WORTHINGTON — Gov. Maura Healey had a deja vu moment Tuesday during a visit to R.H. Conwell School, reminiscing about her rural upbringing while talking with local officials about their lived experience in the community of fewer than 1,200 people.
Walking through the halls of the quintessential wood-framed, whitewashed school, which serves 79 students from kindergarten through sixth grade, Healey became nostalgic about growing up on a farm in New Hampshire in a town of about 1,300 people. Her mother was the town’s school nurse until she was 80.
Healey, who was in town to meet with officials and residents about large-scale solar array developments, related that background to her work on behalf of rural communities during her nearly four years in the corner office on Beacon Hill.
She touted being the first governor to create a director of rural affairs position. She also underscored the importance of providing healthcare for rural school employees, improving transportation options and examining the state’s funding formula for education.
“We know that rural schools have been disadvantaged over time,” Healey said. “So how can we work that out?”
Superintendent and Principal Gretchen Dubosz said she talked with Healey about how much the school means to the town and raised the need for state funding to continue its operation.
After opening in 1941, the school closed in 2010. But the town wanted to keep it open as a public school and reopened in 2015.
“I gave her an understanding of what we do here around outdoor education, following our core values and multi-aged classrooms,” Dubosz said.
“I tried to do a couple plugs for rural funding in that short amount of time,” she said. “Her vibe was so supportive of our kids and education, really engaging with the kids. So that was really wonderful.”
Dubosz said the need for funding for rural schools must be underscored.
“For us small schools, we might be small in numbers, but our expenses continue to go up,” she said.
Flanked by Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, state Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa and other state and local officials, including a representative from state Sen. Paul Mark’s office, Healey visited classrooms and spoke with students.
Some students shared that they had a special guest at the school last year: a lamb. Healey told a story with teachers after the tour about her own experience.
“I grew up on a farm, and sometimes the little lambs didn’t nurse or were rejected, and we used to bring them into the home to live with us for some number of months,” Healey said.
In the kindergarten and first-grade classroom, a handful of students couldn’t be distracted from playing with blocks. Healey watched them, adding, “These are our future engineers right here.”
After her motorcade pulled up to the school, Healey greeted Select Board chair Charley Rose and member Amy Wang. She’s had relatives serve as select board members, noting that “it’s not an easy gig doing what you’re doing.”
“It was so impressive, and these kids — you can tell the community is so supportive,” Healey said of the tour.
Healey is up for reelection on Nov. 3, competing for another term with Republican challenger Mike Minogue.
