the homes, a shower was put in the school, and according to Mrs. Harpster the Monday
morning showers became part of the weekly program.
One interesting aspect of the school was that it had its own private library known as “The
Ship Library.”
It was located in a small cottage about a block from the school, and was built by Mr. and
Mrs. Abbott in memory of their young daughter. It was eventually taken over by the city schools
and integrated into the Central Library.
118 Ibid., December 1923 to May 9, 1924
62
Figure 17: The Administration building, completed in 1922.
Figure 18: The Administration Annex, completed in 1907.
It was originally known as the Anna S. C. Blake Normal School.
The school also had a player piano, but the children were only allowed to pump the rolls
on stormy days. At other times it was used in a regular manner. The last day of school was
always marked by an outdoor evening picnic when all the families got together and had games
and races. Mrs. Harpster remembered it as an occasion that everyone looked forward to, even
though some of the fathers imbibed a little too much once or twice. The occasion afforded the
parents from varying backgrounds a chance to get better acquainted. The school burned down in
November 1927 and Mrs. Harpster and the children were transferred to other schools in the
system.119
119 Interview with Mrs. Kallona Harpster, June 22, 1962
63
The kindergartens. As was already noted in the last chapter, the kindergartens were
gradually becoming part of the school district. As late as 1904 though, the Board signed another
lease with the Kindergarten Association for three years beginning January 15, 1904 at a rental
price of $400 per year for the use of the various buildings.
Figure 19: Lincoln Kindergarten as it looked in 1906.
It was built in 1904.
Figure 20: Lincoln Kindergarten as it looks today.
It is used by Adult Education for classrooms.
64
Figure 21: The McKinley Kindergarten, built in 1908. Today it is used as a
Child Care Center and is known as the Santa Barbara Nursery School.
Figure 22: The Garfield Kindergarten, built in 1912. Today it is used
by the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Figure 23: The old Washington Kindergarten built in 1913.
Today it is used as a Catholic library.
65
In 1906 a committee was appointed to meet with the Kindergarten Association to
investigate moving the Jefferson and the Washington Kindergarten buildings to better sites. No
agreement could be reached so the committee suggested that the Association be asked to
surrender the lease that it held, and permit the Board to take over complete control. This
Association eventually did, but as late as September 3, 1907 the Board had to ask them to
comply with the agreement.
In the meantime, the value of the kindergartens became more and more apparent to the
citizenry and to those in the teaching profession. As a result, the number of kindergartens grew.
In May, 1906 lots were purchased for the two kindergartens that were to be moved, with
Washington Kindergarten being relocated at Valerio and Chapala Streets, and Jefferson
Kindergarten at Castillo near Figueroa Street.
In November, 1907 a lot was acquired at Haley and Bath Streets for the potential
McKinley Kindergarten. It measured one hundred feet and cost $207. The next year it was
necessary to use a vacant room at Garfield School. In 1912 a kindergarten was built in the
Garfield area. In 1913 Theodore Kirks built a new kindergarten at Washington School for
$1,881. Soon the parents in the area of Micheltorena and Canal Streets were asking that one be
built in their area.
In 918, $10,000 was required to maintain the kindergartens, including rent for temporary
quarters. In 1921 a church opposite Garfield School was being used to house an extra
kindergarten class and in 1922 the kindergarten at Franklin had to be enlarged. In 1924, it cost
#4,275 for the upkeep of the city kindergartens.120
III. Budgets, Maintenance, and Supplies
Budgets and false economy. The amount of money budgeted in the District grew from
$12,863.57 in 1900 to a proposed $252,265 in 1924-25. The economy of the area had grown as
well as had the population, but this was still a sizable increase. It was due not only to the increase
in size and cost of operation, but also to the fact that more services were being offered, more
supplies were being provided, and better equipment was being bought.
120 Santa Barbara Board of Education Minutes, January 19, 1904 to July 17, 1924
66
In 1900 it was noted by Superintendent Wilson that all the schools had to be closed at the
end of nine months due to the lack of funds. He also recommended that $300 be set aside for
supplementary books since the available ones were few and were in horrible condition. Because
it had been operating on an insufficient budget in these earlier years, the district was operating on
a false economy, for many facilities were being rented. In fact there were so many rentals that
the money spent on them would almost have paid the interest on bonds that would have provided
more suitable quarters. It was also felt that people were discouraged from remaining in Santa
Barbara because of better school facilities in other areas. It was due to the work of
Superintendent Wilson, the Board, and the alerting of the community that the district was able to
grow more wisely in the years that followed.121
Maintenance of the schools. From existing records it seems that the maintenance of the
schools during the period was not overlooked or bypassed. The investment that the community
had in its school buildings seemingly was protected by constant painting and repairs. The one
factor that cannot be judged, however, was the frequency of painting that was really necessary
for some of the old wooden frame buildings, and how often they were actually painted in relation
to their needs. In general, though, it can be stated that the basic maintenance needs were taken
care of.
Some items of interest regarding maintenance during the period were such things as:
cleaning the chimneys; grubbing out the eucalyptus trees at the Seventh Ward and cutting them
into cord length; draining the basement at Washington School; connecting Franklin School with
the sewer line; trying to sell the bathtub and heater at Lincoln School; moving the fence at
Franklin School because it extended six to eight feet out into Montecito Street; paying the total
utility bill of $12.10 for June 1916; connecting the sink in the McKinley basement with the
sewer line in 1918; having Henry Levy turn the shades at Washington School for twenty-five
cents a piece in 1921; and putting in radiators at Lincoln and Wilson Schools in 1925.
In March 1922, the Board hired the first full-time carpenter to work in both districts.122
Supplies and equipment. The number of kinds of supplies and the amounts required
121 Reports of the Superintendent of Schools and the Secretary of the Board of Education of the City of Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara: Daily News Job Department), July 1900 122 Santa Barbara Board of Education Minutes, June 19, 1900 to February 5, 1925
67
increased over the years as the district grew. In the early years the supply lists were quite short,
for most of the materials had to be purchased by the parents of the students. One group of items
that showed the change and cost during this period consisted of the varied media used for heating
the schools. In 1900 a cord of wood cost the district $3.50, but by 1907 it had risen to $12.90 per
cord. As late as 1922 the district was still buying wood along with fuel oil and coal.
In the earlier years the Board had been skeptical about changing from wood to oil for
heating. In September 1902 distillate was tried when the California Liquid Asphalt Company put
in a heating plant complete at the expense of $40 for the High School and $35 for Washington
School for a two-week trial. They were removed in December.
In 1907 they were using coal at $12.90 per ton along with wood, and by 1914 distillate
had finally made a break-through as a fuel. In 1919 it was ten cents a gallon but by 1921 heating
oil was only $2.30 per barrel, or about four and one-half cents per gallon. The eventual change-
over saved the district a tidy sum of money.
A typical list of supplies in 1903 included such things as Manila paper, foolscap, legal
cap, sixty packages of one hundred pound blotters, dustless crayons, printing ink, pencils, steel
pen nibs, pens, envelopes, pen-holders, library paste, hardwood rulers, rubber elastic bands,
Arnold’s Chemical Writing Fluid, and pencil pads.123
In July 1906 the Board took a very positive step forward concerning supply purchasing
with the following resolution:
Resolved by the Board of Education, City of Santa Barbara, California: 1. That all orders for supplies or for services of whatever kind shall be by
requisition made by (a) the proper committee of the Board, (b) the superintendent, (c) the principals of the various schools.
2. That all requisitions except those made by the Board must be countersigned by the Superintendent and the secretary before the order can be placed.
3. That no bill will be paid from the school funds that has not been ordered by the proper committee of the Board, or by the Superintendent and secretary.124
Other items of interest that were purchased over this period were: the first telephones
123 Ibid., June 1900 to October 13, 1921 124 Ibid., July 30, 1906
68
placed in the schools in 1901; small mirrors and one-half dozen combs for Washington School in
1903; a typewriter and Dawn Duplicator in 1905; three couches for the retiring rooms at the
grade schools; $2.80 for a basketball for Lincoln School in 1912; and in 1925, furniture for the
teachers’ rooms at Franklin, Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Wilson.
IV. Curriculum and Auxiliary Services
Curriculum and books. The curriculum of the school district was basic and traditional,
not unlike others found throughout the United States during the last half of the nineteenth
century. Toward the latter part of that period the High School District began to experiment with
various methods of grouping children in learning situations, from which national recognition was
gained. In the elementary area, the kindergartens had taken tremendous strides in breaking away
from old methods and traditions. For the kindergartens even to exist was unusual; and,
furthermore, they oriented the curriculum toward the child and found it very successful. Due to
the proximity of the kindergartens to the elementary schools the latter and their philosophy were
bound to be affected. The greatest progress was evidenced by the addition to the curriculum of
special teachers of various subjects, and by the writing and re-writing of the course of study.
In 1900 a “Course of Study” for the primary, grammar, manual, and kindergarten schools
was accepted by the Board, and was the first such publication by the city schools. The kinds of
books in use at the time provide insight into what was being taught. The included the: Natural
System of Penmanship, Prang System of Drawing, Natural Short Course in Music, Mother
Tongue Book #1, Rice’s Rational Telling Book, Pierce’s First Steps in Arithmetic, Paine’s
Geographical Nature Studies, Redway’s Natural Elementary Geography, Carpenter’s
Geographical Reader, Talking With a Pencil, Ratt’s Myths of Old Greece, Legends of Norsemen,
Stepping-Stones of Literature, and Mac Murray’s Classic Stories for Little Folks.125
The Chamber of Commerce put out a special publication about the schools in 1906 which
noted:
Last year the Board inaugurated the plan of giving leave of absence to one or two teachers at a time for a term of five or six weeks under full pay, while they are away at some first-class institution studying the best and most
125 Ibid., June 19 and July 26, 1900
69
modern methods. A carefully-worked-out course of study, as extensive and complete as in
any city, outlines nine years of work for the Elementary Grades, but the average High School in four years.
The Batavia system of individual instruction is followed as far as possible, and the best methods known to the profession are used in each department of work.126
Children were passed on from one grade to another whenever the teacher and principal
felt that they could do the work. The number of children in each room had been reduced from
fifty to thirty-eight, and the administration was trying to keep the number that small. Teachers
were given two hours each week for visitation and study of the work of other rooms, to promote
consistency in the curriculum.
Gardening had also been added to the elementary curriculum and the children helped to
tend and contribute to the planting and landscaping that had recently been added around the
schools. Many pieces of art, copies of the works of masters, busts, statuary and casts had been
added to the classrooms to provide a better environment. Old worn-out double seats had been
replaced with more modern equipment.
In 1913 a group of teachers was asked to comprise a committee to recommend a reader
for the schools. This was a step forward for the profession in the community. They
recommended the Gordon Readers in place of the Ward Readers currently in use, and
commented in their report to the Board:
We have carefully investigated several different systems of reading which are taught in different parts of the country and have consulted with all the city primary teachers in regard to the same. After due investigation we believe the Gordon Reader best suited to the present local condition.127
Later in the same year Superintendent Snyder, upon his retirement, reported on a number
of items connected with the curriculum. A new system of grading had been started in all
elementary schools, a tentative course of study for all subjects had been adopted, a continuous
report card to accompany all students through the grades had been made a requirement, a
monthly report card had been planned for the second term, and the establishment of two
upgraded rooms for the following term was planned. The first Intermediate School was also
126 The Public Schools of Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara County: Chamber of Commerce, March, 1906), I, 12 127 Santa Barbara Board of Education Minutes, April 12, 1913
70
recommended, and subsequently began in the old Jefferson School building at Carrillo and De la
Vina Streets.128 Again, in 1921, still another course of study for the first eight grades was adopted
by the board.
Special Subjects and Teachers. Although music taught by a special teacher had been
included in the curriculum for several years, the introduction of art into the curriculum was the
first step taken during the new century to expand the curriculum. Miss Emily Lams was
employed as a drawing teacher, and met with some criticism in the community. Superintendent
Wilson in his annual report in 1901 defended the decision:
The course in drawing which was introduced into our schools one year ago has proved an unqualified success, and its value will be more fully demonstrated as time goes by. To justify its introduction, if any justification be necessary, and to emphasize its importance, I desire to quote the following extract from a recent article by Professor Alfred V. Churchill of Columbia University: ‘…There are practical men occasionally who go so far as to ridicule the whole notion of art education for the people, and speaking of drawing as a frill or a fad, maintain that in a practical education of our citizens there is no place for that kind of work, and no money to waste on it.’129
The article went on to defend drawing as a subject for everyone, and Superintendent
Wilson used it to back up his decision to show that some people would complain regardless of
what was done and they kept the course and the teacher. The position of drawing teacher
subsequently became an established one. In 1904, Mrs. Helen M. Hathaway was elected
Supervisor of Music. In 1914, Mr. Geofrey Waustall became the first playground director for the
grade schools, and Miss Gretchen Lilley the first Nature Study Teacher. Both of these were full-
time teachers.
In 1906 two buildings existed for Manual Training and Domestic Science. Although they
were more a part of the High School curriculum, it was noted:
All pupils of the city below the fourth grade have paper sloyd and other forms of handwork which is carried on in the regular class-rooms. From the fourth grade to High School the boys take up sloyd, whiled the girls have sewing and cooking. Once a week each class marches in a body to one or the other of the two Manual Training buildings for two hours of the happiest and most helpful of all their school work.
128 Ibid., December 31, 1913 129 Reports of the Superintendent of Schools and the Secretary of the Board of Education of the City of Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara: Daily News Job Department), January 1901
71
It would be hard indeed to over-estimate the importance, the life-value, of this training to every child fortunate enough to live within our city. It has been epoch-making in the life of our schools.130
These courses had, along with music and art, been the first break away from a very rigid,
formal and often dogmatic form of curriculum, and thus account for the very accommodating
praise for what was to become a very common-place experience in most schools.
By the 1914-15 school year, the manual training department in the elementary schools at
grades five and six had three teachers and Harold Ward was appointed supervisor. Also domestic
art teachers worked with the girls. These last two areas were continued until 1923. Eventually,
nature study was also discontinued, but the precedent had been set and special teachers for
subject areas had become an accepted part of the system of education in Santa Barbara.
Special education. Special classes may have existed in the schools before 1914, but the
earliest mention of any such classes were those recommended by Superintendent Snyder in the
form of ungraded classrooms. In 1918, Dr. Williams of the State School talked to the Board
about psychological testing of students and suggested that more efficient methods of teaching
and curriculum could be worked out if testing were started. He recommended that such tests be
carried out and those testing low should be put in ungraded rooms for more attention. A year
later, a Night School was established for boys under fifteen years of age at Lincoln School.131 It
was apparent that the Board was taking a broader interest in the individual needs of the children
of the…
[Page 123, from the original manuscript is missing. Included in that page, per the table of
contents are School lunch program and the beginning of School health program.]
…circulate, via the teachers, a booklet calling the attention of the children to dental manners and
care of teeth.”132 In August of the following year the Board of Health notified the district that in
complying with state law, all schoolchildren would have to show a certificate from a reputable
physician to verify vaccination before admission to school in the new year. The opening of
130 The Public Schools of Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara County: Chamber of Commerce, March 1906), I, 12. 131 Santa Barbara Board of Education Minutes, June 13, 1918 and February 19, 1919 132 Ibid., November 19, 1901
72
school was delayed for two weeks to give families time to comply with the law. During the
following July, the Board had to go on record as re-emphasizing enforcement of the ruling
because some families had not complied.
In 1905 the superintendent recommended that steps be taken to give additional help to
those children with deficient vision and hearing. Finally in 1910, the Visiting Nurses asked
permission to extend their work into the schools. Permission was granted, and on September 12,
1911 the Department of Health and Development was established under the act of the State
Legislature, “to secure the correction and development of acquired defects of both pupils and
teachers which interfere with health, growth, and efficiency.”133
The school nurses working in the Hygenic Department were receiving $75 per month by
1913, through an agreement with the Visiting Nurses Association. Due to the lack of facilities at
home to fulfill the necessary cleanliness demanded at school, a bathtub and heater were installed
in Lincoln School in 1914. At the same time the City Health Officer was notified of unsanitary
conditions existing in the neighborhood of the Franklin School.
As of October 15, 1918 all the schools were closed because of the approach of the
Spanish Influenza. A month later the teachers reported to their principals in order to do any relief
work needed due to the epidemic. Again in February 1920 the schools were closed because of
the sparse attendance caused by a vaccination order and by influenza. They were finally re-
opened in March to those pupils who were vaccinated or to those holding immunity certificates.
Because of the scare of the continued epidemic proportion of influenza, the opening was only for
one week, depending upon the will of the community and the rate of attendance, and to have
time to campaign as to the necessity of attending school.
The agreement with the visiting nurses continued until June 1919, when the schools were
asked to take over the Dental Clinic they had provided. In June 1922, A. N. Weir was hired as
school nurse at $1,800 per year. Two years later on November 20, 1924 the position of School
Physician was created when Dr. Edward J. Lamb was employed in conjunction with the High
School District at the rate of $1,000 per year on a part-time basis.134
Therefore, from a very small beginning, in less than twenty-five years, the schools had a
nurse, a doctor, and a Hygenic Department teaching and emphasizing the necessity of good 133 Ibid., September 12, 1911 134 Santa Barbara Board of Education Minutes, October 15, 1918 to November 20, 1924
73
health for the children of school age, and proving care and help for those who needed it.
V. Teaching and Salary Conditions
In 1900-01 there were 1,312 children attending the elementary and kindergarten schools
in Santa Barbara. The year before there had been twenty-eight teachers, including principals and
special teachers. By 1925 the teaching staff had grown to seventy-three, and the enrollment at
mid-year to 3,022.
