by Dwight Miller
My early years in Exeter included many happy experiences in the three local schools I attended: Lincoln, Wilson and EUHS. After five years of college, I began my teaching career at EUHS in 1976. My chosen vocation was driven partly by a desire to have the kind of positive impact on students my teachers and coaches had on me. In 1984, I transitioned into an administrative role at EUHS. The move to administration led me to a master’s project considering the pros and cons of the unification of the five Exeter area school districts: EUHS, Exeter Elementary, Farmersville Elementary, Sequoia Union Elementary, and Outside Creek Elementary. In the process, I learned much about school districts in California and how they have evolved over time. I’ve had a particular interest in the leadership of schools: board members, administrators, teachers, and other staff.
My next presentation at CACHE, coming up on Monday, November 18, 2024, will be about some of the fascinating history of the Exeter area schools. In a previous article about the Presbyterian Church (https://cach-exeter.org/presbyterian-church/), I pointed out the impact of the Second Great Awakening in the early 1800s in the United States. The nationwide Christian revival of that era, among many other impacts, resulted in the enormous expansion and commitment to schools so that all children could read the Bible. America became a nation of readers—the most literate in the history of the world.
In 1850, when California became a state, the state constitution included a commitment to provide “basic aid” to local communities to help establish schools. The state expected each locality to fund most of the cost of their schools with property tax, so the aid was minimal. Each community was responsible for providing a site, a building, furniture, books, and teachers to educate their local youth. Currently, schools in California are funded by a complicated formula that is mostly state income tax revenue. By 1879, the constitution included an elected county school superintendent to oversee the schools in their county. The districts’ fiscal health was the primary focus of this oversight. Three of the Tulare County superintendents have Exeter roots: S.A. Crookshanks (1891-95 and 1899-1903), J.E. Buckman (1910-35), and the current superintendent, Tim Hire (2019-present). In those early years, visiting every school in the county was a requirement of the job. Those visits in a horse and buggy across Tulare County’s geography were exhausting.
In the early days of settlement in the Exeter area, there were fourteen K-8 schools. These schools were typically one-room buildings with all grades taught by a single teacher, but several had multiple teachers to split up the grades. Parents tried to locate schools within walking distance for the most children. Students learned to read and do math in order to succeed in society. Elementary school skills were deemed sufficient to equip students with the necessary reading, writing, and math skills for a successful adult life. Very few (less than 20%) students finished high school, and even fewer went to college. From 1890 to 1908, Exeter’s early years, families who wanted their children to attend high school had to go to Visalia and board with a family there during the week.
By 1908, five elementary school boards came together to start Exeter Union High School District. Each elementary school board contributed one board member to the newly formed district. Those districts were:
• Locust Grove Sherman T. Pennebaker (first President of the board)
• Exeter Frank W. Mixter
• Kaweah Charles W. Walter
• St. John’s Harley Smith; (moved to Woodlake District about 1920)
• Central William M. Mayberry. (moved to Lindsay district about 1942)
Outside Creek, Farmersville, Venice Hill and Lindcove/Lemon Cove joined the high school district years later.
On November 18th, I will share some of the early school controversies causing a town uproar in 1895 and again in 1910-11. The map below is a portion of the current Tulare County Office of Education website showing the boundaries of all 43 county districts. (https://tcoe.org/images/default-source/administration/2016-district-map.jpg?sfvrsn=3e57c509_0) The green colored area below shows the Exeter Unified School District boundaries.
- Venice Hill
- Deep Creek (Visalia)
- Farmersville
- Outside Creek
- Locust Grove
- St. John’s (Woodlake after 1920)
- Hamilton
- Exeter (after Rocky View moved into town)
- Rocky View (changed to “Exeter” in 1897)
- Central (to Lindsay in 1942)
- Kaweah
- Lindcove
- Lemon Cove (Called Lime Kiln in 1890s)
- Yokohl