Page 8 ^ a y 14,1982
Spilyay Tymoo
Economics force closure of Sim nas ho school
by Marsha Shewczyk
The small, one-teacher four-
grade school at Simnasho,
Oregon is the target for 509-J
budget cuts in the 1982-83
school year. “It’s a matter of
economics” says 509-J school
superintendent Darrell Wright.
The Simnasho school has
been on and off the axing board
for years now. Community
involvement and concern has
kept it in operation until now.
But the budget for the 1982-
83 school year shows a one
million dollar increase. With
cuts in personnel, cafeteria
services, building funds and the
e lim in a tio n of S im n ash o
school the increase in funds
over last year’s budget is down
$500,000, according to
right.
Federal budget cuts have
reduced funds to many school
districts. But in the 509-J
district, impact aid funds have
also been reduced. The total
reduction has made it necessary
to tighten purse strings in the
district.
Simnasho school being the
target for closures does not
result from reduction of Indian
monies per se, says Wright.
Expenses have increased'and
the cost per pupil at Simnasho
is not comparable to the rest of
the district. Three thousand
dollars per pupil is the amount
spent throughout the district
except at Simnasho where the
per pupil cost if five thousand
dollars. This is not an equitable
distribution, expresses Wright.
The projected cost for
operation of Simnasho school
for the 1982-83 school year
includes $35,093 for salaries,
$13,128 for fringe benefits and
$14,148 * fo r o th e r co sts
including: $250 for assemblies,
$100 for contracted services;
B
$936 fpr electricity; $12,095 for
fuel (diesel and propane), $57
fo r services (w a te r and
garbage): $100 for out-of
d is tric t tra v e l; $225 fo r
telephone; $360 for supplies
and $25 for miscellaneous
awards. The grand total is
$62,369.
The cost of maintaining an
empty building upon closure of
the school is estimated to be
$4,200 annually for electricity
and fuel. Wright added that the
Simnasho School building will
be put to use either by the Tribe
or by the school district.
Wright emphasizes that he
tried “to make cuts fairly
equitable across the board.” He
says it’s hard to justify to the
tax payer the spending of
$62,000 for 12 students.
As far as the loss to the
community Wright says, “If
Simnasho were a community
school in the sense that the
s t u d e n t s a l l liv e d in
Sim nasho...then the losses
would be greater than the
current situation.”
When the school reopened
after being closed for many
years in 1972 there were 47
students in attendance. It was
then “more truly a community
school than it is now,” Wright
maintained.
Asked about the possibility
of reopening Simnasho School
in the future again Wright
answered that it would be
possible if the population of
Simnasho would increase while
at the same time increasing the
number of students in that
community. Or if for some
reason finances in the district
should improve it might be
possible to reopen Simnasho
School.
In Wright’s estimate smaller
is not necessarily better. He
always better,” Wright asserts.
What is the loss to the
co m m unity of S im nasho
school. For many years it has
drawn the community and
parents together through its
activities and its children.
No one wants the school to
close and the loss will be the
g re a te st to the stu d e n ts
attending the one-room school
and particularly to teacher
Rich Little.
L ittle h as ta u g h t a t
Simnasho School for the past
five years. Not only is he
teacher but he is a community
member and a 4-H leader for
students of the school.
Along with other community
members, he has brought some
o f th e W ä rm S p r i n g s ’
traditions to the school. He has
worked towards keeping these
alive in the young people
attending the Simnasho school.
“I think I ’m satisfying social
needs of the community” along
with teaching basic education,
Little explained. As a teacher in
this’ small school, Little has
found it difficult to separate
academics and the traditions of
the people. There has been no
difficulty in combining them.
Warm Springs Elementary
school counselor Ed Roley feel
that Little “teaches some
important things. He teaches
ideas beyond the curriculum,
such things as getting along
with others.”