The first teacher contracts were printed in 1904. Before that time, agreement with the
Board had been on an individual basis. Teachers at different levels received different salaries,
with the elementary teachers receiving $60 per month and principals $75 to $80. Kindergarten
people received $45 to $50 per month, and the kindergarten director received $65. The total
amount spent for salaries of elementary personnel in 1900 was $8,100.90.
Four years later their salaries were raised $10 per month after the teachers presented the
Board with a petition. At this time, also, a differential was initiated for principals with schools of
different sizes. The larger the school, the more money you were paid. In 1906 the elementary
salaries spread from $65 to $85 per month. This was based on excellence, work, and length of
service.
First salary schedule. The first salary schedule was adopted in July 1907, but was
superseded by a much more elaborate one in September. It listed each teacher by name and gave
the number of years experience outside the district, within the district, and the total credits
allowed for each. Principals’ salaries ranged from $1,050 to $1,250 per year, and teachers from
$700 to $900. The new schedule stated that “the classifying of teachers shall be determined by
excellence of work, amount and kind of experience, and previous preparation for teaching.”135
The schedule was tailored for the district, with the largest number of teachers listed at the
fourth step and receiving $800. The top step was created for two teachers who had been in the
district for a long time, and the total credits jumped from six years experience on step two to
eighteen years or more on step one. The following…
135 Ibid., July 2, 1907
74
[Page 128, from the original manuscript is missing. Included in that page, per table of contents,
are Salary schedule of 1915 and the beginning of Sick leave benefits.]
…leave benefits written into his contract; otherwise such a contract was not legal. Therefore, the
following motion was made and carried by the Board:
It is resolved that in accordance with the opinions of Attorney General Webb and District Attorney Squire herewith filed a contract entered into with teachers on their employment by the Board, shall allow full pay during periods of sickness or other unavoidable absence, if the reason for the absence is satisfactory to the School Board, not to exceed ten full days provided, however, the teacher shall cheerfully volunteer to substitute when possible and when it shall be consistent with the proper discharge of their own duties.136 Even though this had a catch clause attached, it was, nevertheless, a move in the right
direction, particularly because the resolution was now in writing, so the policy was consistent for
all members of the staff and was not left to the whim of the Board whenever an occasion arose.
In 1918 the City Teachers’ Club submitted a recommended revision and standardization
of the salary schedule to the Board. The significant changes suggested and adopted included: (1)
The initial salary would be based upon qualifications, preparation, successful experience,
recommendations, and teaching ability; (2) A minimum and maximum were established and held
for everyone; (3) Promotion and demotion was to be based upon the record of efficiency. The
teaching force was graded by a teachers’ group when being placed on the new schedule, with
salaries ranging from $800 to $1,100 per year.137
With its beginning in May 1914, the City Teachers’ Club became very active in
requesting salary changes and in providing the necessary leadership for the Board. It was through
the efforts of this group that a schedule based upon more professional ideals, fair and equitable to
everyone, was developed. By 1925, teachers could earn a maximum of $1,900 per year and
principals could attain $2,800 per year if they were university graduates.
VI. Board Actions
The members on the Board of Education, during the first quarter of the twentieth century,
136 Ibid., May 9, 1916 137 Ibid., March 21, 1918
75
were very busy with building, rising costs, hiring of more employees, and the many other matters
that are coupled with growth and expansion. To meet the needs of the community, the Board
could no longer put things off or meet only when it felt that a need existed. The Board was
forced to face the situation squarely and to overcome the problems confronting the schools and
the community. This it did, and a much stronger, more forward-looking school community was
the result.
Dual function of the Board. As mentioned in the previous chapter, the Board had
automatically assumed the responsibilities of the new high school when it was built. The Board
minutes for both districts were combined, separated, and then combined again. The question
arose in 1900 as to whether the acts of the preceding Board were binding on the new Board. H.
C. Booth, the District Attorney, confirmed the fact that they were binding in Elementary District
matters, but in the case of the high school the following was stated:
In my opinion the employment of high school teachers by said trustees acting as trustees of this so-called Santa Barbara High School District are not binding on you as a Board.138
This implied that there was no High School District. Thus the board immediately, for
legal purposes, established the Santa Barbara High School, but no High School District. That
came later, on May 6, 1902, when, by election in the community, the High School District was
established. At that time the boundaries of the High School District were made identical to those
of the Elementary District.
That did not settle the issue completely, however, for in September 1916 it was again
questioned and a special election was to be called. The matter was settled by the District
Attorney, who gave the opinion that the High School District had legally existed since the
formation of the High School. The Board had always met as one body, including business for
both districts, but on March 6, 1917, it met for the first time calling itself the High School Board,
and on March 13 of the same year there were two entries in the minutes, separating the districts.
Finally, in 1918, they were completely separated within the same binder.139
Other Board actions. The first action of the new Board in 1900 was to establish a Board
138 Ibid., January 2, 1900 139 Ibid., May 20,1902 and March 6, 1917
76
consisting of five members, three to be elected each four years and two each two years. William
A. Wilson was elected Superintendent and Principal of the High School for four years, and a
vice-principal was appointed, without compensation, to help him. The Secretary of the Board,
77
Table 2
Santa Barbara Board of Education 1900-1925
1900-1901 A.B. Williams H.B. Bradshaw E.W. Hayward A.C. Schuster C.A. Thompson
1901-1902 “ “ “ “ “
1902-1903 “ “ “ “ “
1903-1904 M.B. McDuffee “ “ “ W.S. Coleman
1904-1905 “ A.A. Poole “ “ “
1905-1906 “ “ “ Clio L. Lloyd “
1906-1907 “ “ L. F. Ruiz “ E.C. Roeder
1907-1908 W.G. Griffith “ F.M. Whitney “ “
1908-1909 “ G.A. White “ “ “
1909-1910 “ E.L. Perry “ W.T. Barry “
1910-1911 “ L. F. Ruiz “ “ “
1911-1912 “ “ “ “ “
1912-1913 R.L. Janney Mrs. A.H. Conant Mrs. E.M. Ord “ “
1913-1914 “ “ “ “ “
1914-1915 B. Bakewell “ “ Mrs. H.K. Northrop “
1915-1916 “ “ “ “ “
1916-1917 “ “ G.P. Goll “ “
1917-1918 “ “ J.T. Johnston “ “
1918-1919 F. Price Mrs. A.G. Balaam “ Mrs. A.L. Page Mrs. A.R. Edmonson
1919-1920 M.A. Levy “ “ “ “
1920-1921 A.H. Avery “ “ “ “
1921-1922 “ “ “ W.R. Coy “
1922-1923 “ F.F. Peabody F. Price “ “
1923-1924 “ “ G.S. Edwards W.S. Porter “
1924-1925 “ “ “ “ “
78
chosen from among its members, was to be paid $20 per year. During the same year five
standing committees were established, including Finance, Building Sites and Repairs, Library,
Furniture and Supplies and Classification.
In June 1909 the Board faced a test of community displeasure when Mr. Adrian was
about to be rehired as Superintendent. The received a petition from ten ministers and others from
ladies in the community objecting to Mr. Adrian. However, there were those who favored him
and the Board also felt favorably and did rehire him, but he declined. He had been accused of
immorality and related charges, but the Board felt that publicity had been given to untruths and
supported him by a vote of four to one. When he declined, F. M. Fultz was elected in his place.
In 1919, Superintendent A. C. Olney, who had served for five years, resigned because of
his appointment to the office of Commissioner of Secondary Education for the state. Two other
actions of the Board occurred in 1922 when they suspended the charge for Civic Center use of
the school buildings and gave permission to the Superintendent and the Secretary to pay labor
claims when they were due. Before that time, all the Board members had signed each warrant.140
VII. Summary
The advent of the twentieth century brought with it the hope of a new and better life. This
feeling was outwardly shown by the new Board of Education in 1900 when it completely
overhauled the functions of the Board and instituted new measures to promote a sound education
for the children of Santa Barbara. For the first time, policies were organized and published.
The actions of this Board permeated the community and feelings that had long been
ingrained in some parts of the population began to change. The schools gained more significance
and the realization of their importance began to be expressed. In 1906 the Chamber of
Commerce expressed their feelings in this way:
The character of any community is exactly measured by the quality of its schools. If they be poor, then are the people who support and endure them either ignorant and unrefined or else they are grossly blind and indifferent alike to both the material and the spiritual welfare of all. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Thoroughly awake to the importance of having the best in all things,
140 Ibid., December 16 and 21, 1922
79
Santa Barbara has taken hold of her school problems with a vigor and a breath of view that is rapidly advancing her system to a foremost place among leaders—East or West.141
During the period from 1900 to 1925, seven major buildings were erected, including
Washington, Garfield, and McKinley; all these were subsequently replaced. Lincoln, Wilson,
Franklin and Roosevelt Schools were also erected. During many of these years the district
existed on a false economy, but with the arrival of Superintendent Stewart in 1920, a major
building program was initiated and the outlook became brighter.
The kindergartens finally became an integral part of the system. The School Board began
to meet as two separate bodies and dealt with the functions of each district separately. With the
advancement of time, the enrollment naturally increased and overcrowding existed over a
number of years.
The curriculum was basic and traditional, but new ideas were slowly assimilated into the
teaching methods, led by child-centered kindergartens and experimental grouping in high school.
Teachers as professionals were included more and more in the selection of books and in the
development of courses of study. Special areas of the curriculum, such as music, art, and
physical education, also made a breakthrough and special teachers were hired for these subjects.
The school health and lunch programs were initiated. The health program began with
dental hygiene provided by the Visiting Nurses Association, and blossomed into a full-fledged
department by 1924 with the hiring of Dr. Edward J. Lamb.
Teachers’ salaries gradually increased, and the first salary schedule was adopted in 1907.
Sick leave benefits were defined in 1916. The City Teachers’ Club became an active force during
the period; it pioneered salary revisions on a more professional basis with the Board.
The first quarter-century was one of solidification, curriculum expansion, building,
professional growth, and advancement for the district. All was not goodness and light, however,
for increased enrollment and, at times, lack of strong administrative leadership hindered the
progress of the schools. The fluctuating willingness of the community to provide monies was
another important factor that stultified continuous, unbroken growth in all areas of the schools’
activities and environment.
141 The Public School of Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara County; Chamber of Commerce, march, 1906), I, 7.
80
81
Chapter VI
Years of Awakening 1925-1945
In the spring of 1925, as the new school year approached, Superintendent Stewart and the
members of the Board of Education were able to look back on another year of growth and
accomplishment, and to look forward to a new year with aims and ideals to be fulfilled. Any
planning that they may have done had to be abruptly changed, however, before the new year was
able to begin. For on June 29 the earth shook, trembled, and swayed with an earthquake so
severe that it left hardly any building in Santa Barbara untouched. The school had an estimated
damage of $700,000. Two of the newest structures, Lincoln and Wilson, were hardest hit. It took
nearly $80,000 apiece to restore those two schools alone. The older wood-frame structures
managed to survive with less damage. The earthquake had been a severe one and it left the town
in devastation.
At McKinley School, which had a wooden frame, there was a bust of President William
McKinley, the school’s namesake. It was standing on a wooden pedestal near the front entrance
of the building. Uncle Bill, as the bust was called, was nailed to the floor as a permanent fixture.
The earth movement had been so severe that when the school was being inspected for damage on
the day following the quake, Uncle Bill was found at the end of the hall gazing out upon the
playground. Behind him all the way down the hall, were nail holes in the floor where his pedestal
had walked its way to the window, to afford Uncle Bill a new view of the school grounds.142
Several of the schools were used as emergency centers for various organizations, with the
Community Arts Association at Roosevelt, the Red Cross at the Lincoln Kindergarten, the
Fugarzi Bank at Lincoln, and the Salvation Army on the grounds of Lincoln School.
The Board was anxious to restore the schools for use before the fall term began and
began cleaning and repairing immediately. Much lathing and plastering had to be done and a
great deal of rubble had to be removed. Aid came from a number of areas, but the main
contributions came from the California Development Association with $150,000 and from a
country fund known as the Special Relief Fund Committee for the Rehabilitation of Schools with
142 Interview with Lloyd Albright, elementary principal, Santa Barbara, June 20, 1962
82
$95,000.143
Individual contributions came from many sources, but two of local significance were a
donation of $1,530 from the City teachers’ Club and the overtime pay due the custodians who
donated their time while guarding the damaged buildings.
The actual cost for repairing all the schools amounted to many thousands of dollars and
couldn’t be accurately tallied because of the number of years required eventually to repair all the
side effects of the earthquake. The Lincoln and Wilson Schools were finally in adequate
condition to open on October 12, and schedules there returned to relative normalcy. As a whole,
the city of Santa Barbara hadn’t fared as well as had the school system, and the need of
widespread reconstruction formed the basis of a turning point in the city’s history. At that time
the city decided to adopt the Spanish architectural design that has since become so distinctive.
These common problems united the people of the city to help each other, and formed the basis
for reinstituting the customs of the past. Most of the schools had already conformed to the
architectural patterns that were adopted, or had been at least of a pseudo-Spanish design. Due to
the efforts of the community to reemphasize the old cultural patterns, those schools that were
subsequently built carried out the Spanish style.
I. Building and Enrollment
Coupled with the earthquake repairs that were necessary in the schools was a major
building problem. Many of the schools built prior to Superintendent Stewart’s arrival in 1920
had been those known as “Open-Air Schools,” and had wooden frames, very often of a bungalow
design. From the beginning they didn’t have a very long life-expectancy, and the earthquake had
only added to the problem.
The seemingly magnetic quality of the city attracted more residents and the school
population continued to grow. In November 1925 the enrollment had increased by 180 pupils
over the preceding year’s total enrollment. This trend was to continue during subsequent years
with the exception of some of the depression years, when the tide turned from city
143 Santa Barbara Board of Education Minutes, July 7, 1925 to September 23, 1925
83
Table 3
First Month Enrollments Grades K-6 1925-1945
1925-1926......................................2,249*
1926-1927 ..........................................2,906
1927-1928 ..........................................3,022
1928-1929 ..........................................2,915
1929-1930 ..........................................3,107
1930-1931 ..........................................3,369
1931-1932 ..........................................3,355
1932-1933 ..........................................3,231
1933-1934 ..........................................3,311
1934-1935 ..........................................3,173
1935-1936 ..........................................3,252
1936-1937 ..........................................3,089
1937-1938 ..........................................3,026
1938-1939 ..........................................3.077
1939-1940 ..........................................2,814
1940-1941 ..........................................2,753
1941-1942 ..........................................2,779
1942-1943 ..........................................2,365
1943-1944 ..........................................2,545
1944-1945 ..........................................2,612
* Enrollment was off because of the earthquake. By mid-term it had risen to 3,056.
84
unemployment to the greater hope that lay in the rural areas. Because of the increasing
enrollments, new schools had to be built, and old ones required expansion. To meet this need, the
Board continued the building program that had begun with the arrival of Superintendent Stewart.
Harding School and kindergarten-primary building. In February 1926, the initial land
for Harding School was purchased for $15,000. Soule, Murphy, and Hastings were the architects;
the building was to have steam heating, a modern sign of advancement. As was common,
Figure 24: Harding School, completed in 1927.
Figure 25: Harding Kindergarten - Primary building,
completed in 1931.
separate bids were called for heating, plumbing, and electrical wiring, in addition to the general
bid. A bond election for $450,000 to finance the building was held in May and passed with a
85
vote of 2,951 to 296.
It was difficult to determine the complete cost, but the general bid went to Western State
Construction for almost $90,000. The cornerstone was laid by the Masonic Lodges on January
25, 1927 and the building was occupied later in the year. The first flag was presented by the
Women’s Relief Corps.
The Harding kindergarten-primary building across the street from the main building was
constructed several years later. Soule, Murphy, and Hastings were once again employed as the
architects, and in October of 1930, W. S. Snook was awarded the general contract for $44,021
and Otts did the heating and plumbing for $4,960. The building was accepted as completed on
April 20, 1931. In 1932 it received a certificate of award for architectural distinction from the
Plans and Planting Branch of the Community Arts Association.144
Frederick Forrest Peabody School. Peabody School was named after Frederick Peabody,
a long time member and president of the Board of Education. While he was a member of the
Board he purchased four acres of land to be used by the schools when needed, at cost plus
interest. The school was built after his death and is the only elementary school in the district
named after a local person. On June 14, 1927 a bond election totaling $140,000 passed 657 to
151. The cost for the initial land was $16,163 and two years later another $4,355 was spent for
land for a kindergarten building.
The building was designed by Soule, Murphy, and Hastings, and the general contract for
construction was awarded to Alfred Vezina. The cost was difficult to ascertain because of the
many bids and conditions involved. The cornerstone was laid on February 3, 1928. The first flag
was presented to the school by the Starr-King Relief Corps. It won second place for its
architecture from the Plans Committee of the Community Arts Association.
McKinley School. The new McKinley School was built on a prominence overlooking the
city and has remained an outstanding landmark in its particular area of the city. Its unusual
architecture sets it apart from most of the other elementary schools in the district. The property
that it was situated on was bought from a number of people in what was known as the Bonnie
View Tract. The first purchase totaled over $18,000 and there were a number
144 Santa Barbara Board of Education Minutes, February 17, 1926 to March 21, 1932
86
Figure 26: Peabody School, completed in 1928.
Figure 27: McKinley School, completed in 1932.
of other individual purchases for varying amounts. Part of the land at the base of the hill has
never been used and the district is holding it in anticipation of possible future use.
A bond issue to support this and other building was held on March 27, 1928 but failed to
pass by a vote of 11,023 yes to 15,015 no. On March 29, 1930 another bond issue totaling
$350,000 did pass by a vote of 3,672 in favor to 358 against. The Soule firm designed the
building and the building contracts went to: The Minton Company $134,415 for the general
contract, Ott’s Hardware $19,672 for plumbing and heating, and California Electric for $4,672
The cornerstone was laid by the Masonic Lodges on April 7, 1931, and the first flag was
presented by the Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic. The wing containing the activity-
room and cafeteria was added a little later with bids totaling $50,789. Also included in this new
87
wing was a projection room, a new innovation.145
Jefferson School. Jefferson was the first large hillside school built in the district.
