OUR SCHOOLS - LOSING THEIR PROMINENCE - Tuesday, June 9, may well be labeled “A Day For Disaster.” That’s the day local area voters went to the polls and made known their feelings in a recall election for school trustees.
Before I continue along with this article I want to make it clear that the word “disaster” is not used in the context of the results of the election. The voters made their decisions and that’s the way it stands. But I do want to use the word “disaster” in calling attention to the small number of voters who turned out to help make Tuesday’s decisions.
The Solano County Elections Department revealed there were 19,934 people in the Vacaville Unified School District who could have exercised their privilege of casting a ballot, but only 3,321 votes were cast. Therein lies the “disaster.”
The total number of registered voters does not paint the complete picture. There are an estimated 3,000 more people in the district who could vote, but are not registered. Tuesday’s vote calculates to 16 percent of the registered voters, and about 12 percent of all eligible voters.
Within the city of Vacaville there are approximately 15,500 dwelling units; and a population of near 45,000.
With schools across the nation being handicapped with loss of funds; with curriculum constantly under attack, it is disappointing when only about 12 percent of the eligible voters in Vacaville are interested enough to make their choice of trustees.
If the Vacaville school system was classified as an “industry” it would rate near the top here. The 1980-81 operating expenditure budget is set at $18,573,000; it has 716 full-time, and approximately 250 part-time and substitute employees, and every school day there are an average of 8,771 local area children in the classrooms. That all boils down to “big business.”
On June 8, 1976, a total of 9,858 local area voters went to the polls, and out of that total, 6,830 put their stamp of approval for the expenditures of $3.6 million in taxpayer dollars for new school construction.
Perhaps the lack of interest in the recent election represents the mood of people, not only in Vacaville, but throughout the nation. It all boils down to: “Who cares.”
On the credit side of the ledger, throughout the years Vacaville voters have provided the funds for new school facilities to the tune of $1004 million, which includes a $10,000 bond issue back in 1898, and the $3.6 million approved in 1976.
In speaking with County Superintendent of Schools William Chadbourne, he made available to me the list of county superintendents going back to the year 1852. In the early years of our schools, especially in the periods of the one-room rural schools (Vacaville had 13), the county superintendent’s office played a greater and more important role in administering the educational systems than it does today. There was a time in our past history when the 13 rural schools had one or two trustees, and the elementary and high schools, also had their own governing boards. Now, unification brought all of the control under one board.
In reviewing past superintendents of schools, there are a few residents of Vacaville who can recall Superintendent Dan H. White, who held the office from 1899 to 1939. White was a busy man administering the affairs of the many schools, and at graduation time he was always present with his supply of diplomas to hand out.
Tennant C. McDaniel was next in line to fill the office. The ex-Vacaville resident now living in Vallejo, was known as “TC.”
Fred McCoombs took over in 1958, followed by Clarence “Casey” Golomb of Vacaville. William Chadbourne is the current superintendent.
Back in the early days of the school system in the county, the first superintendents also headed other county positions.
The first man to hold the title of superintendent back in 1852 was Sashal Bynum. In the years to follow, up until 1899, the list was long: Joseph Vaughn, James Anderson, H.M. Lille, Sylvester Woodbridge Jr., J.W. Hines, George Simonton, Milton Wasson, William Fry, C.W. Childs, J.K. Bateman, A.W. Sutphen, C.B. Webster, A.P. Sanborn, followed by White, McDaniel, McCoombs, Golomb and Chadbourne.
In our past, it was quite a chore to recruit men or women to accept positions on the several school boards of trustees. On many occasions Superintendent of Schools T. C. McDaniel would make the rounds of downtown Vacaville’s Main Street in an attempt to uncover a potential.
Throughout the years there have been many men and women who have volunteered their services as school trustees. It is quite gratifying that these people have been available, because being a member of a school board is without monetary rewards; sans accolades and filled with negative criticisms.
School boards are finding the road ahead getting tougher and tougher, by diminishing funds, plus a new mood sweeping the nation which calls upon both parents to be away from home all day pursuing their selected wage-earning chores. More and more, our schools have been relegated to “babysitting positions,” and when you have parents of 8,771 children attempting to dictate policy not only to the trustees, but to administrators and teachers, the chores of educating these youngsters becomes more difficult as the years roll on.
I have had the privilege of analyzing the efforts of school boards for the past half century, and truthfully, I can say that the members of these groups have performed to the best of their abilities.
Link: http://articles.solanohistory.net/7073/ | Solano History Database Record
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Vacaville Heritage Council