USA > New York > Dutchess County > History of education in Dutchess County > Part 9
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Mrs. Lawrence said :
The economic and intelligence level of the children at Spackenkill School is high. The children can learn. We're fos- tering that with small classes. We lay the groundwork in the primary grades, and try to teach wise use of time, to teach the children to study. We incorporate study period in class time, so that the teacher supervises study. That's normal in
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grades one through six, but we do it in the seventh and eighth grades, too. In spite of the teacher shortage, posi- tions here are coveted. With our small classes, teachers can see that they are accomplishing something. Each child is important, and parent participation and community spirit are high. Parents are always thinking "how can we help you, the teachers ?"
In 1957, the future of Spackenkill School as an inde- pendent district seemed a bit shaky. The State of New York was asking that the district consolidate with one of the larger surrounding districts. Studies were made regarding this problem. At the same time the school board was working hard to keep Spackenkill School an independent district. A special report was made and sent to all taxpayers and parents of the district explaining Spackenkill's stand for independ- ence in the face of the state recommendations.
The president of the board, James H. Warner, Jr., made this report, which stated :
"Remember, you pay high enough taxes to provide an education in public schools. Second to none, it is your per- sonal and public duty to see that you get what you pay for."
Mr. Warner's report went on to say :
. the school board is convinced that the district should control its own system. Three years of study have shown that both for your tax dollar and for the best interests of education, we should continue to educate our own children.
Spackenkill School applied for permission to build a high school in 1957, and the plans were rejected, with the comment that Spackenkill School should consolidate with some other district. If Spackenkill School were to join with Arlington or Wappingers Central Districts, there would be no need for an affirmative vote on the merger. Poughkeepsie's Board of Education could make the decision for that district to admit Spackenkill School, but residents of the latter would have to vote on such a merger.
Mr. Warner's report asks Spackenkill residents to "keep an open mind" on the matter, and suggests: If we voted against joining another district, according to the present law, we would remain independent. We hope the Department of Education will honor your vote.9
Spackenkill in 1959 is still without its own high school. The pupils in the ninth and tenth grades attend Poughkeepsie High School, while those in the eleventh and twelfth grades go to Wappingers Central School. The district is still being urged by the state to join a neighboring district, and it is
) Poughkeepsie New Yorker, Thursday, April 11, 1957, from article on front page entitled "Spackenkill Renews Fight to Retain District."
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possible that a merger will be worked out between Pough- keepsie and Spackenkill in the not too distant future.
With all these modern schools in Dutchess County, it is interesting to note there is still a one-room school actively op- erating.10 This is the Shenandoah School in Shenandoah, New York. Shenandoah is located in the extreme southeast-
SHENANDOAH ONE-ROOM SCHOOL
ern portion of Dutchess County, and is a peaceful little town of some 75-100 estimated population.11 This is a completely independent district, just as were the early one-room schools
10 The author visited this school in the fall of 1956, however in June of 1958 the school was closed.
11 The exact population of Shenandoah is not known because there are no established boundaries for the community.
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of Dutchess County. When the children graduate from the eighth grade, they then enter the Wappingers School Dis- trict to complete their high school education. Miss Anna M. Farrell is the teacher in this school as well as the principal, supervisor, and practically everything concerned with run- ning a school. This term there are 19 students enrolled in the school, ranging in grades from first to the eighth. However, none of these were in the sixth or seventh grade, and as far as this author could determine only a few were in the fifth and 4 were in the eighth, the rest appeared to be in the lower grades.
Miss Farrell likes to think that the children in her school get the same (if not better) education than those in the large central schools. What they do not get at Shenan- doah, she admitted, was subjects such as art, music, or the recreational facilities found in larger schools.
Whatever has to be done in the school, has to be done by all the students, with the help of the teacher, in such matters as celebrating holidays or arranging parties, etc. All standard text books are used in this school.