McKinley had been built on a hill and was constructed during the same period, but it was located
on top of the hill, whereas Jefferson was built on the hillside behind the town. It had a wonderful
view, and was located where it was needed, but this very location was later to cause major
problems for the district.
The site cost the district $36,000 and the architect was Lloyd E. Brewster, in association
with John C. Austin. The general bid was awarded to Bakker and Robinson for $109,000. Other
bids awarded were: plumbing and heating to Sweeny and Son for $15,442; electrical to
California Electric Company for $3,095; and painting to Pohl-Brown Company for $2,888. The
local labor unions requested that only local help be used on the job, and the board went a step
further, excluding all non-citizens, Asiatics, and Mongolians, and insisting that union wages be
paid. A new sewer had to be put in to service the school, at the expense of the district. The
cornerstone was laid on May 21, 1931, and the Women’s Relief Corps presented the school with
its first flag. Two more rooms had to be completed in 1932 to accommodate the children who
had been attending the teacher training school at State Teachers’ College.
In March of the same year the Plans and Planting Branch of the Community Arts
Association presented Jefferson School with a certificate of award for architectural distinction,
but two years later the school had to be closed because it was declared unsafe.
Figure 28: Jefferson School, completed in 1932.
145 Ibid., January 27, 1928 to December 7, 1931
88
Figure 29: Garfield School, completed in 1935.
In January of 1934, large cracks began to appear in the foundation and walls at Jefferson.
The children were immediately transferred to Washington School, that wasn’t in use at that time.
In the investigation that followed, tests were made and it was found that moisture from the
hillside had been seeping into the cement and caused it to weaken. The final recommendation of
the Associated Architects in June 1935 was that the building should be waterproofed and the
whole building reinforced, with steel beams. These beams, rather than the visible cement walls,
support the school. The coat involved many thousands of dollars.146
Garfield School. The last school to be built until post-war years was the new Garfield
building. It was immediately in front of the old wooden building of the same name. There was a
shortage of funds, but a new school was needed. It was, therefore, financed with funds on hand
rather than with bonding. To supplement this money, $40,000 was transferred from the County
Reserve Fund. The general contract was awarded to Charles M. Urton for $48,908 with other
contracts totaling over $10,000. A corner plaque was affixed by the Santa Barbara Masonic
Lodge on September 4, 1934.
This building became a source of ill-feeling with the teachers in both districts. Because of
the lack of funds that was due to the depression, they had taken a sizeable pay cut. They had
even submitted a plan of their own concerning the pay cut, and were very professional in the way
they handled the situation, thoroughly understanding the economic conditions that prevailed.
Then, when the Board was able to finance a new school building without bonding, they felt it
146 Ibid., December 9, 1929 to June 18, 1935
89
was unfair. They felt that they had, in essence, paid for the new building with their lower
salaries.147
Other school construction. During the period from 1925 to 1945 other smaller buildings
were constructed and additions made to the existing schools. Among them were: Franklin
Kindergarten in 1926; the warehouse for both districts was financed with elementary funds in
1929; rooms at Franklin School in 1930; the auditorium at Lincoln School in 1930; a
kindergarten at Wilson School in 1937; a kindergarten-cafeteria at Garfield School in 1938; and
improvements at Peabody, Jefferson, and Roosevelt Schools for cafeterias from 1939 to 1944.148
II. Maintenance, Supplies, and Property
Maintenance and repairs. A more routine manner was evolved during this period of time
to handle normal maintenance and repairs. Minor repair issues no longer had to be acted upon
individually by the Board, and much of the purchasing was delegated to the Assistant
Superintendent or to committees of the Board. The Board then acted upon their
recommendations.
Some of the major repairs during the early years of this period were part of the aftermath
of the 1925 earthquake, such as the Franklin Auditorium work in 1926 which amounted to
$8,984. Another major item was the replacement of many wood-stoves in the various schools
with steam heating in September 1926.
After the cracking problem, the entire Jefferson building required waterproofing. This,
plus other repairs to the building, amounted to almost $20,000. The contract was awarded to E.
P. Moe and Eric Smith. By 1936, there were four full-time maintenance men hired in conjunction
with the High School District for the purpose of constant maintenance throughout the district; by
1944 the number had grown to eight.
School lighting became an issue in 1939. There was only one light in each of five rooms
at Roosevelt School, and these hung over the teachers’ desks. The Parent Teachers Association at
Jefferson presented a complaint about the lighting and about other objectionable facets of the
147 Ibid., June 11, 1934 148 Ibid., January 1, 1926 to November 7, 1944
90
building. In 1936, when Dr. Dispensa had reported poor lighting at Jefferson School, she was
told to inform the teachers for more efficient use of the Venetian blinds to let in more light. By
1939 conditions had improved enough so that $1,665 was expended for new electrical wiring for
several of the buildings.149
Supplies and equipment. Supplies were being ordered in larger and larger quantities, and
competitors were becoming more interested in supplying them. After the onset of the depression,
the school contracts became very important to local and outside business. One area wherein the
competition became very active was the supplying of fuel oil. Seaside Oil Company had been
getting the contracts regularly for many years because theirs had constantly been the lowest bid
submitted. However, in 1932 four companies submitted bids; Consumers’ Oil Company
underbid Seaside and was awarded the contract. Several months of accusations followed, during
which the oil was tested and found satisfactory. Subsequently the new company was awarded
fuel oil contracts several years in a row.
Other major purchase order items before the Board to be voted upon were: a Model A
stake truck for $894 in 1930; a car to replace the stake truck in 1934, not to exceed $300; two
hundred folding chairs for Lincoln School in 1930; a Bell and Howell portable projector; forty
Moulthrop Desks; ninety-five Primary tables; a Piano in 1931; and a one and one-half ton truck
for $872.53 in 1939.
The war years caused a change in orders, such as the order for $350 worth of fire-fighting
equipment for the schools because of the war emergency. In 1943, there was a turnabout in
purchasing; the government bought twenty-five typewriters from the schools because typewriters
were needed to help with the war effort.150
Demolition and sale of old buildings. Over the years, as new schools were erected, the
old schools that had been replaced because of obsolescence and age had either to be sold with the
property, moved, or demolished. The old Jefferson School that was located at De la Vina and
Carillo Streets had also served as a Junior High. It was wrecked in 1928. The district was paid
$27 by the wrecker. Another old building of similar vintage was the Blake-Sloyd School; it had
149 Ibid., February 17, 1926 to July 18, 1944 150 Ibid., October 31, 1932 to January 5, 1943
91
been under the jurisdiction of the secondary district but was owned by the elementary. It was
located at 816 Santa Barbara Street and met its demise in September, 1930, with $15 being paid
the Board for its materials.
The old McKinley building was sold to J. H. Pinney for $325, and the La Mesa School
Building to William F. Hazard for $101 in January 1932. After the new school was built on the
same site, Garfield School, the twin of the McKinley School was torn down in 1935. This
demolition was financed by a federal agency due to depressed economic conditions.
The largest single transaction involved the sale of Washington School at Anacapa and
Arrellaga Streets. The building had been vacant several times over a number of years, but had
been useful in housing classes when other schools became overcrowded. Finally in 1936 the
Board advertised for a minimum bid of $23,000 for the building and the site. They took the offer
of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Los Angeles and San Diego for $17,000 in cash, plus a lot on
the northwest corner of Anacapa and Arrellaga valued at $6,000. The school was then turned into
a Catholic elementary school and was renamed Dolores School. It remained in use until 1959,
when it was demolished and the area was turned into a playground for an adjoining school.
The old kindergarten building that stood a block away from Garfield School was sold to
G. H. Stuart in 1939 for $1,575 to be used as a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It is
still in use today. A new church is now under construction, so the old building’s future is
uncertain. The original Wilson Kindergarten was sold to R. F. Higginbotham in 1942 and was
moved from the property.151
Property transactions. Some school property was sold with the buildings, such as the
Washington School transaction; but many pieces were sold separately. At the same time the
Board was constantly buying new land for sites and for the purpose of expanding existing school
grounds. These transactions were too numerous to list in detail, but some of the more important
sales were as follows: (1) Bart Kallman offered a total of $6,000 for the sites of Mission Canyon
School, Washington Kindergarten, and La Mesa School in 1934; (2) the old McKinley site was
sold in 1942 to the McKinley Boys’ Club, which had been using it previously for a lease of $1
per year. The selling price was $1,500. this group eventually evolved into the Santa Barbara
Boys’ Club and was relocated; (3) a plot of land known as the Warren-Vivian Tract on the east 151 Ibid., August 15, 1928 to October 6, 1942
92
side of town had been for sale from time to time during the previous fifteen years, and was
finally sold in 1943 to Anthony Artuso for $2,800; (4) the Jefferson site at De la Vina and
Carrillo had been leased a number of times beginning in 1928 after the old school was torn
down. It had been a continuous problem to the Board but its value had steadily increased. Finally
in 1944 it was sold to Christian and Anna Prip for $13,150.152
III. The Curriculum Moves Ahead
The one most important advancement during the period from 1925 to 1945, other than the
continued building program, was the progress made in curriculum development. Santa Barbara
had, as noted in the previous chapter, done pioneering work in the kindergarten and high school
areas of the curriculum. The elementary course of study had been re-worked and evaluated
periodically, and in 1927 it was once again revised. It was written by local teachers and was
A guide consisting of six booklets: Training for Healthful Living, Character Training, Arithmetic, English, Art and Music, and Social Studies. In each booklet the teachers, after defining the subject and stating the general aims in teaching it, gave a brief survey of the subject matter to be covered on each grade level. Goals of attainment, outlines of material, suggested activities, and bibliographies were given for each grade. This course of study, which was suggestive rather than mandatory, represented the best efforts of the teachers and was widely used.153
The new curriculum. The set of booklets were used as the only guide until the 1934-35
school year. At that time, Dr. Curtis E. Warren was the new superintendent. He brought with him
new ideas that were to make Santa Barbara nationally known as a pioneer in new curriculum
methods.
The institutes set up by the city and the county that year centered around the theme of
“Reorganization of Education to Realize the Economic and Social Goals of American Life.” This
was the beginning of six years of intensive study and extensive research to acquaint the teachers
and administrators with new ideas in education, child psychology, and approaches to meeting the
needs of the individual child. It was a time of dynamic participation by all of the staff from
kindergarten through high school. Institutes, work-shops, and meetings were part of the normal
152 Ibid., January 24, 1934 to July 18, 1944 153 Russell Graydon Leiter (ed.), Living: The Basis for Learning (Santa Barbara: Education Factors Ltd., 1942), 4
93
pattern of daily schedules, rather than exceptions to the schedules. It was a time of growth,
sharing, and participation of all those involved, comprising a gradual tide of change and
enlightenment.
Consultants from Stanford University worked along with the staff in formulating this new
curriculum, and experts from USC and other institutions of higher learning also participated. The
whole school library was removed to USC one summer and used at a workshop there. Other
workshops were held at Stanford, Claremont Colleges, and even at Harvard. Teachers also
traveled extensively to other communities to glean new ideas and methods. Money was being
expended during depression years in an area that had long been neglected, and with the blessings
of public and the local news media.154
During this time, in 1936, Dr. Lillian Lamoreaux became the full-time Director of Curriculum and Instruction. ‘Such a specialist was necessary in order to coordinate the program being developed within the system, to assist teachers in using the newer classroom procedures, and to interpret through bulletins and discussions the newer practices and methods.’155
Two main committees were organized during the second year of the program, “one to
formulate the aims and objectives of education according to the philosophy that had been built
up in the two years of study, and the other to work on the scope and sequence of a new
curriculum for the Santa Barbara Schools.”156
During the progress of the long-term curriculum revision, the staff worked together to
perfect their work in five main areas; namely, teaching by the unit method, the technique of
using excursions as a teaching tool, newer classroom procedures, evaluation practices, and the
teaching of skills incidentally rather than as ends in themselves. Much of this sounds
commonplace today, but they were pioneering efforts at that time.
To meet the aims and requirements of these new ideas and techniques, new facilities and
equipment were needed. Many of the older classrooms were revamped to fit the new curriculum.
When the first sequence of units was finished, they went on trial in the classroom and were
amended better to meet the needs of the children and to make better use of material that was
available. Special services were reorganized and new ones added in order to improve the
154 Interview with Mrs. Irene Anderson, Elementary Principal, Santa Barbara, June 21, 1962 155 Leiter, op. cit., 12 156 Ibid., 10
94
teaching-learning situation. Included were: the organization of a central library where books
could be taken out in units, the beginning of a visual aids department, the organization of a
culture contact department, integration of music and art into the curriculum, the organization of a
child-guidance department with testing and evaluation, and the inception of a speech department.
The schools were asked to participate in two projects financed by grants from the General
Education Board. They were the Stanford Language Arts Investigation and the American
Council on Education Motion Picture Project. The Language Arts Investigation concerned only
the secondary schools. The scope of the Motion Picture Project was much wider. Santa Barbara
was asked to participate because of the curriculum program already under way in the city,
because of the emphasis being placed on the core type of learning, and because of the system’s
well equipped and adequately staffed visual education department.
The community was kept closely informed through study groups and bulletins as well as
through school papers and local news media. Parents were encouraged to visit the schools, and to
act at resource people in particular areas of the curriculum. The whole new movement was
summed up by Superintendent Warren:
The Santa Barbara curriculum, experimental, developmental, ready to change tomorrow if a better way is found, is what it is because someone had the idea and thought that it could be done. It took faith and courage to pioneer the project to the point where it could stand on its own merits. The superintendent would be the last to say that he did more than have the idea. The School Board, the teaching staff, the administrative staff, and the community, through its interest and approval, all contributed in brining the Santa Barbara curriculum to its present state of development.157
Developmental curriculum. The culmination of the six-year program of curriculum
reorganization was a publication known as the “little green bible” to many of the staff, but
actually entitled Developmental Curriculum. It was first published in 1938, but the revised
edition came out in 1941. In the foreword, Dr. Warren felt that “the significant aspects of the
program are recognition of children’s needs, teacher growth, community understanding, and
social integration.”158 The bulletin discussed democratic principles, the community and
environment, the purposes of the schools, learning and methods of work, and the core curriculum
157 Ibid., 47 158 Santa Barbara City Schools, Developmental Curriculum, a bulletin prepared by the Santa Barbara City Schools (Santa Barbara: Santa Barbara City Schools, 1941)
95
program.
Many of the ideas developed are the basis of those we use today, and haven’t changed a
great deal. Such things as units of study at each grade level, with a scope and sequence from one
grade to the next were included. The idea that the problem determines the materials and skills
involved was put forth and used. Much of the curriculum was developed around the social
studies as the major motivating factor, with other subjects then integrated into the scope of the
general studies. Basic subjects were not neglected and overlooked, however, and at that time
three-group reading was begun and mid-year promotion was eliminated. It was stated simply as
an approach to meet the needs of the individual child. It was extreme for its time, but no longer
remains so in light of the curriculum used today. Naturally, changes have been made, and some
areas have been de-emphasized but basically the nation as a whole has moved toward these
pioneering ideas of Santa Barbara, rather than has Santa Barbara conformed to new ideas of the
nation.
Department of visual aids. An important aspect of the new curriculum revision was the
use of visual aids of every kind, but particularly the use of films. The first director of this area
was Francis W. Noel, and through his efforts the Santa Barbara collection grew to wondrous size
for its time. In the early days of the program, the county borrowed materials from the city and
later it became a joint program. Eventually the county withdrew and began its own program and
collection of materials. Because of the availability of the city’s materials many community
groups borrowed the equipment. Eventually this had to be curtailed because of wear and tear on
the equipment.
Among the various activities of this program was one study which tested the value of
motion pictures for classroom use and for developing new techniques in their use. Funds were
granted by the American Council on Education. It was particularly concerned with the question
of the ability of films to increase the children’s vocabulary. The final conclusion showed that
films could aid in this way, particularly when the vocabulary level of the film was above the
vocabulary level of the children seeing the film. Films also seemed to be especially good
stimulus for children with lower intelligence. This study emphasized efficient preparation and
correlation of each film with the subject matter being studied. A further recommendation was
that more films be produced that could be used in the classroom, a recommendation that has
96
since been fulfilled beyond the dreams of these early studies and experiments.159
During this time a Work Projects Administration arts project also worked with the
department and produced many dioramas that are still in use. Hundreds of pictures were also
produced to supplement the new program in process in the schools. This project was terminated
in the 1942-43 school year.
All of this was pioneering activity, and when World Was II started, Mr. Noel became the
director of the Department of Visual Education for the Navy, primarily due to his efforts, work
and experience in Santa Barbara.
Music, art, and physical education. Although music and art were offered in the
elementary schools, they were subjects taught solely by the classroom teacher. Supervisors for
the two subjects were not always available, due to resignations and for lack of funds. In 1926 the
parents at Franklin School requested that an orchestra instructor be hired, and in July of that year
Mr. Frank Fischer was employed to teach orchestra at $65 per month. In 1927 Miss Helene E.
Portune took over his duties. By 1929 there were 145 children taking orchestra and eighty
studying piano in the district. Through agitation from a number of parents, an art teacher was
also employed and the position was occupied by Clara Peterson from the early 1930’s until 1961
when she resigned and the position was eliminated. During the re-organization of the curriculum
the functions of the art and music teachers were modified to include the major responsibility of
teacher training; these positions were then known as “directors” rather than “teachers.”
