By Derek Wilson
Marinscope
One of the oldest active schoolhouses in the Marin-Sonoma area for more than a century has opened its doors to generations of students — some who graduated and eventually moved out of the area, and some who stayed to work family ranches in West Marin.
The Lincoln Union Elementary School, built in 1872, now seems like a holdover from the past — a living time capsule — but even this one-room schoolhouse has had to adjust, especially in this challenging year.
“I think in this area, we’re a microcosm. Life is different on the ranches than it is 5 miles down the road (in Novato),” said Jim Grossi, a member of the Lincoln Union School Board for 40 years. “People are very interested in the type of basic education we offer and the different values and different exposure than what they’re used to. Parents want that type of education for their kids.”
Grossi’s family has worked their family ranches in Novato, Tomales, Point Reyes for more than a century. His aunts and uncles attended the one-room Burdell School, which was located near Stafford Lake before the school was moved to a Grossi ranch — and later burned down.
“I had one teacher for seven years and I didn’t like her much,” said Grossi, as he recalled his days at the Burdell School. “Half the kids were cousins and brothers and sisters. The first graders were on one side of the classroom and the eighth graders were on the other side.”
Life on the ranches and in the small schools that serve their families has over the years, but the core remains as family.
“Typically, one-room schools have more of a family atmosphere,” said Cynthia Walsh, principal and teacher at Lincoln Union Elementary, which serves grades kindergarten through six. Walsh has been a teacher in the district for more than a decade, working in the Union School District before it merged with the Lincoln School District three years ago.
Walsh continued, “We have siblings and cousins all in the same room. They go to school together, and those who live together go home together, maybe on the ranches if that’s where they live.”
The school is just about seven miles outside Novato in an area surrounded by ranches and land protected by the Marin Agricultural Land Trust. The Marin County Fire Department maintains a station nearby, next to the Marin French Cheese Company. There are no school busses, so parents schedule carpools, a plan made easier by the school’s small enrollment and family ties.
“The parents are really involved in the school,” Grossi said. “Even though we have just eight students, at Christmas we’ll get 80 people coming to our programs with parents and grandparents who want to see their kids.”
As most schools have done for decades, the curriculum for younger students at Lincoln Union Elementary is based on reading, writing and arithmetic, and later includes more science, foreign language and other elements. When needed, the school and the Marin County Office of Education will bring in a teacher for Spanish classes, or STEAM Learning (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math).
But the rural roots of the school remain in the curriculum, as Walsh uses the school garden and even some chickens as learning opportunities for the students.
A state audit about 12 years ago found that roughly 93 percent of the students went on to attend community college or a four-year university, according to Grossi.
“Even the town kids see the appeal of an education like this,” Grossi said. “The rural kids learn all the trades and skills they would need on the ranch, but they graduate from here and are not held back from college.”
Schools and Covid-19
The Lincoln Union Elementary School, and other small schools in the region, carry on the tradition of serving families in remote parts of Marin and Sonoma counties. All eight students were back in their classroom on Tuesday, Sept. 8, although they still have to face safety protocols to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
“The progress we’ve made is making it possible to consider school reopenings,” said Dr. Matt Willis, Marin County Public Health Officer. “We’re at a critical juncture, and our ability to get kids back into school is up to all of us. It’s not time to relax our protective measures.”
The school was among 15 granted a waiver by the Marin County Public Health Officer to reopen for in-person education. All of the schools were required to submit safety plans as part of their waiver applications.
As part of plans for combating the spread of Covid-19 when the school reopened, Walsh was busy assigning seating at the lunch table: “The siblings and relatives sit together and the others sit at another table. It creates a bubble where they can practice safe distance.”
When schools were forced to shut down in March due to the growing concern over the spread of Covid-19, Lincoln Union Elementary School District board members and Walsh made sure all the students had computers and there was a way to use Zoom for lessons. Just because the West Marin-Sonoma area is rural and a little remote does not mean the students are cut off from technology.
“Professionally, I tried to maintain the same level of quality of work and instruction that we have in the classroom,” Walsh said. “We do benefit somewhat being a smaller school when zooming with students. Unlike with larger schools, it’s just 2-3 students and one teacher when we’re introducing new math concepts or a new story. We can have more individual instruction.”
Walsh wanted to maintain as much continuity as possible, for herself and her students, while distance learning in the Spring semester.
“One of things we were able to do that other schools are not, was to start the morning with our mat routine as a group with the virtual lessons, just as we would in the classroom. Seeing students do something familiar helped with the emotional and social bonds and their strength in hard times. It’s harder to achieve that in larger groups.”
Walsh would break the students into groups by grade as the day went on to focus on lesson plans.
“The feedback has been positive from families. They appreciate that we are able to meet in these small groups,” Walsh said. “But the families are ready for in-person learning as long as the health, cleaning and safety protocols are in place. With those pieces in place, families are ready for a return to school. The families are also fine with remote learning because we can offer more individual lessons, like tutoring.”
Walsh, herself, is eager and prepared to have her students back in the classroom and at their desks — now more spaced out to meet guidelines.
“I know that when we start morning everyone is happy to see each other,” Walsh said. “They always say ‘good morning’ and they’re happy to gather as a group. Once we dive into subject matter, it was hard to do a math problem on a white board and hold to the camera. I have to hold it to the camera and wear a wireless microphone so the students can hear me.”
Walsh will be wearing special protective equipment, which she compares to a hazardous materials suit. But it has a clear face shield so students can hear her more clearly and see her lips to more easily follow along with what she is saying during lessons.
“Socially and emotionally, I’m looking forward to our interaction in person,” Walsh said. “That’s my favorite part of the day. The benefit of returning to in-person instruction is another level above distance learning. This is going to be better.”
“It takes a special teacher to work at a one-room schoolhouse,” Grossi said of Walsh.
The Future Of The School
The Lincoln Union School Board is currently considering a merger with the Laguna Joint School District in Petaluma. The Laguna School, built in 1906, is another one-room schoolhouse. It operates two multi-age classrooms serving Transitional Kindergarten through sixth grade.
Declining enrollment over the past decade has cast a dark shadow over Lincoln Union Elementary’s future. A presentation from board members suggested the merger is necessary to ensure the survival of both schools beyond the 2021-22 school year.
Neither the Lincoln Union Elementary School nor the neighboring Laguna School is not supported by parcel taxes or general obligation bonds.
The Lincoln Union School District has attempted to attract new students in order to increase its enrollment in recent years, but without much success. As a result, the State of California Office of Education has reportedly declined to increase the district’s funding beyond 2012-13 levels. Although the district’s reported gross revenue is solid, the lack of students could lead to the school’s demise.
Laguna has 10 students according to the latest census, but also more expenses, particularly special education costs, and a lower revenue. Despite its proximity to Downtown Petaluma, Laguna Elementary School does fall under Marin County’s control.
“Laguna has plenty of students and we still have plenty of money, so it’s a good match,” said Grossi, who joked that the the two schools together could have enough students to form a sports team.
This wouldn’t be the first merger for the Lincoln Union School District. The Union School District merged with the Lincoln School District three years ago, and students attend the nearby Lincoln Union Elementary School on Hicks Valley Road in Petaluma, just 10 miles west from Highway 101.
The old Union schoolhouse on Petaluma Road just inside the Marin County line is mostly empty these days, although the district plans to maintain it as a community resource for meetings, social activities, and other functions.
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