The school is situated on a dirt road, approximately one mile from the Taconic State Parkway. The school yard is extremely small, and not graded and finished like the new schools. The day this author visited the school, a flag was prominently displayed from the front porch, and a dog was waiting patiently on the porch for his master to finish school, so they could walk back home. Oh, yes, all the stud- ents at Shenandoah walk to school. At one time there were apparently two entrances to the school, but at present only one is used. Inside the school room are such modern con- veniences as oil heat, a drinking fountain, indoor lavatories, and a telephone. This is considerably different from the early one-room schools. The children are seated by age, with the youngest on the inside wall by the blackboard, and the oldest by the windows, overlooking the road. The chil- dren show great respect to visitors and to the teacher, and there is no confusion when a visitor enters the room, nor are any children trying to get special attention from the visitor such as children in the large schools so often try to do.
Miss Farrell said that she has talked with some of her students who have graduated from Wappingers High School
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and they appeared to have adjusted easily to the difference of the one-room school atmosphere and that of crowded Wap- pingers School. Miss Farrell is much in favor of the one-room school, where the children get individual attention, with few distractions. She admits, however, that in the future, this school, like other one-room schools of the county, will be just a memory; but at the moment the whole community is in favor of the school as it is. Furthermore, she pointed out that Wappingers Central School has not asked the people of Shenandoah to join its district, and therefore there is little talk of closing the school.
As previously pointed out the Shenandoah School did close in June of 1958. The Shenandoah School District tax- payers voted to close the school and to sell the property at public auction. These pupils now attend the Fishkill Plains Elementary School in the Wappingers School District.
Also in 1958, the five-pupil, one-room school in Bull's Head was officially closed. These pupils now attend Rhine- beck Central School. There are still three one-room schools in the county, namely : Schultzville, in the Rhinebeck Central School District, Chelsea-Brockway School, and the Red School House.
The Red School House is located in District 4, Town of East Fishkill, and presently has an enrollment of sixteen pupils. The principal is Mrs. Elizabeth L. Travis who has been the teacher and principal in this school for the past forty-seven years. "When it is time for school to open in the morning or afternoon, she summons the boys and girls with the hand bell she has used in all of her years as teacher there ... When not in use, the bell is on top of a five-shelf bookcase in the entry."12 These few remaining schools indi- cate the era of the one-room school is about to end in Dutch- ess County.
Among the more unusual ways of raising taxes for the support of schools was a sales tax, which was proposed in the summer of 1956. From an article in the Poughkeepsie New Yorker in July, 1956, the following comments were made about the proposed sales tax :
County Attorney Welch today withheld comment on provisions of a state law which, The Poughkeepsie New Yorker learned, would permit the County Board of Super-
12 Poughkeepsie New Yorker, October 19, 1958, 1C
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visors to levy a county retail sales tax on behalf of school districts. Mr. Welch said he has not been asked for an opin- ion on the subject.
The New Yorker went on to state :
The county board on Monday referred to its Tax com- mittee a proposal of the Pawling School District Board of Education that the county levy a sales tax and distribute the receipts to county school districts to aid them in reduc- ing school tax costs on local real estate taxpayers.
First inquiries about the state law on local special taxes disclosed that the county board could levy the special tax, but that a permissive referendum might be conducted on the proposal. No referendum is mandated, however.
Inquiries indicated, also, that a sales tax might be levied in all sections of Dutchess County outside the City of Poughkeepsie, which already has a two percent sales tax. If the plan were accepted, there might be a way of developing a method of including a tax in Poughkeepsie on some plan for the sharing of receipts so that the aggregate rate of the levy would be no more than the city's existing two percent rate.
If such arrangements were worked out, it was indicat- ed that then the city school district might be included among districts in the county to benefit from the special tax.
Any county levy, the state law was reported to provide, might authorize distribution of receipts in whole or in part to the school districts. Part of the receipts might be ap- plied to county government operations, it was said.