In the spring semester of 1929, the first playgrounds were opened under the auspices of
the schools. Albert K. Livingston was hired for playground work at Franklin from 3:30 to 6:00
p.m. each school day at $50 per month. The value of this activity was realized, and in August of
the same year, Rodger H. Orion was appointed the first Director of Physical Education in
conjunction with the High School District and was paid $3,020. This program expanded rapidly
and in 1931 a festival was given including over 1,700 children. Much of this program was in
cooperation with the city, but when the depression came the City Council wanted to eliminate its
positions of Director and Supervisors of Recreation and asked the Board to finance the
recreational program because the city didn’t have the funds. The Board refused to do so, but
159 Lloyd J. Pieters, A Study of the Comprehension of the Vocabulary of Auditory Motion Pictures in the Sixth Grade (unpublished Master’s thesis, University of Southern California Library, 1940), 86-87
97
eventually the two factions came to an agreement whereby the school system would begin to pay
for the water it used, and the city would in turn use the money to finance recreation. The plan
was unsuccessful for several years. The city failed to meet its obligation, and the schools had
both bills to pay. It was eventually worked out to the satisfaction of both parties, however, and a
cooperative effort still exists to some degree.
The schools kept Mr. Orion on the staff until he resigned to become the chief of the State
Division of Health, Physical Education and Recreation in 1934. He was succeeded by Charles C.
“Chris” Christiansen, who was employed jointly by the City Recreation Department and the City
Schools. He held the post until the spring of 1961 when he retired. The vacancy was not filled,
however, because of a tax election failure; the position has since been eliminated.
Personnel of all these areas—art, music, and physical education—worked cooperatively
in the development of the new curriculum during the pre-war days. They were an integral part of
the program, and the supervisors of the several areas were among the leaders in its
development.160
Health services. The health services, which had already become an established fact in the
schools, naturally became an integral part of the new curriculum development, serving the
physical needs of the children. The position of Nutritional Worker was created in 1926 and Miss
Ruth Boden was chosen to fill the position at $1,800 per year, in conjunction with the secondary
district. The first audiometer was bought in 1927, and the next year, through the urging of Dr. C.
M. Moore who had done dental work in the system, the position of Dental Hygienist was created.
The Cornelia Moore Fund, privately endowed, gave matching funds toward providing personnel
for a dental hygiene program and has done so ever since. The same year a dental chair and
equipment loaned by the Visiting Nurses was set up in Lincoln School, and by 1929 the district
had two dental hygienists.161
Several doctors were working part-time for the district. In 1934, when Dr. Lamb
resigned, Dr. Johnette Dispensa was hired as medical inspector for the city schools, and held the
position until 1937 when she resigned. She was replaced by Dr. Helen Hart, and in 1944, Dr. L.
C. Newton Wayland took over the position.
160 Santa Barbara Board of Education Minutes, June 16, 1926 to September 13, 1934 161 Ibid., July 7, 1927 to July 15, 1929
98
IV. Guidance and Related Services
The beginning of the program. Before the inception of the new curriculum, limited
counseling was offered at the junior and senior high school level. The new curriculum was based
upon meeting the needs of each child, and, therefore, counseling and guidance were its natural
companions. In the fall of 1934, the Superintendent of Schools inaugurated a program to study
guidance services which had been established in the schools of California, and found that there
had been no efforts made to develop a system-wide program in Santa Barbara. The director of
the California Bureau of Juvenile Research, Dr. Norman Fenton, and Charlotte Elmott, who was
attached to his staff, worked in the schools for seven months presenting demonstration guidance
conferences. The outcome of the program was that the Santa Barbara Council of Parents and
Teachers sent representatives to the Board of Education “recommending that a guidance service
be organized within the city schools. Significantly, the Board, in a year of economies and budget
curtailments, unanimously voted to institute such a service.”162
Counselors for this new program were sought from the existing staff. Those finally
chosen were willing, and were the choice of all members of the individual school staff. During
the summer of 1935, ten of the thirteen who had been chosen were sent to Claremont College to
the Guidance Center maintained by the Bureau of Juvenile Research. The others were working at
other institutions of learning to complete their work. The workshop was intensive, with the group
often going to classes from 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. at night. Thus, by the end of the summer
workshop, they had been given a specialized program to supplement their previous professional
training. There was a new elementary counselor in each school, with half a day per week
provided for counseling individual children. They met twice a month as a group to discuss their
individual problems, and plans were worked out for continued study of the techniques they were
using. During this first year Charlotte Elmott became the Director of Child Guidance. The
program included the principals, teachers, school physician and nurses, as well as the counselors
and the directors.
The elementary and secondary counselors were divided into two groups during the
second year of the program, 1936-37, but continued contact between the groups was necessary. 162 Charlotte Dickinson Elmott, The Development of a Mental Hygiene Program in the Santa Barbara City Schools (unpublished Ed.D. dissertation, Stanford University Library, 1944), 41
99
By the following year the community agencies and understanding of them were included in the
program. During the fourth year, such things as “improvement of case records, analysis of group
tests, evaluation of adjustment in follow-up study, and articulation between elementary and
secondary schools”163 were studied. Between 1939 and 1942 the program solidified itself as an
integral part of the school curriculum, with in-service programs and workshops being held to
inform the teachers of the availability of services in the schools and the community. As the
program proceeded, both the number of hours devoted to guidance and the number of counselors
increased. The high school program became much more complex, particularly after the start of
the war. The elementary staff remained relatively stable, with hours of counseling added in
several schools, rather than increasing the total number of counselors.
New records and evaluation procedures. Because this program was an integral part of
the new curriculum and attitudes that were being developed, it necessitated a retraining of staff
attitude as well as teaching methods. Coupled with the guidance program was the reorganization
of the cumulative records. Up until 1935 records had been kept on many single cards that were
kept in various files, and were not accessible to teachers. A new cumulative record in folder form
was used in 1936-37, and the classroom teacher was made the custodian of the records for the
children with whom she worked, whereby the teacher was better able to understand all aspects of
the child’s growth. An informal letter to parents was adopted as the best means of interpreting
the growth of the individual child, and “standards for such letters were drawn up in the light of
mental hygiene principles [in order] that the best possible relationships between school and home
might be developed.”164 They were later revised and a printed form was developed which
combined the elements of an informal letter and a check list.
In 1930 an Evaluation Committee was formed; new, improved forms were developed for
guidance work. Included were forms for anecdotal records, interview reports, behavioral rating
and personality analysis, all to be included in the cumulative folder.
The remedial program. In the fall of 1935 one teacher was appointed as a full-time
remedial reading teacher with the Guidance Department. Because of the lack of group testing,
163 Ibid., 46 164 Ibid., 64
100
the children were nominated by the classroom teachers, in two schools as a pilot program.
During the second semester a remedial speech teacher was added to the staff. Eventually this
program turned to aspects of preventative, developmental speech as well as remedial speech, and
teacher-training was begun throughout the elementary schools. This service was subsequently
extended throughout the schools and two additional speech teachers were added. The counselors
were intimately involved in the speech program, especially in cases of those speech disorders
where underlying causes could only be located by more complete analysis of the child.
It was found that many of the supposed remedial reading cases which had been referred
were, in actuality, working up to their individual capacities. Therefore, working with the newly-
appointed Director of Instruction and Curriculum in 1936-37, “a program of analysis of every
classroom group was developed in connection with a system-wide testing program.”165 It was at
this time that teachers were urged to divide their classes into at least three reading groups, using
reading material suitable for each group, and to conduct the remedial program within their
classrooms. This freed the remedial reading teacher to help with children working below the
expectancy levels. In the fall of 1939, the program was discontinued in the elementary schools
because it was felt that most of the remedial work could be adequately handled by the individual
teacher after the advent of grouping in reading. This released the remedial teacher for work in the
high school.
Physically handicapped. In 1939 the guidance department was given the responsibility of
the Physically Handicapped, and worked with them in counseling situations to aid in their
education. They also provided them with home teachers, and their curriculum was expanded to
include trips and visits in the community.
Group testing. At the time of the initiation of a testing program in 1935-36, one principal
had been in charge of research; because of his many duties, the program had been one of
surveying sixth grade student achievement. A more elaborate program had been developed in
earlier years, but it had been discontinued as an economy measure during the administrative
conflicts which preceded Dr. Warren’s term as Superintendent. Mistrust had arisen because:
Many of the earlier test results had been unwisely released to the public
165 Ibid., 69
101
during the period of school strife, wrongly interpreted so that teachers had been held responsible for ‘failure’ when all members of their classes did not measure up to the ‘average’ for the tests used. This unfortunate and incorrect interpretation of test results had created a mental health hazard for teachers and administrators alike, and widespread distrust of any testing program developed.166
Therefore, the new testing program had to be handled with great tact, and results were
interpreted to teachers not in terms of subject matter achievement, but rather as guides to
classroom grouping for instruction. Gradually, the fear of testing began to disappear, and
requests for further testing were received.
To help with the expansion of testing, a research assistant was added on a full-time basis
to help the director of guidance. Routine surveys were developed and they became a part of the
regular school programs, including:
1. A program of kindergarten testing, planned to determine reading-readiness and general intelligence level.
2. Regular achievement testing in reading from grades two through ten with complete achievement tests in all skills at two-year intervals.
3. Intelligence testing in grades two, four, six, eight, and ten. 4. The administration of an interest inventory at the ninth grade level
planning of the high school program.167
The testing program had, as a function of the guidance department, become an integral
part of teaching, used and accepted by the majority of the teachers, administrator, and parents.
Threading through the entire program was concern for the mental attitude and welfare of the
teachers. Areas of special concern involved better working conditions, supervisory and
administrative relationships, salaries, sick leave, insurance, and in-service training programs, all
which were recognized for their importance in the effectiveness of the school program, They
were areas in which great strides were made.
By the beginning of World War II the guidance department, along with the various
aspects envisioned in 1934, had become an integral part of the whole school system. The
leadership given by Charlotte Elmott during that time was the force that guided this aspect of the
new curriculum to success. It set the pattern for future work and progress in the guidance
program of the city schools, and continued basically the same through the war years. 166 Ibid., 72-73 167 Ibid., 75
102
V. Teaching Conditions and Salaries
The salary schedules adopted earlier in the twenties continued in force, and the pay
gradually climbed upward. By 1930 a teacher could earn as much as $2,500 per year and a
principal as much as $3,200. There were ninety-seven on the educational staff, including
principals. As the school population grew, so grew the teaching staff, and things went along in
normal fashion until the effects of the depression began to be felt.
In May 1932 the very real possibility of a cut in salary faced the teaching staff. Upon
request of the Board, the City Teachers’ Club made a very thorough study of local conditions.
The letter from R. V. Jackson, the Club’s president, stated that the teachers were very desirous of
not eliminating a salary schedule, but also compared their salaries with other groups in the area,
teachers’ salaries always having been lower. The letter related the fact that Santa Barbara
teachers were already being paid less than were teachers in most other parts of the state. The
letter further reminded the Board of the district’s ability to pay and its actual efforts to do so. The
letter then outlined a plan for cutting the salaries. For elementary and kindergarten salaries
through $2,199 a cut of 2½%, under $4,000 – 5%, all from $4,000 to $5,000 – 6%, and all over
$5,000 – 7%. The letter concluded:
Permit us to suggest an additional principle for our future business relations. If public opinion demands that we share the current adversity, we must insist that we should share in prosperity during normal times.168
The following year another cut was called for based on the 1931-32 salary schedule, but
the suggestions of the teachers were not accepted. Instead the Board took the recommendations
of the Committee of Fifteen whose cuts ranged from 5% to 20%.
A single salary schedule. A new salary schedule adopted in 1936 provided for twelve
steps and four classes. Class I included teachers with less than the requirements for the A.B.
degree; Class II included teachers with four years of training beyond high school, or an A.B.
degree; Class III, those with a general secondary credential or an M.A.; and Class IV, a general
secondary or M.A. plus twenty-four semester units beyond the credential or M.A.
Increments were obtained by experience outside and within the district, professional
168 Santa Barbara Board of Education Minutes, May 25, 1932
103
training, and efficiency in service. Outside experience was given half credit. Hurdles were set up
to be met with work completed within a three-year period. It was also possible to work the wrong
way on the schedule and receive a reduction in salary. This new schedule was coupled with an
advancement for the teachers group, for it put much of the credit evaluation in the hands of the
teachers as a professional group:
The Superintendent and a committee to be know as the Evaluating Committee, appointed jointly by the Superintendent of Schools and the President of the City Teachers Club shall: (a) evaluate the equivalents mentioned in paragraph 1 (b); (b) determine the status if a certificated employee elected to a position in another division of the salary schedule; (c) perform any other duties assigned to it by the Superintendent in carrying out this salary schedule.169
This was the first single salary schedule, but teachers with less than two years experience
were not placed on the schedule.
In 1939 the schedule was revised so that four graduate or six undergraduate units were
required every three years regardless of the salary received. This meant that everyone had to
keep alert to new ideas and methods. The next year teachers were given permission to obtain
credit for courses taken in the summer for their salary for the year immediately following.
Leaves of absence and sick leave. There had been no Board action for many years
concerning various types of leaves of absence. In July 1939 the policy included leaves for health,
study, educational travel, and maternity. No leave would be granted for more than one year with
a second year’s extension, and a physical examination was required of anyone returning from a
leave.
The Board took further action in 1940 concerning sick leave, allowing five days per year
with full pay, accumulative to a maximum of thirty days. Five consecutive days were allowed in
case of a death in the immediate family, and full pay would be allowed if a teacher were
quarantined by the city of county health department; this would not be deducted from his sick
pay. If the length of absence was in excess of the accumulated sick pay, the sum deducted would
not exceed the sum paid for substitutes employed. They would pay a substitute for a maximum
period of five months. These two Board actions were later included in a much more extensive
169 Santa Barbara Board of Education Minutes, April 4, 1936
104
policy on May 21, 1940.170
170 Ibid., July 5, 1939 and March 3, 1940
105
Table 4
Budgets and Assessed Valuations 1919-1945
Year Budget Assessed Valuation
1919-1920 $114,800 $10,914,895
1920-1921 158,478 12,204,673
1921-1922 235,343 13,827,990
1922-1923 292,009 15,966,995
1923-1924 240,176 18,403,015
1924-1925 281,944 20,443,675
1925-1926 335,386 22,852,190
1926-1927 485,566 24,938,270
1927-1928 511,266 27,975,745
1928-1929 442,090 28,767,905
1929-1930 486,005 28,948,230
1930-1931 846,505 29,963,645
1931-1932 677,567 30,837,695
1932-1933 403,745 30,818,833
1933-1934 304,686 29,220,360
1934-1935 352,934 29,267,300
1935-1936 417,722 36,685,841
1936-1937 411,254 36,229,503
1937-1938 444,882 39,890,151
1938-1939 463,387 39,806,185
1939-1940 447,387 39,838,170
1940-1941 435,110 40,118,538
1941-1942 411,517 40,247,501
1942-1943 384,111 40,404,915
1943-1944 420,171 39,946,176
1944-1945 453,034 40,216,227
106
Other happenings. Other events that affected the teaching staff were numerous, and a
few are listed here: the City Teachers’ Club was invited to have a representative present at the
Board meetings in 1939; military leave was permitted and employment assured on return from
duty in 1940; health deductions were made from pay checks; all teachers had to have a physical
before being granted tenure; tuberculin tests were required every two years for all teachers in
1941; and salaries ranged from $1,825 to $3,175 for full-time teachers in 1945-46.
VI. Board of Education Actions and Events
In general the Boards of Education between 1925 and 1945 were very capable ones, and
certainly were farsighted enough to allow the district to spend money on developing new ideas
and a new curriculum, along with all of the necessary new departments. Credit must be given to
the Board members, for without their cooperation none of the progress would have been
possible. On the other hand, the lack of bonding for new buildings was questioned, particularly
by the teachers. The many people who served on the Board were dedicated citizens, and didn’t
always have an easy time in carrying out their duties.
The Superintendent Stewart controversy. Mr. Paul Stewart was Superintendent from
1920 until June 1933 when he was dismissed. He was well-liked by the majority of the teachers
and administrators and the district had certainly made commendable progress during his
administration, particularly in the construction of new buildings. In the process of gaining stature
with his fellow educators, he had become involved with local feelings, particularly concerning
the local newspaper. As a result of pressure and activities from within the community, he was
relieved of his duties. When his dismissal was mentioned recently, it still invoked varied
reactions from those who were part of the school system at that time.
Mr. Stewart had a contract, however, and he would not give up his keys or his rights as
superintendent. Mr. Homer L. Nearpass was hired as the new superintendent, and this only
complicated matters, for the district couldn’t operate with two superintendents. After several
lawsuits and countersuits, all was resolved so as not to endanger the progress of the school
district and the education of the children. Mr. Nearpass resigned and was paid the salary which
he had earned, plus $2,000 to settle his contract. Mr. Stewart finally settled with the Board for
$5,287.94 from each district. He went on to become an outstanding member of the County Board
107
of Supervisors, and still lives in Santa Barbara today.171
Dr. Curtis E. Warren was fired in September 1934 and initiated the sweeping revision in
the curriculum. He left the district to work with the Office of Price Administration in 1942 and
later resigned to become the Superintendent of the San Francisco School District. He, too,
resides in Santa Barbara currently. He was followed by Rudolph D. Lindquist in November
1943.
Oil drilling at La Mesa School. An interesting undertaking of the Board occurred in
1929. Oil had been discovered in the Mesa area of town and the Board decided to try its luck at
increasing the school funds by doing some oil speculating. The La Mesa School itself wasn’t
worth much, and the teacher and children were transferred to Wilson School which had better
facilities.
Mr. Hugh Martin was hired as a geologist and a contract was entered into with the
Olympic Refining Company of Washington. The district was to be given a cash bonus of $5,000
if oil was found and 16 2/3% of the profits for the first 500 barrels; 17½ % for 500-1,000; 20%
for 1,000-1,500; 22% for 1,500-2,000; and 30% for any over 2,000 barrels. They also rented the
La Mesa School building to the company for $75 per month.
