Barkers of Branford: Llew & Board of Ed-"Having Some Trouble" II

The following is an excerpt from the book. Details at www.BarkersOfBranford.com

Llewellyn's dust up with the Branford Board of Education continued the following week . Venia’s teacher Miss Robbins barred Venia, his eleven year old daughter (see photo), and other displaced students from entering the Mill Plain Schoolhouse.

"The other children went to school but she would not admit them” 9/19/1895

Llewellyn (Llew), wrote to Dr. Zink, met with him again, and tells us how this feud ended a full month after it had begun.

“After shop I went up to Dr Zinks and in the evening I went up to the meeting of the school board about the children going in town to school the Board voted to let them come out here at Mill Plains” 10/3/1895

Llewellyn had won. The children could stay at Mill Plain.

“Venia went down here to school as the board compelled Miss Robbins to form a class” 10/7/1895

A new school and the necessary reassignment of students and staff can be problematic for any school district. Llewellyn’s issue apparently repeated itself many times across the district. Dr. Gaylord wrote the following in the Annual Report that year.

“the unfortunate placing of teachers and want of harmony in the School Board- a subject with which the public is only too familiar- has had a very depressing and discouraging effect upon all school work…As a result the general morale and tone of our schools has been decidedly lowered and for the same reason we have lost some of our best teachers.”

Dr. Zink and three other board members were reelected the same day Venia reentered Mill Plain schoolhouse (see photo). Miss Robbins chose to teach elsewhere the following year.

Photos courtesy of Branford Historical Society

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Ted Braun's book “The Barkers of Branford: Life in America Through a Local Lens” is available for $30 at the Blackstone Library in Branford. Details at www.BarkersOfBranford.com