The tax machinery was reported to provide a method for distribution of revenues to a school district the boun- daries of which would be only on the basis of average daily attendance of pupils who lived within the county borders.
Thus there is the chance of a county school sales tax in Dutchess County, as well as in other counties of the state. This, like Spackenkill's high school, will have to be a wait and see matter.
A new seventh and eighth grade center was to have opened in the old high school building (now Our Lady of Lourdes High School) in the fall of 1957. This program was delayed because of severe controversy over the financ- ing of the renovations which were needed in the building. The Poughkeepsie New Yorker of April 1, 1957, reported the following :
"Meanwhile Architect Rolf C. Dreyer confirmed that further time is being allowed for contractor's bids on the estimated $500,000 conversion to the old high school."
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There was also controversy at this time over a junior- high school program because of opposition to a similar pro- gram in New York City. The New York City Teachers' As- sociation is opposed to such a system of junior high schools.
The State Department of Education is mandating the junior high school program, according to Mr. Hunger. The New York City teachers' group called for a return to the old system of eight years of elementary school and four years of high school, which is the system presently in use in Pough- keepsie. For several years, the New York system has been emphasizing a 6-3-3 set-up. New York City's system was reported to be suffering from a shortage of qualified teachers. Forty-five percent of the teachers in the New York junior high schools were reported to be substitutes or per- sons serving without proper license requirements.
Asked for a comment on that phase of New York's problem, Mr. Hunger said that the State Department of Ed- ucation is prepared to certify automatically Poughkeepsie's present seventh and eighth grade teachers for work in the junior high school.
He said that some teachers might have to be especially qualified for work in certain areas such as art, music, and science. He also said that New Paltz State Teachers' Col- lege has begun preparing teachers for junior high school teaching certificates.
The next day the Poughkeepsie New Yorker contained the following concerning the new junior high school :13
PARETTI MAKES NEW DEMAND FOR VOTE ON JR. HIGH SCHOOL
Poughkeepsie's Board of Education today faced a new demand of a local Citizens Committee on Secondary Educa- tion that it conduct a referendum on the proposed $500,000 conversion of the old North Hamilton Street High School to a Junior High School for seventh and eighth grade stud- ents.
Samuel M. Paretti, chairman of the committee, called for the board action to fulfill what he said was a board pledge in response to petitions, signed by 730 persons, demanding that city voters have an opportunity to ballot for or against the project. Mr. Parctti said the committee which is spon- soring Edward G. Ose for member of the School board will emphasize his desire that the junior high school conversion be approved finally only with the backing of the city voters.
The New York City High School Teachers group action of demanding that junior high schools be abolished supports the Citizens Committee opposition here to a seventh and eighth grade center program, Mr. Paretti said. "Naturally the professional educators are opposed to the idea."
However, it is our conviction that the teachers, who have
13 Poughkeepsie New Yorker, April 13, 1957, front page, from article entitled "Paretti Makes New Demand for Vote on Jr. High School."
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faced the Junior High School problems for 25 years, are in a better position to know what they are talking about. In view of this, we are more firmly convinced that we should retain our 8-4 school system and not try to adopt a new system that is considered a failure elsewhere.
Meantime, Edward A. Schwartz, a real estate agent in Poughkeepsie, called attention to objections which have been raised by the New York City teachers to the junior high school program . . . It is all very confusing ... and I might add exceedingly costly and painful to the taxpayers once a commitment is made.
Edwin L. Hunger, Superintendent of Schools for the City of Poughkeepsie, has now approved the junior high school plan as previously described. This was not an easy matter and can easily be termed one of the "modern battles of education" which Poughkeepsie had to face.