By September 16, all hopes of finding oil had vanished, after the company had drilled
2,200 feet without success, and the Board had to request the Bureau of Mines to make the
company cover the uncovered drill hole they had left.172
Other actions of the Board. The Board was involved in many, many actions and votes
over these years, as could be seen by the extensive building program and the curriculum revision.
Small things that get lost in records often tell of interesting sidelights of the times. Listed here
are several minor, and yet time-consuming, actions that the Board had to deal with over the
years: a petition for flush toilets at the Mesa School in 1925; a letter commending the Board for
the splendid exhibit at the Pacific Southwest Exposition, a request from the Navy to put up
posters about restoring the Frigate Constitution; and dedication of a boulder in front of the
Manual Training School—all in 1928; giving permission to the Franklin Parent Teacher
171 Interviews with Samuel Welday, retired principal, on June 20, 1962, and Mrs. Irene Anderson, principal on June 21, 1962; also Santa Barbara Board of Education Minutes, July 30, 1934 172 Santa Barbara Board of Education Minutes, April 3, 1929 and September 6, 1929
108
Association to have movies in the auditorium on Saturday nights and to pay the principal to
supervise the activities, and a petition from the Peabody Parent Teacher Association protesting
the possible use of Casa Loma as an air field—both in 1929; and accepting a picture of Mt. Fuji
in 1930.
In 1933 they were faced with groups called the Citizens Educational Association and the
Ministerial Union who objected to the possible curtailment of kindergarten, music, physical
education, and art as economy measures. In 1934 they helped local organizations which were
sponsoring a health center for undernourished children during the summer by providing room in
three schools and $75 for a nurse for six weeks. In the same year they passed over the request of
the Communist Campaign Committee to use Lincoln School because they hadn’t been given
enough time to make a decision; similar action was taken when the Townsend Club requested the
use of Franklin School in 1936.
When parents at Peabody School asked for a tennis court in 1935, a depression year, their
request wasn’t denied; they were simply given a volleyball court instead. During the same year a
budget control accounting system was started. The First Baptist Church objected to the use of
school buildings and ground for recreational purposes on Sundays in 1938, and later the same
year the Community Center was turned into an audio-visual building.
When the war began, the elementary schools were used as Selective Service sign-up
centers and I.D. tags and fingerprinting were required of all children in February 1942. In June
1942 Jefferson School was closed because of the lack of children in the area and subsequently
leased to the army for $250 per month.173
173 Ibid., September 17, 1925 to September 15, 1942
109
Table 5
Santa Barbara Board of Education 1925-1945
1925-1926 A.H. Avery F.F. Peabody G.S. Edwards W.S. Porter Mrs. A.R. Edmonson
1926-1927 “ P.C. Means E.E. Martin “ “
1927-1928 C. McCray “ “ W.R. Hart Mrs. W.A. Greenough
1928-1929 “ “ “ “ “
1929-1930 “ “ C.D. Craig “ “
1930-1931 “ “ “ E.E. Martin “
1931-1932 W.W. McKee “ “ S.W. Robertson “
1932-1933 “ Vacant “ “ Vacant
1933-1934 J.W. Briscoe E.H. Whittaker O.N. Reynard A.E. Stone E.C. Stewart
1934-1935 “ “ “ “ “
1935-1936 “ Mrs. Mary S. Taggart L.M. Crawford H.S. House “
1936-1937 B. Gage “ “ “ “
1937-1938 “ “ “ “ “
1938-1939 “ “ “ “ Mrs. L.H. Ollis
1939-1940 “ Mrs. M. Webb H.J. Profant “ “
1940-1941 “ “ “ “ “
1941-1942 E.R. Robinson E.H. Stamm Y.B. Griffith C.E. Sovine “
1942-1943 “ “ “ “ “
1943-1944 “ “ “ “ “
1944-1945 “ “ “ “ Mrs. K. McCloskey
110
VII. Summary
The new school year of 1925-26 was welcomed by mother nature with a severe
earthquake on June 29. The resulting damage to the schools cost well over half a million dollars.
Superintendent Stewart and Board, with the cooperation of the populace, took the problem in
hand, repaired the damages and continued the building program that was started in 1920. By the
time Superintendent Stewart left the district in 1933, four more schools had been constructed.
They were Harding Peabody, McKinley, and Jefferson. Garfield School was built from funds on
hand and finished in 1934, and was the last school built until 1953. Many additions were added
to the schools, such as classrooms, auditoriums, and cafeterias to meet the needs of the growing
school population.
The cost of maintaining the schools grew as the number of buildings increased, but lack
of funds during the depression years and lack of materials during the war set the program back to
such an extent that it never did completely catch up with the demand. Lighting was improved in
several schools in 1939 and the usual painting and minor repairs were dealt with as efficiently as
possible.
Several old schools were either sold or demolished. Jefferson, the Blake-Sloyd, La Mesa,
and Garfield Schools were all torn down. McKinley and Washington Schools and the Garfield
Kindergarten were sold for other uses. Several pieces of property were sold, including the sites
of the Mission Canyon, La Mesa, and Jefferson Schools.
The area that took over the limelight when construction stopped in 1934 was the revision
of the curriculum. It was developed under the leadership of Superintendent Curtis Warren and
Lillian Lamereaux, the head of curriculum. It involved the retraining of teachers in thought and
methods used in the classroom. Its theme encompassed living as the basis for learning, and
revolved around social studies as the core of the curriculum. Sequential units were developed
from Kindergarten through Grade 12 and many new ideas were brought into use.
Music, art, physical education, and particularly motion pictures were used in the
development of the revised curriculum. The visual aids department was pioneered by Francis
Noel and became nationally known.
Guidance became an integral part of the new curriculum. It was initiated by Dr. Norman
111
Fenton of the California Bureau of Juvenile Research and left under the very able guidance of
Charlotte Elmott, who carried it forth in its development. The program was unique in many
ways, particularly so in that it provided individual counselors for each elementary school.
Accumulative records were reorganized under the leadership of the guidance department, and
remedial reading and speech, as well as extensive group testing, were initiated.
The City Teachers’ Club became more truly the voice of the teachers; and, although two
salary cuts were required during the depression years, a single salary schedule was adopted in
1936, sick leave benefits were spelled out, and the Club’s president was asked to sit in on Board
meetings in 1939.
The Board was kept constantly busy. Between 1925 and 1934 the building was extensive
and from 1934 to 1941 the new curriculum with all of its added departments and ideas needed
constant support. During the war years, from 1941 to 1945, the Board had to keep up with
increased enrollment, teacher and supply shortages, and the extra duties that the war effort
necessarily burdened them with.
The period from 1925 to 1945 was in general a very dynamic one. One enigma of the
period was lack of balance between the various aspects of the development of the school system.
During the early years, building was emphasized and the curriculum suffered. On the other hand
during the period when the curriculum flourished, even though the buildings were seemingly
adequate, no planning was done to keep them adequate. The most important aspect of the whole
period was the support given the schools by the community, something that had often been
missing in the past. The citizens of Santa Barbara deserve credit for making the advancements
possible, for they were willing to back the school Board with the necessary monies, interest, and
enthusiasm to provide the new buildings and the new curriculum.
About 1941 the district reached its peak of adequacy in curriculum and building
accommodations. The war’s immediate effects, such as material cut-backs, slowed down the
district’s progress. More important was the loss of the leadership of the new curriculum. Several
of those involved left for the war emergency and didn’t return, leaving the district in a becalmed
condition, relying on past achievements with insufficient leadership to move ahead.
112
113
Chapter VII
Growth, Expansion, and Fiscal Problems 1945-1962
The Santa Barbara School District emerged from the depression years a national leader in
curriculum, guidance, and audio-visual services. The facilities in the system were adequate, due
to the foresight and building program of Superintendent Stewart. The staff was satisfied and
completely involved in the new curriculum of Dr. Warren and Lillian Lamoreaux; the
community was solidly behind the foreward looking program of the schools.
This rising tide of enthusiasm and progress was dramatically impeded with the advent of
World War II, and had practically come to a dead stop by the end of the war. Dr. Warren, Mr.
Noel, and Lillian Lamoreaux, who had all been leaders in the new movement in the schools, had
gone to work for the government in administrative positions, and later resigned to assume more
lucrative appointments elsewhere.
The war effort occupied any extra time staff members may have had, and everyone had
more or less rested on their laurels from previous years. The buildings that had once been
adequate were now overcrowded due to lack of building projects during the depression and war
years. Maintenance of school plants had also been curtailed.
I. Building and Maintenance
The problems facing Rudolph Lindquist, the new superintendent, and the Board during
the early post-war years were enormous. Due to the complex nature of the conditions and
overcrowding, the building of additional classrooms had to be the first task undertaken.
Additions to existing schools. At first the growth in the school population occurred mainly in the
areas where schools already existed, for housing expansion didn’t begin immediately. It was
necessary, therefore, to make additions to several of the existing schools. More land was
purchased for Peabody School, and in 1946 two portable classrooms were moved there as a
temporary measure. A new kindergarten was also constructed by Charles and Kenneth Urton, the
final cost being $34,839.79; in the late summer of 1948 it was accepted as complete. The
114
contract for six new classrooms, a cafeteria, and an activity room at Peabody School was
awarded to H. R. Graham and Son for a bid of $192,287.25 in March of 1949. The project was
completed in the early spring of the following year. In acquiring sufficient land for these
additions, Calle Laureles was rerouted to skirt the school grounds.174
Additions to Garfield School included a new classroom costing $6,580 finished in
December 1948 and moving two older bungalows from Garden Street to the Garfield property in
1950. More land to accommodate these buildings had been acquired by condemning adjacent
property when the owner rejected the offer of $15,000. It was later settled for $17,500 of which
$2,190 was returned to the district after selling the houses on the property. The cafeteria in the
school was enlarged by Ward Scott, whose bid was $35,170 in the spring of 1953.
The first growth for Franklin School came when the adjacent property of Mr. Traylor W.
Bell had to be condemned after he refused to accept the offer of $21,000 for his property. The
eventual compromise amounted to $23,000. A complete kindergarten-primary section was added
to the school. The lowest bidder was Harold J. Vaile at $134,733, and the building was
completed in October 1953. Further crowding at Franklin School was relieved by the building of
portables in 1957 and 1958, several of which were subsequently moved when Cleveland School
was built to help relieve the crowded conditions.175
Figure 30: Franklin Kindergarten - Primary wing,
completed in 1953.
174 Santa Barbara Board of Education Minutes, June 20, 1946 to February 7, 1950 175 Ibid., December 21, 1948 to July 10, 1958
115
Table 6
First Month Enrollments Grades K-6 1945-1962
1945-1946.................................................2,794
1946-1947 ......................................................2,808
1947-1948 ......................................................2,975
1948-1949 ......................................................3,134
1949-1950 ......................................................3,379
1950-1951 ......................................................3,583
1951-1952 ......................................................4,038
1952-1953 ......................................................4,271
1953-1954 ......................................................4,437
1954-1955 ......................................................4,758
1955-1956 ......................................................4,931
1956-1957 ......................................................5,191
1957-1958 ......................................................5,595
1958-1959 ......................................................5,843
1959-1960 ......................................................5,959
1960-1961 ......................................................5,853
1961-1962 ......................................................5,955
116
Figure 31: Lawrence M. Parma School for the orthopedically handicapped. It was originally the Franklin Kindergarten, but was rededicated in 1953.
At the end of the war, Jefferson School’s lease to the army was terminated and Westmont
College leased it for $500 a month to use as a women’s dormitory. It was re-opened as a school
in September of 1946, but wasn’t operating to capacity. By 1942, three more classrooms were
needed and were added to the existing structure, using space that hadn’t been finished when the
school was originally constructed. The building contract went to J. W. Bailey for $22,502. He
was awarded another contract in the fall of 1958 when one more room was added for $11,587. In
April 1960 a fire caused by vandals occurred in the storeroom area costing the insurance
companies $5,297.37.
Additions to Harding Elementary School included two temporary buildings completed in
1950 by Robert C. Paterson for $24,800, and a multi-purpose room costing $107,739 in 1954,
built by H. R. Graham and Son.
Other additions included a multi-purpose room at Roosevelt School in 1953 costing
$86,526 and a new kindergarten at McKinley School in 1958 that cost $64,269. Alterations were
necessary at Wilson School in 1959-60 because of the close proximity of the new freeway. They
included light, sound, and heat control as well as the acquisition of a new playground area away
from the freeway. These were acquired through actions with the State Division of Highways. To
supplement the many additions to pre-existing schools and the building of new schools, a
number of portable classrooms were erected and moved around where needed according to the
117
shifting of the population.176
Washington School. As the city expanded after the war, it was inevitable that new
schools as well as additions to the existing schools would be required. The first expansion was
evidenced in two areas of the city; namely, the area known as the Mesa and the area known as
the Samarkand with its surrounding neighborhoods. The first new school to be constructed was
the Washington Elementary School on the Mesa. It was built on land acquired from the Federal
government at no cost to the district, and included 8.3 acres. The general bid went to J. W.
Bailey for $314,490, and was accepted as completed in the late fall of 1953. The initial buildings
were soon found to be inadequate to accommodate the influx of children; additions were made in
1956, costing $93,785. A kindergarten was added in 1959 costing $34,134, as well as a number
of portable classrooms, which have since become fairly permanent. In 1954 the Plans and
Planting Branch of the Community Arts Association selected Washington School and the
Franklin Kindergarten-Primary unit to receive First awards as distinguished examples of Civic
architecture.177
Adams School. The Samarkand area growth resulted in the construction of Adams
Elementary School. The ten-acre site was purchased from the Nineteenth Agricultural District
for $25,000 in the spring of 1952. Chester Carjola was named architect, and the general contract
was awarded to Charles and Kenneth Urton for $456,312. The cornerstone was laid by La
Cumbre Masonic Lodge #642, with its first flags presented by the Native Daughters of the
Golden West and the Masonic Lodges on September 2, 1954. Excavation of the site cost more
than $10,000, and sewer lines had to be brought into the school. The school was officially
opened in September 1954. It was given a third award in 1958 by the Community Arts
Association in contributing to the harmonious development of the community.178
Monroe School. Because of the crowding of schools on the Mesa, another school was
proposed in 1956, with William Wade chosen as architect. Many separate parcels of land had to
be bought, with the largest ones acquired from Mr. and Mrs. Fenton for $23,000 and from
176 Ibid., October 16, 1945 to April 3, 1958 177 Ibid., September 2, 1952 to April 16, 1959 178 Ibid, March 18, 1952 to August 8, 1958
118
Marquis Prescott for $28,000. The estimated cost for grading the site was $33,700, and the
Figure 32: Washington School, erected in 1954.
Figure 33: Adams School, completed in 1954.
general contract was awarded to Peter Davidson and Sons for $425,000. The Masonic Lodges
laid the cornerstone on June 14, 1958 and the school was opened on November 24, 1958.179
Cleveland School. Cleveland School was built on the east side of town near an area
known as Eucalyptus Hill. A school had been needed for a number of years to help relieve the
burden of enrollment imposed on Franklin School. Due to lack of funds, the eventual unit built
on the site included only classrooms. Money that was needed to expand the school and to
179 Ibid., February 25, 1957 to November 24, 1958
119
provide administrative quarters and a multi-purpose room did not materialize when a bond issue
failed in the spring of 1962. The existing plant was designed by William Wade and built by Carl
Cannon at a cost of $225,997.50. The site was bought from Mr. and Mrs. R. Wilson for $37,000
and was only five and one-half acres. It had to be severely graded, as it was located in a hilly
area. It was opened on November 30, 1959 and dedicated early the following January. The
Eucalyptus Hill Improvement Association presented the school with a flag, and 370 books were
donated by private individuals to start a school library.180
Figure 34: Monroe School, completed in 1958.
Figure 35: Cleveland School, opened in 1959.
Property transactions. In addition to the building program involving the Board were
180 Ibid., February 25, 1957 to November 19, 1959
120
several pieces of property also acquired and sold. In 1950 the original Santa Barbara
Kindergarten at the corner of Santa Barbara and De la Guerra Streets was sold to the High
School District for adult education purposes for $21,000. Included in the same transaction was
another piece of property at 814 Santa Barbara Street that brought the district $7,470.
The old Franklin Kindergarten was retained by the District; it was converted into a school
for orthopedically handicapped children; it was renamed Lawrence M. Parma School on
November 13, 1957 in memory of a former Board member who had been particularly interested
in helping handicapped children.
Other property acquired for future use was: Phelps Field at Foothill Road and Mountain
Drive for $21,516 from the University of California, including 9.97 acres of land; one acre of
land on the west side of town near the old city dump totaling $8,830, with an option to buy the
adjacent property when funds were available; and 7.60 acres on Modoc Road in the Veronica
Springs area costing $91,589 purchased from Mr. Gaveletto in 1960.
Maintenance of the school plants. Any attempt at maintenance work on school buildings
during the war years had necessarily been minor, and after the war the district found it very
difficult to keep up with the repairs and day-to-day maintenance that was necessary. This still
remained a problem in 1962. Those things that had to be repaired and couldn’t be put off were
the only projects handled during the early post-war years. Other major renovations were slow to
be completed and years will have been required to catch up fully.
Some of the major repair jobs that were done included re-roofing Roosevelt School in
1947, Franklin School in 1951, and the McKinley School Cafeteria in 1952.
Major painting jobs were done at Lincoln, Wilson, McKinley, Harding, and Franklin
Schools during this seventeen year period. Sound proofing was done at Jefferson, Lincoln,
Wilson, and McKinley Schools. Various playgrounds were paved, and drapes and blinds were
hung in a number of schools.
