Circleville School Consolidation
(This page excerpted from The People of Piute County, a forthcoming history by Ardis E. Parshall.
Copyright 2006 by Ardis E. Parshall; all rights reserved.)
In 1903, the residents of Circle Valley were divided between two school districts, East and West Circleville (or, Lost Creek and Circleville) School Districts. One group petitioned the Board of County Commissioners to consolidate the two schools, in these words:
We, the undersigned citizens and tax payers of Circleville, Piute County, Utah, respectfully represent to your Honorable body that Circle Valley is at present divided into two School Districts, and we believe it best for the public good and for the better education of children of school age that said districts be consolidated; that under present conditions neither district is able to build a school house of sufficient capacity to accommodate all the children of their respective districts, nor to grade the scholars according to their merits, resulting in the holding back of children that ought to be advanced, for their slower going class mates.
Another very potent reason for the consolidation is that the education of 99% of the school children in said districts begins and ends in the district schools, so that if a graded school could be established (which we think could be done under the consolidation) it would give the children far better educational advantages, and when they have finished their course of studies in a graded school they will have attained a higher degree of education, and in duty bound your petitioners will ever pray.
M.C. Dalton, Mary Applegate, H.D. WileyJ.C. Morgan, Vinnie Applegate, Frances Wiley
J.E. Gass, Valeria Davenport, J.A. Elder
Nellie Dalton, Geo. Horton, S.L. Elder
Ezra Bird, Ephraim Day, Sarah S. Lewis
E.M. Betenson, Stephen Mansor, William D. Lewis
Arthur Wiley , Emly A. Mansor
The County Commission accepted the petition and consolidated the two schools. The next year, another group of citizens countered with their own petition asking that the separate districts be re-established:
We, your petitioners, respectfully remonstrate against the action of your Honorable Body in consolidating the East Circleville and West Circleville School Districts and thereby closing the former and we ask that you re-consider your said action for the following reasons:
1st. We are led to believe that your Honorable Body was not fully informed as to the true condition of our school district and the action was taken without the knowledge and consent of a number of the people of this district and many of those who petitioned for the consolidation were not fully informed as to the intent and purpose of the petition.
2nd. That we have a population of about eighty souls with about forty-five children of school age.
3rd. That we have a building large enough to accommodate our school population; that said building is well equipped with the necessary furniture and fixtures; that the revenue is sufficient to enable us to conduct the school the necessary time required by law.
4th. That if our children are compelled to attend school in the West Circleville School District it will work a hardship upon both parents and pupils and cannot fail to prove detrimental to the educational advancement of our people.
We therefore pray that your Honorable Body re-consider your former action and refuse to consolidate the aforesaid school districts.
Alexander Davis, Mrs. S. Morgan, S.C. DavisWm. A. Stewart, Melvin Webb, L.L. Barton
John Westwood, Geo. H. Fox, Amy Barton
James Rubey, Ida M. Fox, Ephraim Day
Fannie Crow, John Nay, Emily Day
Walter Crow, Mary Ann Nay, Jane N. Stewart
Reuben James, Mrs. C.A. Davis, Cynthia Stewart
Sarah B. James, Mrs. Olive Webb, Silas P. Munson
Annie R. Ruby, John M. Bucklar, Serina Munson
Am. Mansor, Elizabeth Bucklar, Martha Hawes
Wm D. Nay, James Munson, John V. Samuelson
Alice M Nay, Eliza M. Munson, Joseph A. Stewart
Wm Wilson, Oscar Munson, Uzella Stewart
Isabell Wilson, Willimette Munson
Stephen Adamson, Luther Davis
The second petition was unsuccessful and the Circleville schools remained consolidated.