Iu the face of all the opposition to the junior high school, it is interesting to note that Arthur May, chairman of the Curriculum Guidance Committee of the Poughkeepsie Education Council indicates there are "distinct advantages in an enlarged and more effective guidance program" which will be made available in the junior high program. Mr. May also said in the Poughkeepsie New Yorker, February 2, 1959, "nationwide surveys clearly demonstrated that the ideal time for students to be encouraged in their fields of interest is at the junior high level." The guidance committee will encour- age the school administration to hire teachers with special training at the junior high level to come to Poughkeepsie. Thus we can see an entirely different attitude over that in 1957 regarding the status and value of the junior high school.
In the fall of 1958, the Dutchess Community College opened with an enrollment of 250 students, with Dr. James F. Hall as president of the college. This college is located on the former Bowne Hospital property on Pendell Road in Poughkeepsie. The college is under the direction of the New York State University, and is tuition free to residents of Dutchess County. The college offers a two-year liberal arts course. Approximately 400 students are enrolled in the night courses offered at the college. There are still many renovations to be made before the old Bowne buildings will be fully converted to suitable college buildings. A portion of these buildings was formerly used by the Little Red School House.
In the twentieth century we have seen Dutchess Coun- ty's school system develop from many one-room schools to
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the large centralized school districts of today. We have seen the many new additions to the curriculum, and the many di- versified opportunities offered to children today that were not afforded the children of previous generations. We have seen Dewey and liberalism or progressivism come into being. We have also seen Dutchess County become industrial in the twentieth century, and the rapid disappearance of agricul- ture as the main way of life. After 1941, with the coming of IBM, we have seen a tremendous growth of population in the county, which was reflected in the schools, and we saw that though IBM did bring this large number of students to the county's schools, it also increased the educational opportuni- ties in the county, with newer equipment, advanced courses, etc. We can now see, too, the main problems facing the county or portions of the county in the very near future, namely :
1. Enough qualified teachers to meet the demand.
2. Enough money to be able to provide the proper schools for the increasing number of children in Dutchess County.
3. A proposed sales tax for Dutchess County.
4. The fact that Spackenkill may become part of some other neighboring district, or that the district may remain independent and acquire its own high school.
These problems can only be answered in the future. What their effect will be on the county, and if they are carried out as planned, can only be determined in the future.
In the general conclusion that follows, the major de- velopments of the entire county will be summarized, and we can see how we stand in 1959.
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CONCLUSION
We have seen Dutchess County's educational system grow from the old church school in Rhinebeck in 1716 to large and beautiful schools such as the one opened in 1957 in Poughkeepsie. We have seen the population of Dutchess County grow from 445 in 1714 to the 1950 census of 136,781, accompanying the changes from agriculture to industry. We have seen very rapid growth of school populations in the past 15 years, as well as many changes in school programs.
Therefore, we should briefly review the important events in education in Dutchess County from those early days to the present. The first schools in Dutchess County were similar to those of the Middle Colonies, supported by various church organizations. This was not like the New England Colonies where one church group had strict and complete control over the schools, although in both cases, religion was the most important subject taught. In the South, we noted that schools were mainly conducted on the large plantations and only for the children of the owners, not the children of the slaves.
By the time of the Revolution, the church school idea was breaking down, and private village schools were coming into existence. There were, at this time, no free schools in Dutchess County. However, the main difference in the vil- lage schools over the church schools was that religion was no longer being included as the central subject matter in the curriculum of the village schools. All these early vil- lage schools were supported entirely by the community and its members, and the teachers received little salary. Many times the teachers received no salary but were guaranteed room and board with the parents of the school children. By the late 1700's, the Board of Regents was established, and Governor Clinton, as well as other men of the day, was trying to get the public to accept the idea of a free public school, similar to the one established at Clermont.
Of all the early teachers in Dutchess County, the name
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of Chauncy Graham seems to stand out above the rest as an effective teacher and educator. He was the teacher of the school at Brinkerhoffville, near Fishkill, where many prom- inent leaders of the county received their early training. In the early 1800's, Jacob Willits became the outstanding teach- er of the county. He was also the author of various text- books.