The largest single maintenance item during this period of time occurred in 1961 when
seven schools were rewired. They included Garfield, Harding, Peabody, Franklin, Roosevelt,
Wilson, and Lincoln Schools. The cost was more than $99,000, including the engineering that
was required.
Supplies and equipment. The supplies and equipment lists continued to grow and to
121
increase in cost. Fuel oil once again showed the relative increase in prices, rising from $1.65 per
barrel in 1946 to $3.90 per barrel in 1956, with 4,500 barrels being used that year. Most of the
schools were converted to gas because of the savings that could be made. Furniture for the new
additions and new schools, and re-furnishing old schools were major items to be paid for.
Eventually such equipment as trucks and film projectors had to be replaced. In 1957, $2,635,
were spent for filmstrip and sound projectors, plus numerous lighting control drapes for various
schools. Between 1948 and 1960 the cost for similar trucks had risen from $1,750 to $7,290. In
1959, $4,250 was expended for maps and globes, few of which had been purchased in eight
years. Classroom supplies had been kept in adequate supply, and most teachers were well-
equipped with consumable materials. The most difficult problem has been to keep up with major
supply and equipment replacements.
II. Teaching Conditions and Salaries
City Teachers’ Club action. At the beginning of the post-war era the teachers found
themselves with a salary schedule ranging from $1,800 to $3,300 per year. Each principal still
received his basic salary plus a bonus according to the number of children housed in his school.
The staff was caught in an inflationary squeeze, and found it difficult to live on their take-home
salary. The following year, 1946-47, they were given a double increment as a raise but still
expressed their displeasure to the Board. In February of the same school year, the City Teachers’
Club asked for an immediate raise of $60 per month for everyone. However, the District
Attorney advised that it was impossible.
The City Teachers’ Club then tried for a maximum of $5,000 for the following school
year, including an increase of $800 without including the usual increment. However, the
schedule that was finally adopted ranged from $2,400 to $4,625, an increase of about $700 at
each level. The schedule had been designed to include eighteen steps down and four classes
across. Each step down gave an added amount, and each class across a larger sum. No newly-
employed person could enter on Class IV, and work in that class had to be planned toward a
definite degree or credential, and had to be approved by the Professional Standards Committee.
In 1947 the Board paid for a member of the staff to represent them at the National
Education Association convention as well as the regular representative sent by the City
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Teachers’ Club. In the fall, the president of the City Teachers’ Club was given a half-day per
week relief from classroom duties to work on club business and a substitute was provided; this
policy was continued through the years.
In 1950 the district was very hard-pressed for funds and no pay raise was possible, for the
enrollment had increased by six percent, but the ability to pay had only increased by four
percent. The following year the teachers were given a $500 across-the-board raise.181
Personnel Policies. In 1954 a revised publication of the Board entitled Personnel
Policies Governing Certificated Employees in the Santa Barbara City Schools was developed
and distributed. It covered all aspects of teaching; five articles with sub-divisions included:
Criteria for Professional Performance; Advisory Committees for the Selection, Evaluation and
Professional Training of Certificated Members of the Staff; Administrative Regulations for
Certificated Personnel; Regulations Relating to Absence of Employees; and Physical and Mental
Examination Regulations. It was all-inclusive, and clarified for the staff the procedures they
should follow, and what was expected of them. The purpose of the publication was noted in the
foreward by Superintendent Jacobsen:
The effectiveness of the school program depends largely on the quality and performance of its personnel. It is vitally important that efficient teachers be selected to lead our boys and girls. It is equally important that the teachers selected continue to grow professionally and to deserve the confidence of parents and public. It is the policy of the Board of Education to provide good teachers for the Santa Barbara City Schools, and to give those teachers the opportunity and incentive for professional improvement. The formulation and administration of well-defined personnel policies and salary schedules assure the fair treatment of all members of the instructional staff.182
New salary schedule and position of Vice-Principal. The payroll deduction for
Washington National Insurance was allowed in 1956, and in the same year the staff got its first
salary increase in three years, establishing a range from $3,700 to $6,800. The following year the
position of vice-principal was created, with schools over eight hundred children allowed a full-
time person and those between six hundred and eight hundred a part-time person. The hurdles
were eliminated from the salary schedule and the number of classes on the schedule were cut
181 Santa Barbara Board of Education Minutes, July 3, 1945 to November 7, 1950 182 Santa Barbara Board of Education, Personnel Policies Governing Certificated Employees in the Santa Barbara City Schools (Santa Barbara: Santa Barbara City Schools, 1954), 1
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down to three. Administrators were put on the salary schedule with the teachers and given the
basic salary plus a percentage based upon the number of years of administrative experience.
During 1958 the City Teachers’ Club was given permission by the Board to have
professional dues deducted from their checks but were charged fifty cents for each participating
member. With the advent of IBM, this charge was eliminated at the request of the teachers group
in 1962. From 1958 to 1962 the salaries kept rising, but the raises usually consisted of across-
the-board raises, not really providing for a sound salary schedule with proper spacing between
the minimum and the maximum. The Salary Committee of the City Teachers’ Club worked
many hours and had many ideas and suggestions, but usually had to work within the budget in
the end, so that many of its suggestions could not be put into affect. It was through the efforts of
this committee, however, that the schedule progressed as much as it did during this period. By
1961-62 the schedule had a minimum of $5,040 and a maximum of $8,820.183
III. Curriculum and Administrative Changes
During the early post-war years, the major efforts of the Board were devoted to housing
successfully the increasing school population. It was due primarily to that circumstance that
curriculum came to a standstill. Nothing new was developed, and the curriculum of the
depression years was adapted as well as possible to the new and changing conditions that existed.
The one factor that probably could have helped to better the situation was leadership and
guidance by a curriculum specialist. No one was appointed to head the curriculum, though, and
Superintendent Lindquist attempted to assume these duties along with the other responsibilities
delegated to him.
In 1948 Dr. Lindquist was killed in an automobile accident, and Dr. Einar William
Jacobsen was elected to take his place. As superintendent of both districts, he realized the futility
of trying to direct the elementary curriculum in addition to other full-time duties, and in the
spring of 1949 Esther Mickelson was elected Director of Elementary Instruction.
Under Esther Mickelson the curriculum made advances, and long-overdue adjustments
were not something that could occur overnight, however, for the past was well ingrained in the
183 Santa Barbara Board of Education Minutes, January 3, 1957 to April 4, 1961
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staff. During Esther Michelson’s term of her employment in the district, several consultants were
brought in from the outside to help with special skills. Such a person was Dr. Lillian Billington
for handwriting in January 1950. In November 1949 the Pillsbury Foundation had granted
$4,500 for study of music for the gifted, to which the Board had added $1,000. By 1952, $5,000
was included in the budget for excursions and to help with the curriculum development. During
the period from 1952 to 1955 a number of bulletins were prepared and distributed to the parents
and the community explaining and emphasizing various aspects of the curriculum.
First curriculum revision. The basic social studies curriculum and textbook selection
were set up by the state. The staff in Santa Barbara had been using modified versions of this
curriculum, based on the units they had developed in the late depression years. It wasn’t until
1954, nearly twenty years later, that any concentrated attempt was made to ungrade these units.
In that year a good share of the elementary staff worked on and helped to write resource units for
each grade level, so that the curriculum in that area would be updated and consistent throughout
the system.
The following year Mildred Jamiesson was made Supervisor of Music and Dr. Dan
Cappa replaced Esther Mickelson, who had resigned. During his one year stay, an experimental
science class for fifteen gifted children was held at Peabody School.
Dr. Norman B. Scharer had been hired to replace Dr. Jacobsen, who had resigned.
Several changes in administrative functions and titles immediately took place, and the position of
Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services was created.
New curriculum title and ideas. Dr. Thelma Damgaard replaced Dr. Cappa in 1956. Her
official title had been changed to Supervisor of Elementary Curriculum and subsequently to
Director. Under her leadership the curriculum manifested a number of changes that continued to
take place. When Dr. Damgaard arrived, there existed a group known as the Curriculum Council
with a representative from each elementary school forming its membership. This group helped to
coordinate the curriculum throughout the system. New people very often served on the
committee each year and afforded a good group to start any necessary revisions. Under the
leadership and guidance of Dr. Damgaard, this group completed the basic organization for
several publications including: the Science Curriculum Guide in 1957 and its revision in 1958;
the Language Arts Curriculum Guide in 1958; review of the proposed state social studies
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curriculum with local recommendations, from which evolved new social studies units for each
grade level during a summer session at the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1959; the
Reading Curriculum Guide in 1960; and the Arithmetic Curriculum Guide in 1961. All of these
were interpreted to the staff through their schools’ Curriculum Council member, individual visits
by Dr. Damgaard, and special grade level meetings.
Mrs. Enid Brock, elementary principal, wrote a series of units for each grade level
entitled American Values in the Elementary Schools that were published in August 1961. They
accompanied a unit of patriotic books from the Central Library, a basic set of patriotic books to
be kept in each school, and a set of books for each upper grade, to be kept permanently in each
room. The curriculum was definitely growing, with new ideas being professed, discovered, and
tried out in almost every classroom in the city. It was a good start and only time will tell the
eventual outcome.
In the spring of 1957 Dr. Charlotte Elmott presented to the Board a request for $16,400
for instructional materials and stated that the city had, through neglect, gradually lost its former
position as leader in the field of instructional aids. Since that time things gradually improved,
and the selection of books available in the library grew. Two years later, in 1959, a new report
card was adopted; it was revised in 1960, better to conform with the changes taking place in the
curriculum and in public attitude. It was a much more formal card, using letter grades but at the
same time being very inclusive in its content and coverage. Written comments by the teacher
were no longer included, but room for parent comments was provided, often resulting in
conferences if and when the need arose. One factor that brought the change was that even though
the elementary schools had progressed toward conferences and written report cards and away
from letter grades, the secondary schools had not, and the general public felt that the children
obtained false ideas from the elementary cards, and then were unable to cope as well with the
grading ideas that they suddenly met in junior high school. Teachers had also felt a need for
more definite grades and were the main force in the development of the new card. And so the
pendulum had once again completed a swing!
To help coordinate the evolving curriculum, the position of Assistant Director of
Elementary Curriculum was established in 1961.
Audio-visual Department. The audio-visual aspect of the curriculum had also suffered
126
financial hardships and cutbacks. By 1953 the materials available were quickly becoming
outdated. The county had relied on the city to fill their audio-visual needs for several years and in
1953 the city had, in turn, to rely on the county. The Board entered into a contract with the
county whereby the city schools would pay fifty cents per ADA based on the 1952-53 school
year, plus two and one-half mills per $100 of assessed valuation in the school district for 1953-
54. The superintendent felt that this contractual arrangement would provide professional
leadership for the audio-visual program in the city schools, and that interests of economy would
be well served in that the city schools would not be duplicating the efforts of the county schools
in the field. The total cost of the arrangement to the city schools was estimated at $5,000 for the
year. This was the pattern in the years that followed and the city received the bulk of its material
from the county in 1962.
To help supplement the library and the other areas of instructional materials not covered
in this contract, Dr. Roy S. Barron was hired in 1957 as supervisor of instructional materials.
Since that time this area of the curriculum had improved immensely.
IV. Guidance and Health Services
Guidance services. Between 1941 and 1961 the number of children enrolled in the
elementary district doubled, but the number of elementary counselors had been cut in half,
according to Dr. Charlotte Elmott.184 The program had been a leader, and is still unique in the
state. Many good things had happened in that twenty-year span, but with proper financial
backing more counselors could have been available and a more thorough program carried out.
Counselors were still available to each elementary school about one day per week. They
would test, interview, and/or confer with those involved with a particular problem. Their services
were used not only in disciplinary problems, but also in helping new children, identifying the
gifted, and generally being available whenever their professional training was called for. In most
cases their services were in such great demand that they were required to choose those problems
that needed immediate help. The teachers looked upon the counseling services as an integral part
of the school program and many boys and girls, as well as parents, have been helped.
184 Interview with Dr. Charlotte Elmott, Director of California Branch, Devereux Research and Training Institute, Goleta, California, July 5, 1962
127
In addition to her duties as Coordinator of Child Welfare, Dr. Elmott was given the
position of Director of Secondary Instruction in 1949. To help with this additional load, June W.
Nemecheck was hired as a full-time elementary guidance assistant. The following year the
district received a grant from the Mental Health Act Fund for $6,500 for the purpose of
conducting a Mental Health Institute for the personnel of the schools and local agencies. This
was followed by a two-week workshop.185
Special Education. In 1953 the position of coordinator of Special Education was
established, with Thomas Murphy appointed to the job. The same year it was decided to establish
a school in the old Franklin Kindergarten building for the orthopedically handicapped, including
those cerebral palsied children from Hillside House who were eligible to attend. Classes had
been held at hillside House prior to the move. The school was renamed Lawrence M. Parma
School and included an elementary classroom, a secondary classroom, and facilities for physical,
occupational, and speech therapies. By 1961-62 the need for another classroom for the following
school year had arisen, so a third class was planned. Due to lack of space in the Parma building a
room at Hillside House Cerebral Palsy Center was to be used, in all ways approximating a
regular special education classroom. It was hoped that entirely new special education quarters
would be available before too long for it was felt that one of the advantages of the program was
to get the children away from their institutional surroundings into as normal a classroom
situation as possible. Funds for relocating the school were included in an elementary bond issue
that failed in March 1962. Further development of the program depended upon further civic
approval of bond measures.
A class for physically handicapped children was taught for many years at Roosevelt
School by Mrs. Katherine Shedd. After her death and because of crowded conditions at
Roosevelt School, the class was transferred to McKinley School in 1960-61.
In 1948 the Child Care program was transferred to the elementary district from the
secondary district, with Lloyd Albright, Principal at Lincoln School, assuming the responsibility
of its operation. This became the responsibility of Mr. Murphy in 1953 as well as the special
Point one and two classes in the districts.
In 1957, Dr. Robert Barry was appointed Director of Pupil Personnel Services to replace 185 Santa Barbara Board of Education Minutes, July 13, 1949 to February 21, 1950
128
the position of Coordinator of Secondary Guidance. His job was to handle the over-all
counseling and guidance in both districts, with Dr. Minna Hansen acting as Coordinator of
Guidance. Two recent publications that concerned the guidance department were Procedures for
Student Control, compiled by a principals’ committee, and Relationship of Guidance to
Promotional Policies and Grade Placement.
Dr. Elmott took a leave of absence in 1957 and returned to the system in 1959 to work on
a project dealing with the prevention of behavior disorders. In 1961 she left the school system to
become Director of California Branch, Devereux Research and Training Institute, in Goleta,
adjacent to Santa Barbara.
Health Services. The health services were fortunate in that the department was headed by
the same physician over the years, Dr. Wayland. As well as providing basic health services for
the schools, health units were developed, and one health unit was made part of the fourth grade
curriculum. It had to do with preventative health measures and learning about the body. Units for
the Sixth Grade were developed about the care of teeth and growing up. The letter, in preparation
for junior high school, explored aspects of growing up, particularly physical and sexual changes
that take place in adolescence. It had been accepted as part of the curriculum for many years,
being handled very well by the classroom teacher. The Health Department provided staff
members as resource people, movies, books, and pamphlets. It was found to be a most
wholesome experience, with the children very enthusiastic; in many cases they were relieved of
misinformation. The parents have been appreciative of the way in which the subject has been
handled.
All schools were provided with a nurse who visited each school at least one-half day per
week, depending upon the size of the school. There were two dental hygienists who traveled
from school to school, one provided by funds from the Cornelia Moore grant. They also helped
out with other aforementioned aspects of the health program.
In 1946 the district had hired an audiometrist, but this phase of the program was turned
over to the individual school nurses, who were subsequently trained in the use of an audiometer.
The district has, for many years, had a group of doctors as consultants in an advisory capacity
and each year several were employed on an hourly basis. For the size of the staff, the health
department maintained an outstanding record throughout this period of time.
129
V. Actions of the Board of Education
Because of the financial problems that continuously faced the Board members during this
seventeen year period, they were very busy, and devoted many hours to listening, discussing, and
deciding. In addition to the major issues that have already been enumerated in this chapter, many
minor decisions had to be made and many events took place. The following are few in number,
but lend insight into the scope of their functions: they adopted the first all-inclusive salary
schedule for classified personnel in 1945; they acted upon the issue when the city wanted to drill
a well at the corner of the Garfield School property because of the scarcity of water; and they
hired a Certified Public accountant to revise the Manual of Accounting, both in 1949; Dr. Melbo
and Dr. Nelson from USC were hired in 1952 to make a survey and report regarding the business
department; the price of school lunches was reduced from thirty cents to twenty-five cents
because of extra surplus government food allotments in 1954 and then was raised again in 1959;
an award of merit was accepted from the County National Back and Trust Company in
recognition of the schools’ contribution to Santa Barbara in 1956; expanded use of IBM
equipment was voted in 1958 and its use with the payroll was passed in 1962.
Many bulletins have been distributed to the community dealing with all aspects of the
building program and the curriculum in the past twelve years in an effort to keep the people well
informed. One of the more recent actions was the formation of a Citizens’ Advisory Committee
in 1960 when a tax rate failed to pass. This has since become an established body to help inform
the community of the needs of the schools and the program that is being developed.
In May 1962 the Board adopted a bulletin written by various members of the staff
entitled Purposes and Objectives of the Santa Barbara City Schools. It is a statement of
philosophy of both districts and the part that each should play in the development of the whole
educative scheme. Because ideas and objectives in Santa Barbara have changed in the past, the
section dealing specifically with the elementary schools is included below:
It is the function of the elementary schools to educate students in grades kindergarten through six in accordance with requirements prescribed by the State of California and the Board of Education.
In fulfilling this basic function, the elementary school, recognizing the unique needs and potentialities of each child, helps the student to:
130
1. Make a successful transition between home and his expanding environment.
2. Acquire fundamental skills and efficiency in reading, writing, mathematics, spelling, listening, speaking, and other communicative tools.
