Santa Barbara County History

Transcribed by Peggy Hooper

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Source:
A Memorial and Biographical History of the Counties of Santa Barbara,
San Luis Obispo, and Ventura, California
by Yda Addis Storke
Published in 1891 in Chicago by the Lewis Publishing Co.


THE SCHOOLS. 

It would appear that the first beginnings of public instruction of Santa Barbara were 
such rudiments as were imparted by one Jose Manuel Toca, a grumete, or ship-boy, 
from one of the transports. This required a remuneration of $125, of which each soldier 
paid $1. By the governor's orders, the first feature of these presidio schools was the 
teaching of Christian doctrine, then reading and writing. Toca taught from the close of 
1795 to 1797, when he was called on board ship, being replaced in school by another 
ship-boy. 

A primary school for girls was opened by a woman in 1817, but it would seem to have 
closed rather speedily. 

During the last years of the decade 1810-'20, a school was maintained, with Diego 
Fernandez as teacher, on a monthly salary of $15; but in 1828 not one pupil was in 
attendance, and the alcalde was directed to enforce compulsory education. 

Up to 1856, the English language was not taught in the common schools, owing to the 
opposition offered thereto by the Spanish element of the population. But in that year, 
the county superintendent, George D. Fisher, and the school commissioners, Hill, de la 
Palma y Mesa and Huse, held an examination of teachers, at which applied Pablo Caracela, 
Mr. Baillis, Victor Mondrau and Owen Connolly, the two latter of whom were there 
authorized to teach school for one year, at a monthly salary of $75. Through the failure 
of the county superintendent to report, it is said for lack of mail facilities, one appropriation 
of the State school fund was lost; and an attempt was made in the Legislature to so remedy 
the matter that Santa Barbara might receive her quota. In objection it was urged that Santa 
Barbara had no school-house, and that the English language was not taught there at all. 
Accordingly, the teaching of English was this season begun, and after some difficulty the 
quota due Santa Barbara was paid over. In 1854 there had been levied a school tax of five 
cents on each $100, and this fund provided for increased facilities and accommodations. In 
a letter to the school board from Owen Connolly, teacher of the first and then only school 
taught in English, he asks for an increase of salary, based on the flourishing condition of the 
school. It numbers, he says, seventy-eight pupils between the ages of four and fifteen years, 
half of whom were young ladies (age not stated!) one-third were Americans, the rest of 
Spanish or Mexican blood. The studies were orthography, penmanship, reading, arithmetic, 
geography, grammar and analysis, of both English and Spanish. 

In 1879 there were thirty school districts and 2,976 children of school age. 

For the year ending June 30, 1884, the children of school age were 3,445 ; school districts, forty. 

With the increased proportion of Anglo-Saxon population, they here as elsewhere arranged 
for the maintenance of that great necessity, good public schools, and the system has steadily 
advanced in the county to its present proportions. 

The School Department of Santa Barbara County is now composed as follows, as prescribed 
by the new State- constitution of 1879-'80: The County Board of Education consists of the 
county school superintendent, ex officio its secretary, and four others, two of whom must be 
teachers holding the highest grade of certificate. This board prescribes the course of study, 
the list of text-books, and list of books for school libraries; and it holds semi-annual examinations, 
in June and December, of teachers for the county schools. Every autumn is held a county institute, 
which every teacher is required to attend, unless excused by the superintendent for sufficient 
reasons. 

There are three grades of schools, namely, primary, grammar grade and grammar school 
course, that receive State appropriations; and a high school, located in the city of Santa Barbara, 
and supported by county tax. The city in the autumn of 1887 contained five public-school 
buildings, accommodating twelve primary, five grammar and one high school. There was then 
an enrollment of 1,031 pupils, taught by twenty 
teachers. 

The school census of Santa Barbara for the year closing June 30, 1886, shows as follows: 
Total number school census children, 3,844, divided as follows: white boys, 1,987; white 
girls, 1,888; negro boys, four; negro girls, six; Indian boys, four; Indian girl, one. Under five 
years old there were 1,495 white and three negro children. The county then contained four 
Chinese children under seven-teen years of age, four deaf and dumb and seven blind children. 

The births during the year were 129 boys and 115 girls; total 244. 

The number of children who attended public school during the year were 2,650 
white, seven negro and two Indian. 

There were 136 attending private schools. 

In November, 1887, there were in the county forty-six school districts, supplied by about 
seventy teachers. The number of children enrolled, between five and seventeen years of 
age, was 3,948, as against 2,696 in 1886. The total of appropriations during that year for 
school purposes was $46,990.20, and the amount paid for teachers' salaries was 
$37,947.95. 

There are at present in Santa Barbara County fifty- three school districts, with eighty-six 
incumbent teachers, of whom sixty-one are women and twenty-five men. The ladies 
receive an average salary of $61, the gentlemen of $75. There are 4,429 children 
of school age in the county, of whom are enrolled 3,648, comprising 1,800 girls and 
1,848 boys. The average daily attendance is 2,254. 

For the school year closing June 30, 1890, the State apportionment for this county was 
$42,840, and the county apportionment, $27,791.45. From this total of $70,631.45 the 
amount paid for teachers' salaries was $50,247.50; for school buildings, $15,895.06; for 
school libraries, $994.96; for apparatus, $1,045.45; for rent, repairs and contingent 
expenses, $12,440.16. Total of expenditures, $80,123.13. The school bonded indebtedness 
in the county is $81,450. 

The county owns school-houses and furniture to the value of $143,300; the school 
libraries contain an aggregate of 8,936 volumes, valued at $10,080, and the apparatus 
supplied to the schools is worth $5,730, thus placing the valuation of school property at 
$159,110. 

The County Board of Education at present is composed of School Superintendent G. E. 
Thurmond, T. N. Snow, Miss Josephine Rockwood, Mrs. Ida M. Blochman and Holton Webb. 

There are in the city of Santa Barbara 1,680 census children, of whom 1,228 are enrolled 
in the schools, the average attendance being 840. The number of teachers is twenty-four. 
There are five school buildings of plain but substantial style, the valuation of buildings and 
furniture being $50,000. The corps of teachers numbers a city superintendent and twenty 
three assistants. 

St. Vincent's College was established 1858, by the Sisters of Charity, noble, unselfish 
and energetic women, who have conducted it very successfully up to the present. Early 
in its career St. Vincent's possessed an excellent four-story brick building, which was 
destroyed by fire March 15, 1874, the loss being about $20,000. This calamity, as it 
veritably was to Santa Barbara, was soon repaired by the erection of the present building 
on the site of the burned structure. The institute is now a tine three-story brick edifice 
of composite architecture, where the Sisters teach all common brandies of instruction. 
Only girls are received here. 

The Santa Barbara College was instituted in 1869, by a joint-stock company of the 
citizens, and an edifice (at present the San Marcos Hotel) was built at a cost of about 
$85,000. It had an efficient corps of teachers, qualified to lit pupils for a business life 
or for the university. It had an average of perhaps eighty pupils. It suspended operation 
about 1878. 

There are now in Santa Barbara three private schools besides St. Vincent's, viz.: the 
Collegiate School, Miss Thayer's School for Girls, and the School for Girls kept by 
Professor Alfred Colin and Madame Colin.