The one-classroom school at Simnasho has been targeted for
The students have learned to
elimination by the509-J budget committee because of the expense count in both English and
involved. Twelve students attend the four grade rural elementary Indian. The songs they learn
school.
Spilyay Tymoo photo by Shewcxyk reflect In d ia n tra d itio n s .
A rtistic activities include
sees value in the interaction of- larger schools, there is a music Indian dancing and beadwork.
students in larger schools along te a c h e r a n d a p h y sic a l It is all Unique to this small
with the generation of more education teacher. The child reservation school.
has the advantage.
ideas.
T h e c o m m u n ity w ill
Many students indicate the certainly fee! the loss of this
More resources are available worth of the small school but small rural school and possibly
to the students at larger some studies also indicate that so will the educational system
schools. T eachers provide there is value in larger as it* sees education being
specialization, for instance in classroom sizes. “Smaller is not urbanized and modernized.
Small schools have definite advantages
A first grade student was
having difficulty with his
mathmatics. With individual
help from the teacher and
som etim es a th ird grade
student he soon learned what
he was doing wrong.
S tu d e n ts h e lp in g one
another and taking pride in
both learning and helping to
teach, is one element which
separates the one-room school
from the larger school.
At one time, the one-room
s c h o o l w as c o n s id e r e d
backward, as a matter of
necessity. In many places it is
now looked at with local pride
and new respect.
In these small schools the
teacher takes the time to see
that children are progressing in
the basics. The teacher has to
be dedicated for oftentimes
there is little time during the
day to rest. He has the aid of
older students who learn while
helping the younger. The
in d iv id u alizatio n c an ’t be
matched.
Geographical reasons have
kept rural schools in existence
however they are becoming
fewer and fewer. At the turn of
the century there were 200,000
one-room schools in the United
States. In 1930 there were
14,282 and today there are
barely 1,000.
The movement away from
one-room, one-teacher schools
OitR Sc
began with modernization and
technology. Many communi
ties are forced to fight to retain
their rural school.
It has been found that
students who attendsmall rural
schools perform just as well on
s ta n d a rd te sts as th o se
attending modern elementary
schools.
The antecdote to bigness and
bureaucracy could be the small
school where there are fewer
children and everyone can be
important.
Consolidation of many small
schools into larger multi-grade
s c h o o ls h a s o c c u r r e d ,
according to Jonathan Sher,
education director for the
Center of Community Change
in Washington, D.C., primarily
because of a consensus among
influential policy makers. The
values of local control, close
relations possible am ong
teachers, parents and students
and the opportunity for more
students to participate in
school at a more meaningful
level seemed overshadowed by
the promise of new buildings,
more courses and sophisticated
equipment.
Economy, equalization of
expenditures per pupil and
improved quality were the
promises with consolidation.
But, as yet, there is no proof
that the' larger school' ‘has
provided all of these, claims
Sher.
Why consolidation ever
occurred at all is not a mystery.
There has bpen a great
population redistribution and
consolidation of small, rural
schools was part of this
urbanizing trend.
Finally, money was a factor
for consolidation. Many states
provided substantial finanacial
incentives for local districts
who were willing to accept
mergers, such as construction
funds.
Arguments in favor on
consolidation cite economic
factors as being of primary
importance. This is true in
many cases. But weigh it
against the value of the small
school and which has the
greatest importance?
Consider the small school.
Children learn in these small
schools to relate well with'
each other. They gain a strong
self-concept. Local pride is
generated through the children
as parents and community
work closely with the school.
South Dakota state school
superintendent Thomas Todd
describes one-teacher schools
“as an essential part of the
education system.”
Small schools are praised for
the absense of problem s
characteristic of big schools.
There are few disciplinary
problems and both teachers
and students have a log of
independence. The limited
resources in these rural schools
a re o f te n a c h a lle n g e
demanding creativity.
V ery im p o rta n tly , the
students in these rural schools
are involved in the community
along with adult community
members. With consolidation
this is lost. “Bigger is not
always better,” Sher asserts.
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