We saw the rise of the academy system in Dutchess County in the 1800's, and saw Poughkeepsie become known as the "City of Schools." However, by 1843, the public school idea was being accepted in various parts of the state, and an attempt was made to have it established in Poughkeepsie. After much discussion, and under severe crit- ical editorial opposition, the idea was put before the public, and the people accepted by vote the idea of free public edu- cation.
This was the first public school in Dutchess County, and for the next 50 years, Poughkeepsie more or less set the pace for the rest of the county. The approximately fifty- year-period, from 1843 to 1900, was considerably short in comparison to the preceding period of 1700 to 1843. How- ever, this fifty-year-period saw many changes in county edu- cation. It saw the decline of the private schools, the devel- opment of the high school, and the advancement of the pub- lic school in general. By 1900 there were few private schools left in the county. Many of the private academies, rather than close completely, simply converted to public schools as we saw in Dover Plains.
There were many state laws passed in the 1800's to try to speed up the advance of public education, among them an act in 1805 for the encouragement of Common Schools, which was the beginning of the common school fund, now "preserved inviolate" in the Constitution of New York State. In 1812, an act was passed for the appointment of a Superintendent of Common Schools, and by 1849 a free school system was provided for the entire state. By 1854 the State Department of Public Instruction was formed. However, the most decisive act occurred in 1894, when the people of the state "enjoined the legislature to provide for a system of free common schools wherein all the children of this state may be educated." These were some of the most
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important acts concerning education in the 1800's, all of which had their influence on the educational development of Dutchess County. In some cases the county was ahead of the majority of the state, such as in the establishment of the public school, other times the county lagged behind.
Throughout the history of education there have been battles of one kind or another, such as the controversies over taxes. The Kalamazoo Case proved once and for all that it was legal to tax for secondary education. Other court decisions had the same result for elementary education. Nev- ertheless the battles were fought, and still are being fought -and Dutchess County is no exception. In 1865 we saw the bitter dispute that raged in Rhinebeck in the attempt to get more and better schools. Back in 1843 we saw the same thing in Poughkeepsie, and in 1959, history is repeating it- self in regards to the new junior high school in the City of Poughkeepsie.
By the late 1800's, a new concept of education was forming, the child was becoming a person, he was the one to teach, and he was to be taught what was beneficial to him. By the early 1900's this trend was firmly established and was mainly the responsibility of John Dewey. Of all the events in Dutchess County in the period of 1850-1900 the most unique was the Poughkeepsie Plan initiated by St. Peter's Church. This was an arrangement whereby a public school system was set up in both the public city schools and the parochial schools. It was a financial gain for both church and city for a time, but was later abandoned with the en- largement of common school funds.
Educationally, one of the most interesting aspects of the last half of the nineteenth century was the one-room school, which was described in Chapter Four in some detail. Considering that the nineteenth and early twentieth century was the period of these one-room schools, it is interesting to note that there are still a few actively operating in the coun- ty today. Although these "modern" one-room schools do have certain improvements over those of earlier times, they are still, in essence, very similar to the one-room schools that appeared in the county many years ago.
By the early 1900's the junior high school system was becoming established, first as a two-year, and presently as a
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three-year program, with, in many cases, a separate building being provided for the junior high school. In the past few decades, the trend has been toward centralization. In Dutchess County this was started in the 1930's by Pine Plains and Wappingers Falls and at present almost all school districts in the county have become centralized.
There have always been problems in public education, and we have seen them as they developed in the county, right up to the present time. Currently, one of the most urgent problems is to get enough schools to properly educate the chil- dren of Dutchess County and also to be able to get enough qualified teachers for these schools, particularly in the rapidly advancing junior high school division. State Teachers' Col- leges, such as New Paltz, are now presenting programs for junior high school teachers and it seems that this problem is now recognized. As far as the teacher shortage in general is concerned, the now slowly rising salaries for teachers should help to solve that problem.
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