3. Develop basic understandings of the important ideas underlying the major subject areas.
4. Develop an awareness and appreciation of learning as a continuing process.
5. Learn to observe accurately and to become aware of the wonders of the world about him.
6. Acquire good work habits, precision, and thoroughness. 7. Develop a healthy and realistic self-concept, and understanding of his own
capabilities and limitations. 8. Learn to cooperate with others, and respect their rights and feelings. 9. Develop a strong sense of patriotism, and appreciation for his
responsibilities and privileges as and American citizen. 10. Develop self-control, and responsibility for self-discipline and self-
direction. 11. Develop respect for constituted authority, public property, and property of
others. 12. Develop courteous manners and sensitivity to ways of behaving which are
commonly accepted as being desirable and in good taste. 13. Understand and appreciate the importance of rules and safety. 14. Acquire favorable habits and attitudes in the areas of personal health,
physical fitness, cleanliness, and neatness. 15. Appreciate and respect the home and family.186
From the early post-war years until 1962 many changes were necessary in administering
the schools, for the Board of Education, as well as the top administrators, had to handle two
different school districts, both growing rapidly. In the interest of efficiency in dealing with the
expanding school population, it had been necessary to change position titles and duties. Lack of
money and the failure of one tax rate measure made this a very difficult procedure. The
superintendent developed the scope and sequence of the district structure, but the Board had to
be understanding and farsighted enough to grant the changes, and this they did whenever
feasible.
VI. Projection of the District’s Future
186 Santa Barbara Board of Education, Purposes and Objectives of the Santa Barbara City Schools (Santa Barbara: Santa Barbara City Schools), 1962, 3
131
At the present time the increase of students in the Santa Barbara School District is not as
sharp as it has been from year to year in the past. This has been due primarily to a large
migration of the population into adjacent county school districts. The number of new people
coming into the city district nearly equals the number of those that have left. The major growth
of the city in recent years has been through the acquisition of adjacent county areas by
annexation.
It should be emphasized that student population growth hasn’t stopped, but has only
slowed down. This deceleration does afford the district, with sufficient local support, an
opportunity to balance the various aspects of the school program.
One problem that faces the district is the mobility of the school population within the
district. This is handled through the use of portable classrooms whenever possible. Inherent in
this problem is the need for more teachers. By 1961-62 there were 191 classroom teachers plus
others for music, orchestra and the like. In the past few years, and for the coming years, funds for
hiring new teachers have been and are limited. It is necessary, therefore, to move the teachers
with the population shifts, and this often causes combination classes and related difficulties in
the schools where teachers are moved out.
Through the foresight of the administration and the Board, the district owns two building
sites and part of a third for future expansion. It was estimated in 1961-62 that a new school
wouldn’t be necessary for about five years because the school increases could be absorbed by the
existing units or by moving portable classrooms to them. Funds for these classrooms to help
alleviate the crowding that will occur before another school is built do not exist, however,
because of the bond issue defeat in 1962.
The defeated bond also included money for completing Cleveland Elementary School by
adding a cafeteria, multi-purpose room, and an office. One class from Cleveland School will be
brought by bus to Jefferson School every morning during the 1962-63 school year to use an
available room. Major repairs and modernization are still required at many of the schools.
Wilson School, where Child-care Center is also housed, has been trying to get an auditorium for
thirty years; they also need better cafeteria facilities. These and other such repairs and additions
were included in the defeated bond issue.
The estimated increase in the school population by 1966-67 is 519 children, or 8.9%.
This does not include the children in special education classes which are scattered throughout six
132
of the elementary buildings.
133
Table 7
Santa Barbara Board of Education 1945-1962
1945-1946 E. R. Robinson E. H. Stamm Y. B. Griffith C .E. Sovine Mrs. K. McCloskey
1946-1947 “ “ “ “ “
1947-1948 L. M. Parma “ “ “ “
1948-1949 “ “ “ “ “
1949-1950 “ “ “ “ “
1950-1951 “ “ “ “ “
1951-1952 “ B. D. O’Neal “ “ “
1952-1953 “ “ “ “ “
1953-1954 D. S. Licker “ Mrs. E. P. Henderson “ “
1954-1955 “ “ “ “ J. D. Paxton
1955-1956 “ “ “ “ “
1956-1957 “ “ “ “ “
1957-1958 “ “ “ “ “
1958-1959 “ “ “ “ “
1959-1960 “ “ “ “ “
1960-1961 “ “ “ “ A. W. Jacquemain
1961-1962 “ “ “ “ “
134
Many of the administrative cutbacks that occurred after the tax rate defeat in 1960 are
being gradually replaced as the districts grow. As a result the Health and Guidance Departments
are gradually receiving more help and resuming more services. The Special Education
Department’s hope for a new building for the orthopedically handicapped also disappeared with
the 1962 bond issue defeat. As a temporary solution, one class will be held as the Hillside House
in 1962-63. Other aspects of the program that were to be started had to be curtailed for lack of
funds.
The curriculum continues to expand and change to meet the needs of modern living; and,
under the leadership of Dr. Damgaard, is proceeding efficiently. More instructional materials are
being provided to enhance curriculum and provide for school growth; continued replacement and
expansion seems probable. Voluntary in-service classes are tentatively planned for the 1962-63
school year, and are to be taught by master teachers and others on the staff in an effort to upgrade
the curriculum as well as to give the teachers new ideas and help them keep abreast of recent
methods. Those involved as teachers of such classes will be paid through Adult Education and it
is hoped that the teachers taking the classes will be able to get credit toward salary increases. The
1962-63 salary schedule has a minimum of $5,150 and a maximum of $9,800. A new, expanded
salary schedule is being prepared to give added incentive for professional growth.
Most of the immediate building and growth is in the High School District, which covers a
larger area. One project that involves both districts is the future of the Administrative Center.
The Citizens’ Advisory Committee of 1961-62 recommended that property owned on the Riviera
and the present offices and property downtown should be sold. A new center could then be
constructed with monies received on cheaper property. This would also put the old properties
back on the tax roles. The first steps toward this end have begun, as the Riviera property is being
prepared for sale. A similar recommendation was made for the warehouse property, which is
owned by the elementary district. Just what will be done is undetermined, however, for the extra
funds to supplement those obtained from its sale were included in the defeated bond issue.
The future for the district will be one of continued growth, but at a little slower rate. It
will be an opportune time to repair neglected areas of the school program, but it is unlikely that
the necessary funds will be available.
135
VII. Summary
The beginning of the post-war era found the Santa Barbara School District facing the same
problems prevalent to most growing areas—overcrowding and lack of revenue. The district had
also lost several of its leaders including the Superintendent, the Director of Curriculum and the
head of the Visual-aids Department.
There hadn’t been any schools built for ten years, nor had there been many repairs made
during the war. Many new additions to existing buildings were necessary, as well as the eventual
construction of Washington, Adams, Monroe, and Cleveland Schools. The first bond issue in
eighteen years was successfully passed in 1948 to help finance the additions, and others followed
to finance the new schools. Several additional pieces of property were also acquired for future
expansion.
Maintenance of the school plants lagged behind due to the scarcity of materials during the
war years and the lack of funds in the years that followed. Some major items were eventually
financed through bonding and tax rates, but by 1962 many of the older schools still needed major
reconditioning.
Teachers’ salaries gradually increased and a more equitable salary schedule was adopted,
including the salaries of administrators. The district has consistently sought the best teachers, but
has had an increasingly difficult time in offering a competitive salary schedule. Personnel
policies were clearly stated in written form in 1954 and in general the class load was kept below
the average of most districts in Southern California.
The curriculum continued to go through a period of quiescence until about 1949, when
some changes began to take place when Esther Mickelson was appointed Director of Elementary
Instruction. The curriculum had made very little progress before that time due to lack of
leadership. In 1954 the first revision of the social studies units, developed almost twenty years
earlier, took place. In 1956 the title of Director of Elementary Instruction was changed to
Supervisor of Elementary Curriculum and Dr. Thelma Damgaard was appointed to the position.
Under her leadership, all of the major areas of the curriculum have been studied and updated, and
guides have been developed for the use of every teacher in the district.
136
Table 8
Budgets and Assessed Valuations 1945-1962
Year Budget Actual Funds Used Assessed Valuation
1945-1946 $550,239 $475,417 $41,068,205
1946-1947 671,208 536,553 41,269,092
1947-1948 875,421 687,448 46,561,164
1948-1949 1,057,830 875,299 49,699,153
1949-1950 1,055,278 930,364 52,412,301
1950-1951 1,134,783 996,985 54,546,086
1951-1952 1,326,990 1,175,448 58,077,086
1952-1953 1,638,489 1,352,478 62,310,831
1953-1954 1,943,138 1,610,851 64,983,798
1954-1955 2,119,175 1,771,441 67,719,034
1955-1956 2,370,709 1,889,965 70,944,746
1956-1957 2,329,293 1,999,196 78,233,076
1957-1958 2,551,243 2,318,797 88,175,220
1958-1959 2,685,550 2,536,043 92,955,950
1959-1960 2,795,085 2,706,626 95,649,040
1960-1961 2,747,888 2,718,976 106,576,918
1961-1962 3,122,481 3,223,107 110,108,891
137
Table 9
Current Expense of Education per ADA
1945-1961
1945-1946................................................................. $153.31
1946-1947.................................................................. 161.81
1947-1948.................................................................. 206.37
1948-1949.................................................................. 237.97
1949-1950.................................................................. 226.87
1950-1951.................................................................. 215.30
1951-1952.................................................................. 235.54
1952-1953.................................................................. 254.39
1953-1954.................................................................. 298.93
1954-1955.................................................................. 294.71
1955-1956.................................................................. 312.65
1956-1957.................................................................. 338.80
1957-1958.................................................................. 367.66
1958-1959.................................................................. 386.34
1959-1960.................................................................. 401.94
1960-1961.................................................................. 405.97
138
The once-prominent Visual-Aids Department has been taken over by the Instructional
Materials Department, but the city relies almost completely on the county schools for films and
study prints. The Central Library has diligently tried to cope with the exploding pupil enrollment,
and at last seemed to be making positive headway.
During this period the Guidance and Health Departments managed to survive the various
money curtailments but they needed more help for expansion. The Department of Special
Education opened Lawrence M. Parma School for the orthopedically handicapped and under the
able leadership of Thomas Murphy has managed to achieve an expanded program and has
planned for still further development when funds are available.
The Board has had an increasingly difficult task in obtaining funds from the community
to finance necessary building, repairs, and staff additions that are required to maintain the quality
of education demanded by the population. Board members have been very careful in spending
the funds provided but have nevertheless had a difficult time pleasing various factions of the
community. However, those members who have run for re-election have been successful and
often unopposed. As an example of the majority feeling in the community, Mr. C. E. Sovine, a
twenty year member, was recently overwhelmingly re-elected over a strong opponent.
A projection of coming years showed continued financial and growth problems,
demanding complex solutions. The Board and administration were faced with the continued
demand for the best for the least.
139
Chapter VIII
Summary
To understand the present it is often necessary to refer to the past. This is particularly true
of Santa Barbara, with its unusual physical environment, its Hispanic cultural background, and
its extreme local pride. The schools of the city have been a reflection of this environment.
I. The Area Prior to 1794
Before recorded time the area was occupied by Indian groups that succeeded each other
in inhabiting the surrounding environs. Their cultural development became more advanced as
each new migration took place. They left their records behind them in the form of artifacts,
graves, and kitchen middens of their culture. The earliest group was known as the “Oak Grove
People.” They were followed by the “Hunting People,” and finally the “Canaliño.”
The Canaliño were occupying the area when the Spaniards arrived, and had an advanced
culture compared with most Indian groups of Southern California. They were peaceful people
and excellent boat-builders. They lived in groups known by the Spanish name of “rancherias.”
They taught their children the necessary skills for living with the physical environment. Children
were also taught the cultural patterns that had evolved.
The first group of white men to reach the area was led by Juan Roriguez Cabrillo in
November 1542. He was subsequently followed by Sebastian Vizcaíno in December 1602; one
of his party named the area after Saint Barbara. The first overland party was led by Gaspar de
Portolá. His group had come from Mexico and arrived in Santa Barbara in the summer of 1796.
The first party of settlers passed through the area under the leadership of Juan Bautista de Anza
in the early spring of 1776.
With settlers in the territory, the need for protection arose and forts known as presidios
were built and housed with soldiers. The presidio at Santa Barbara was founded on April 21,
1782 and the Santa Barbara Mission followed, being founded on December 4, 1786. A need for
schooling existed for the Indians, who needed training in useful skills at the mission. Education
was also necessary for the children and soldiers at the presidio.
140
II. The Spanish and Mexican Periods
The first public school in Santa Barbara was the second school in the state and was
started in 1795 at the urging of Governor Don Diego de Borica. The first teacher was a ship boy
off a Spanish transport and was paid $125 per year from tribute exacted from the soldiers. The
school met in the Presidio Chapel.
This was the first of many schools during the Spanish and Mexican era in Santa Barbara.
The governors of the province were the one strong force behind the establishment of schools.
Being the cultural center of that period, Santa Barbara was one area that heeded the various pleas
of the governors. But even Santa Barbara had a difficult time keeping schools alive once they
had been started. The general population felt no need for schooling and those people who did
value schooling were able to have their children sent abroad or privately tutored.
In 1829, when the Presidio was changed from military to civil control, a new school was
established and had sixty-seven scholars attending, but was short-lived. The curriculum may
have had direct bearing on the many failures, for it consisted of learning a little writing, a few
numbers, and the Doctrina Cristiana. The schools were poorly built and had few supplies. The
children often had to write on the walls with chalk. Another reason for the poor schools could
have been the ill-equipped teachers who were hardly more than taskmasters, some of whom
ruled with the cat-o’nine-tails. In 1834 only three schools were operating in the whole province,
one of them a boys’ school in Santa Barbara.
III. The American Period from 1850 to 1899
The general apathy and abortive attempts to start schools continued until the beginning of
the influx of Americans. These Americans were appalled at the conditions and lack of school
facilities that they found. As the years passed, these conditions and other matters widened the
breach between the Spanish- and the English-speaking population.
In 1850 the granting of statehood to California meant a change in the schools throughout
the state. The first City Council in Santa Barbara under American rule inherited a school of the
old regime, along with its incompetent teacher and sickly curriculum.
In 1852 the city of Santa Barbara became a county school district and three school
141
commissioners were elected. In 1854 the newly-adopted aid from the state was partially lost
because the County Superintendent didn’t file for it in time. The school had forty students and
they were still using the walls to study the alphabet.
The first driving influence for school reform was the founding of the first newspaper in
1855, the Santa Barbara Gazette. It became the sounding board of the community, particularly
for the English-speaking population. The paper had one Spanish page; and, because the school
was being taught in Spanish, all reports either appeared on that page or had to be interpreted
editorially in the English section. The editor of the paper eventually became so incensed over the
apathy of the Spanish-speaking population that he dropped the Spanish page before it had been
in existence for one year.
The paper was the banner-carrier in the battle for an English-speaking school, a better
curriculum, and a better system of instruction. In 1856 two schools were established, one using
English and the other Spanish. This was a good idea but the schools were ill-housed, and the
populace was not willing to support two schools financially. Eventually the two schools were
combined, but that also proved unsatisfactory. The curriculum had been greatly expanded but the
teacher was not only having a difficult time teaching linguistic groups, but he couldn’t even get
paid. The attempt to teach two linguistic groups in the same school only succeeded in
deteriorating what had been accomplished.
In 1857 a new building was erected at the corner of State and Carrillo Streets at a cost of
$1,500. This price was so exorbitant that the Board of Trustees was removed from office. During
the same year English became the official language of the school, and another tie with the past
was broken.
In 1862 a sever draught began. It continued through 1864 and changed the whole
economy of the area. The great ranchos were broken up and sold, and most of the cultural
patterns peculiar to the area became pages in history.
On June 6, 1866 the Santa Barbara School District was founded, and the city was no
longer a county district. This was the beginning of the district as it is known today. It also
heralded a more stable education for the children of Santa Barbara. By 1868 there were two
departments, one for boys and one for girls; new teachers were brought in from outside the
community to teach them.
In 1869 public agitation in the Santa Barbara Post about the deplorable conditions of the
142
schools forced action, and some improvements were made. Miss Abbie Green was the head of
the girls’ school and had completely upgraded the schools after she arrived. Miss A. F.
Birmingham was the head of the boys’ school which was meeting in the old Sebastopol building,
a structure that incited the wrath of many in the community because of its proximity to a pool
hall.
In 1870 the first playground was established in the city and in 1871 the first Lincoln
School was completed. A tax of seventy cent per $100 had been voted, and $4,500 were realized
to start the structure. It was an imposing building and it vastly improved the educational
conditions in the city. Before Lincoln School was finally realized, there was a storm of
contention about how many schools should be erected, where they should be constructed, and
how they should be financed.
In 1877 the first kindergarten was founded in Santa Barbara by Miss Kate Wiggin. She
called it the “Swallow’s Nest;” it was the first kindergarten in the county. It was the forerunner
of the Kindergarten Association that was founded in 1887 by a group of civic-minded women
who had the foresight to realize the need for such an addition to the educational program. The
kindergartens met with great success and were eventually assimilated into the school district.
They gained national recognition for having a curriculum based on child psychology and were
the harbinger of most modern kindergartens in use today.
The schools in the city were doing very well in 1890 when the money for a new high
school building was voted. High school classes had been meeting upstairs in the Lincoln School.
In 1891 Miss Anna Blake opened the Sloyd School that dealt only with manual, applied, and
household arts. She made her school available to the children of the city, free of charge. All
elementary children above fourth grade went to the school for sloyd each week. It was the first
school of its kind on the Pacific Coast, and through many transitions it eventually evolved into
the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1958.
