reprinted with the permission of the Chillicothe Constitution Tribune

[Photographs of Springhill, Sampsel, Potter, Pinkley, and Hicks schools accompany this article]

These schools recently became a part of the Livingston County R-2 (Chillicothe) district but are concluding the term according to the plans made by their directors and teachers while they were the last unattached rural school districts in Livingston County.

All are located in the northwest section of the county, which voted for reorganization through consolidation with the existing R-2 unit.  The R-2 Board of Education has met with patrons of the northwest area to get their views on operating the schools next term and determined that four of the five would open again in the fall.  Only Hicks, in the extreme northwest, will not operate and its pupils will be transported elsewhere.

Twelve rural districts were involved in the reorganization, but only five had schools going.

There were two rural schools in operation in the R-2 district prior to the consolidation, Linville, north of Chillicothe, and Green, northwest of Avalon.  Linville will not operate next school year because of small enrollment.

At one time there were more than 100 school districts in Livingston County.  Some closed when populations shifted--like those once in the Grand River bottoms--others through consolidations and reorganizations over the years.  Livingston County now has five districts, plus what territory is attached to districts in adjoining counties.