The little school that could

The little school that could

Ruch residents fight for the school they say is the heart of their community
By ANITA BURKE
Mail Tribune

As buses filled with students pull away from Ruch Elementary after school, a second shift of classes for homeschoolers gears up inside.

Youngsters do the hokeypokey in the music room, while next door, older students answer simple questions in Spanish.

"Our friends organized this way to support our family and let us support the school," says homeschool mom and Sterling Creek Road resident Gabriela Morrison, who sat in on her son Paiute’s Spanish class while daughter Terra was in music.

The homeschool-support program at Ruch Elementary is part of a community plan to keep the little school open after the district considered closing it because of shrinking enrollment and tight budgets.

After district officials said in October they might close the school to save money, Ruch residents rallied, claiming the school as the heart of their rural community. The district agreed to keep the school open at least one more year to give supporters a chance to increase enrollment — and the revenue that the state provides to schools based on the number of students — and cut costs.

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To draw students, Ruch Elementary started a homeschool-support program last month and in the fall will offer a combined seventh and eighth grade. To cut costs, the school will teach on a four-day schedule next fall.