With the founding of the new high school, the Board had automatically taken over the
duties and decisions regarding it; thus, the dual function of the Board and Superintendent began.
The first recorded Board minutes were in 1897.
IV. Foundations for the Twentieth Century 1900-1925
143
The new century brought with it many changes in attitude and numerous revisions in the
operation of the schools. The number of board members was set at five, having fluctuated
previously, and new rules and regulations were written and published. This was the first real
attempt to organize the schools on a stable basis.
During the period from 1900 to 1925 seven new schools were built. Washington,
Garfield, and McKinley Schools were all wooden frame buildings. Lincoln, Wilson, Franklin,
and Roosevelt Schools were concrete structures, built after 1920. The Garfield and McKinley
Schools reflected the Spanish influence of the area, having Mission-style domes, and were the
forerunners of the Hispanic architecture employed in most of the schools that followed. During
this period of time, the Mission Canyon and La Mesa School Districts were annexed to the
district, appreciably increasing its size.
The early years of the Twentieth Century saw the schools operating on a false economy,
but with the coming of Superintendent Stewart in 1920, things changed for the better. Courses of
study were developed and revised several times during the period and the number of special
teachers was increased. Drawing and nature-study teachers were added; music and manual
training teachers were already employed. The first attempts at special education were started, and
Washington School became the first special education school in 1924.
It was during this period that the health and the school lunch programs got their start, and
in 1907 the first salary schedule for teachers was adopted by the Board. In 1916 sick leave
benefits were enumerated at the request of the City Teachers’ Club, and in 1917 the Board began
to meet separately when dealing with each district’s problems.
V. The Era of Enlightenment 1925-1945
The earthquake of June 29, 1925 caused extensive damage to the schools but did not stop
the building program that had been started in 1920, and by 1934 five more buildings had been
constructed, including Harding, Peabody, McKinley, Jefferson, and Garfield Schools. Between
1925 and 1945 several old schools were torn down and a number of property transactions took
place.
The outstanding achievement of the period occurred during the depression years with the
development of a whole new curriculum. With the coming of Dr. Curtis Warren in 1934 as
144
Superintendent, and the arrival of Lillian Lamoreaux shortly thereafter as Director of
Curriculum, the schools took on a curriculum development project requiring six years for
completion, It was a time of dynamic participation by the whole staff and the resulting
curriculum gained national attention and acclaim. The program recognized children’s needs,
teachers’ growth, community understanding, and social integration.
Two departments that were added during the curriculum development became pioneers in
their respective fields. They were the Department of Visual-aids and the Department of child
Guidance. In 1929 a Physical Education Director had been added to the staff; and this subject,
along with music and art, became an integral part of the evolving curriculum. A remedial reading
and speech program, new systems of keeping child records, group testing, and a program for the
physically handicapped were also initiated.
In 1936 a single salary schedule was adopted, and by 1939 the president of the City
Teachers’ Club had been asked to sit in Board of Education meetings. In 1940 an extensive
policy concerning leaves of absence was adopted by the Board.
VI. Continued Growth and Fiscal Problems 1945-1962
During the war years a status quo existed in most aspects of the school programs, with
everyone concentrating on the war effort. In the early post-war years crowding conditions were
accommodated with additions to several of the schools in the form of classrooms, auditoriums,
cafeterias, kindergarten-primary buildings, and multi-purpose rooms. The first bond issue in
eighteen years was passed in 1948.
During the ten year period from 1952 to 1962 four new buildings were constructed,
including Washington, Adams, Monroe, and Cleveland Schools. Land for future growth was
purchased in three separate areas. Maintenance of school plants lagged behind due to lack of
funds, and many improvements and repairs still remained to be done.
This was a time of numerous administrative changes and the creation of many new titles
and positions to aid and administer the ever-increasing school population. The first curriculum
revision took place in 1954 involving the social studies, and a more thorough revision and
updating of the curriculum began in 1957, which was still continuing.
The various special services offered were in existence after several economy moves and
145
have continued to serve the schools well. Special education was expanded and the Lawrence M.
Parma School for the orthopedically handicapped was started.
The seventeen years from 1945 to 1962 posed many problems for the Board, the
Administration, and the staff. Some of these problems had been overcome, but some still needed
rectifying.
A projection of the immediate future of the district did not provide much hope for the
elimination of recurring problems. Such factors as school building and maintenance, teacher
salary increases, and all aspects of curriculum development in an ever-changing world would
continue to plague the district as ever present problems unless the necessary funds were provided
to stop the spiral that had started with the early depression years.
The Santa Barbara School District has had a long and varied past, based on some of the
earliest attempts at public education as a Spanish and Mexican province, and later as the
American state of California. High and low points in the district’s history have been legion, but
the outstanding achievements have always been the result of the willing support of the
community.
146
147
Bibliography
Books
Burk, Frederic, and Burk, Caroline Frear. A Study of the Kindergarten Problem. San Francisco: The Whitaker and Ray Co., 1899. 123 pp.
A very thorough review and study of the kindergartens in Santa Barbara. It discusses their founding, their philosophy, the child-centered curriculum, daily programs, and many other aspects of the kindergartens operating in Santa Barbara in 1899.
Caballeria y Collel, Juan. History of the City of Santa Barbara from Its Discovery to Our Own
Days. Santa Barbara: F. DeP. Guiterrez, Book and Job Printer, 1892. 96 pp. A compact study of the development of Santa Barbara up to 1892. The data on the
years 1850 to 1892 was particularly significant because of the many living resources available to the author.
Carr, William G. John Swett, The Biography of an Educational Pioneer. Santa Ana, California:
Fine Arts Press, 1933. 173 pp. This book covers the life of John Swett from his origin in England through his
many years as State Superintendent of Public Instruction in California. It tells of his efforts to put education on a solid foundation and a higher plane, and delves into his influence in formulating policy for the schools of the State.
Caughey, John Walton. California. New York: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1953. 666 pp.
A standard of the history of California used extensively throughout the state as a college text. It is very thorough in its coverage and reads very very well, making the state’s past come alive with vigor and enthusiasm.
Gidney, C. M. History of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura Counties California.
Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Co., 1917. 873 pp. Although the scope of this work is very large it still manages to do a good job in
presenting the highlights of the history of the various counties that are covered.
Guinn, J. M. Historical and Biographical Record of Southern California. Chicago: A. M. Chapman Publishing Co., 1920. 1,295 pp.
Large in scope with good coverage of the Santa Barbara County area. It contains a large section about prominent people in Southern California with lithographs.
Hawley, Walter A. The Early Days of Santa Barbara California. Santa Barbara: The Shauer
Printing Studio, 1920. 103 pp. A good overview of the history of the Santa Barbara area from the time of the
aborigines through the rancho period. It is limited in scope, but the coverage is very complete.
148
Hill, Laurance L., and Parks, Marion. Santa Barbara Tierra Adorada (A Community History). Los Angeles: Security-First National Bank of Los Angeles, 1930. 112 pp.
This is one of a number of publications by the Security-First National Bank, exploring the history of various communities in California. This one about Santa Barbara is thorough and contains many interesting sidelights to the history of the area.
Huse, Charles E. A Sketch of the History and Resources of Santa Barbara City and County
California. Santa Barbara: Office of the Daily Press, 1876. 40 pp. A small but history packed book because of its timely writing. The author was a
leader in the community and gave insight into many nooks and crannies of the community during the latter part of the nineteenth century.
Leiter, Russell Graydon (ed.). Living: The Basis for Learning from the Santa Barbara City
Schools Curriculum Laboratory. Santa Barbara: Education Factors, Ltd., 1942. 232 pp. This book discusses and describes the development of a new curriculum in the
city of Santa Barbara between 1934 and 1940. It delves into the reasons for changing the curriculum and how the changes were brought about. It contains many illustrations taken in the Santa Barbara City Schools and gives sample Social Studies units and how to use them.
Mason, Jesse. History of Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. Oakland, California: Thompson,
1883, 477 pp. Thorough in content, and particularly helpful in proving items about the schools
of the area. This book is still widely used, and a new edition was published by Howell North Books in 1961.
O’Neill, Owen H. (ed.). History of Santa Barbara county—Its People and Its Resources. Santa
Barbara: Harold McLean Meier, 1939. 496 pp. By limiting the area covered, this book does a much more thorough job in
chronicling the historical events of Santa Barbara county. It has based much of its contents on other earlier works, but picked and chose those items that could be substantiated with records and the like.
Phillips, Michael James. History of Santa Barbara County California, From Its Earliest
Settlement to the Present Time. Chicago: S. J. Clark Publishing Co., 1927. 464 pp. Although this is a very long and seemingly thorough study of the Santa Barbara
area, it is known by local historians as lacking accuracy in many areas. The author often relies too heavily upon interviews with people without substantiating them.
Roger, David Banks. Prehistoric Man of the Santa Barbara Coast. Santa Barbara: Santa Barbara
Museum of Natural History, 1929. A synopsis of the results of four years of intensive investigation for the Museum
of Natural History of Santa Barbara among the then vanishing remains of villages that in former times occupied the Santa Barbara Valley.
149
Storke, Yda Addis. A Memorial and Biographical History of the Counties of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura California. Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Co., 1891. 677 pp.
The format and contents of this book is very similar to many others published around this time. Besides containing historical material, it devotes a large section to pictures and biographical studies of prominent families of the area. It is of particular value for the information that it gives about the time when it was published.
Southern California Writers’ Project of the Work Projects Administration. Santa Barbara—A
Guide to the Channel City and Its Environs. New York: Hastings House, 1941. 206 pp. A very popular guide to the Santa Barbara area. It deals mainly with modern
times, but has several chapters that accurately deal with the past. The book also contains a number of graphic tours for visitors to the area.
Southworth, John R. Santa Barbara and Montecito. Santa Barbara: The Schauer Printing Studio,
1920. 268 pp. Narrated in a concise form, telling the principal events and history of Santa
Barbara and Montecito. The author attempted to point out and illustrate their natural attractions and beauties to those unacquainted with the areas.
Pamphlets and Periodicals
Daily Independent (Santa Barbara), December 31, 1889.
Daily Press (Santa Barbara), September 6, 1876-February 27, 1882.
Morning Press (Santa Barbara), February 11, 1888.
Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce, Santa Barbara, I, No. 3, March 1906.
Santa Barbara City Schools. Developmental Curriculum. Santa Barbara: Santa Barbara City Schools, 1941. 81 pp.
———. Personnel Policies Governing Certificated Employees in the Santa Barbara City Schools. July 1, 1954. 16 pp.
———. Rules and Regulations of the Board of Education of the City of Santa Barbara California. Santa Barbara: Daily News-Press, 1900. 29 pp.
Santa Barbara Gazette, June 7, 1855-May 7, 1857.
Santa Barbara News-Press, 1961-1962.
Santa Barbara Post, July 18, 1868-June 10, 1869.
Santa Barbara Times, April 9, 1870-November 16, 1872.
150
Unpublished Material
Crow, Ian James. “A History of the School Organization and Administration in Santa Barbara County.” Unpublished Doctor’s dissertation, University of Southern California Library, 1959.
Elmott, Charlotte Dickinson. “The Development of a Mental Hygiene Prgram in the Santa Barbara City Schools.” Unpublished Doctor’s dissertation, Stanford University Library, 1944.
Pieters, Lloyd J. “A Study of the Comprehension of the Vocabulary of Auditory Motion Pictures in the Sixth Grade.” Unpublished Master’s thesis, University of Southern California Library, 1940.
Stillman, Donald Lee. “A Historical Survey of the Santa Barbara California Area During the Early Years of the American Period, 1846-1862.” Unpublished Master’s thesis, University of Southern California Library, 1948.
Other Sources
Santa Barbara City Schools. Reports of the Superintendent of Schools and the Secretary of the Board of Education of the City of Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara: Daily News Job Department, 1901, 1902, and 1903.
———. Minutes of the Board of Education of the Santa Barbara School District, July 1897 to June 1962.
———. Personal interview with Lloyd E. Albright, Principal of Lincoln Elementary School, Santa Barbara, June 20, 1962.
———. Personal interview with Mr. Irene Anderson, Principal of Peabody Elementary School, Santa Barbara, June 21, 1962.
———. Personal interview with Dr. Charlotte Elmott, Director of California Branch, Devereux Research and Training Institute, Goleta, California, July 5, 1962.
———. Personal interview with Mrs. Kalona Harpster, retired principal and teacher, Santa Barbara, June 22, 1962.
———. Personal interview with Lloyd D. Pieters, Principal of Adams Elementary School, Santa Barbara, June 20 through June 29, 1962.
———. Personal interview with Samuel O. Welday, retired principal, Santa Barbara, June 20, 1962.
151
Appendix A
Santa Barbara School Superintendents
1900-1962
1900-1904 ...................................................William A. Wilson
1904-1909 ...................................................Henry A. Adrian
1909-1913 ...................................................Francis M. Fultz
1913-1914 ...................................................Dr. Edwin Snyder
1914-1919 ...................................................A. C. Olney
1919-1933 ...................................................Paul E. Stewart
1933-1934 ...................................................Homer L. Nearpass
1934-1943 ...................................................Dr. Curtis E. Warren
1943-1948 ...................................................Dr. Rudolph D. Lindquist
1948-1956 ...................................................Dr. Einar W. Jacobsen
1956- ...................................................Dr. Norman B. Scharer
152
Appendix B
Santa Barbara School District Bond Issues
1872-1962
Date Amount Results
February 20, 1872 $ 6,000 Passed
June 2, 1882 125 Yes – 6 No – 0
April 8, 1893 200 Yes – 7 No – 4
June 5, 1896 2,500 Passed
June 4, 1897 6,500 Yes – 707 No – 58
June 3, 1898 7,500 Passed
June 2, 1899 8,700 Passed
July 2, 1900 10,000 Yes – 253 No – 15
April 15, 1905 Yes – 319 No – 12
May 18, 1907 20,000 Yes – 207 No – 5
November 28, 1919* 430,000 Yes – 1,510 No – 1,018
September 28, 1920 295,000 Yes – 1,347 No – 77
January 23, 1923 150,000 Yes – 1,579 No – 655
May 25, 1926 450,000 Yes – 2,951 No – 296
June 14, 1927 140,000 Yes – 657 No – 151
March 27, 1928* 300,000 Yes – 11,032 No – 15,015
March 28, 1930 600,000 Yes – 3,894 No – 446
April 13, 1948 380,000 Yes – 4,500 No – 439
May 15, 1952 1,460,000 Yes – 7,718 No – 1,176
February 5, 1957 1,675,000 Yes – 10,754 No – 1,716
March 27, 1962* 700,000 Yes – 7,093 No – 3,611
*these bond issues failed to receive the necessary two-thirds vote to pass.
153
Appendix C
Total Investment in School Plant June 30, 1961
Building Date Completed Number of Acres Investment in buildings, grounds, and equipment
Adams School 1954 10 $565,394.32
Cleveland School 1960 8.50 430,877.03
Franklin School Main Building Primary Wing
1924 1953
7.10 ----
633,593.29 138,851.20
(772,444.49)
Lawrence M. Parma School 1926 .67 58,463.98
Garfield School Main Building Additional Classrooms Special Training Class
1935
1948-1950
3.27 ---- ----
327,829.99
22,810 3,456.82
(354,096.81)
Harding School Main Building Kindergarten-Primary Additional Classrooms Multipurpose Room and Cafe. Boy Scout Building
1927 1931 1950 1954 1951
2.12 2.96 ---- ---- ----
359,470.94 169,162.98 28,065.92
122,389.63 11,017
(690,106.47)
Jefferson School Main Building Classroom Addition
1932 1959
11.36 ----
517,233.60 17,048.75
(534,282.35)
154
Appendix C - Continued
Building Date Completed Number of Acres Investment in buildings, grounds, and equipment
Lincoln School Main Building Auditorium
1922 1930
2.32 ----
491,693.60 57,358.77
(549,052.37)
McKinley School Main Building Kindergarten Addition
1932 1958
10.60 ----
670,545.19 78,357.12
(748,902.31)
Monroe School 1958 9.30 653,763.58
Peabody School Main Building Kindergarten & Add. Cls. Rms. Auditorium, Cafe. and Six Class Rooms
1928 1948
1949
6.77 ----
----
355,473.45 70,168.36
220,669.70
(646,311.51)
Roosevelt School Main Building Multipurpose Building
1924 1954
4.08 ----
510,215.69 93,802.95
(604,018.64) .
Washington School Main Building Classroom Addition Kindergarten Addition
1954 1956 1959
8.20 ---- ----
425,198.90 109,021.69 39,942.74
(574,164.33)
Wilson School Main Building Kindergarten
1920 1937
2.97 ----
481,216.07 17,751.16
(498,967.23)
155
Appendix C - Continued
Building Date Completed Number of Acres Investment in buildings, grounds, and equipment
Administration Center* Administration Building Annex Instructional Aids Building Bungalows
1922-1948
1907 1923 1917
1.55 ---- ---- ----
19,370.27 16,360.29 75,099.79 4,554.74
(115,385.09)
Warehouse and Service Shop 1930 1.54 191,470.61
Child Care Centers Nursery Schools Wilson Day Care
1908 1920
.23 ----
24,868.17 12,218.20
(37,086.37)
Portable Classrooms (8) 1957 ---- 64,455.52
Portable Classrooms (2) 1958 ---- 19,272.71
Mission Canyon Site ---- 9.97 21,515.75
Modoc Road Site ---- 7.60 91,589.25
Westwood Oaks Site ---- 1 8,830.08
Desks in Storage ---- ---- 714
Combined Totals ---- 110.56 $8,222,933.24 *The Administration Center is jointly owned with the Santa Barbara High School District, which has a larger investment than the Santa Barbara School District.
