 In the past twenty-two years we have seen the beginning and continuous growth or Central Rural Schools in the rural districts of New York State. The primary objective of these Central schools has been to give the rural youth of New York State a more equitable educational program in comparison with the educational advantages of youth in the city districts.
The small community of Richburg feels proud that they were pioneers in the Central School movement, the second Central School in Allegany County and the nineteenth Central School in New York State. We, also, feel happy knowing that we have been able to give the youth of our community for twenty-one years the many advantages that a Central Rural School affords. In the year of our Lord 1925, the year preceding the centralization, found an inadequate wooden structure school building which was unsuitable for accommodating the one hundred and fifty-eight pupils then attending the Richburg Union Free School. Of these one hundred and fifty-eight pupils, fifty-eight were in high school and one hundred in grades one through eight. A total of seven teachers, four for grades and three for high school comprised the faculty of the Richburg Union Free School in 1925-26. This would be considered an understaffed faculty today. Because of the condition existing in the school at this time it was decided that the district needed a better school for the youth of their community. In March 1925 at a meeting of the Board of Education, an architect was designated to draft tentative plans for a new Union Free School building, which were to be presented to the Board as soon as they were ready. In August 1925, at a special meeting of the Board of Education, a contract was signed with A. W. E. Schoenberg of Olean as architect for the new school building. At a special meeting of the legal voters of Richburg Union Free School, on the 15th day of September the voters of the district authorized the Board of Education to cause plans and specifications to be prepared and to proceed with the erection of a new school house on the present site owned by the school district. The Board of Education, at that time, consisted of: Floyd Saunders, President; Howard Thomson, Frank Owens, Clarence Allen, Claire Miller, James S. Johnston and clerk, Alice Woodard. After bids had been submitted and contracts let, the ground work for the new school was started in March 1926. As the new building progressed, the Board of Education began to discuss the possibility of taking advantage of the new Central School State Aid law passed by the New York State legislature in 1925, provided that they could interest enough rural districts to consolidate with them. It was believed that by forming a central rural school district, Richburg and the surrounding community stood to gain considerably more financial aid from the State and at the same time would be able to offer a much better educational program than could be offered in a Union Free School. |
 With this thought in mind the School Board organized committees to contact the voters of the pro¬posed Central district, to explain the advantages to be gained through centralization and answer questions relative to the plan.
Throughout the history of the Richburg Centralization it has always been the plan of the Board of Education to present the matter as a business proposition showing that the advantages outweighed the disadvantages, with no pressure brought to bear on any rural district consid¬ering centralizing. All the Board members, who have taken part in the centralization, should be commended highly for the way in which they attained a reality-the Richburg Central School. As a result of this business-like procedure the following common school districts, Nos. 2 (Pine Grove), 5 (Wirt Center), 7 (Cottrell), 8 (Pleasant Valley), 10 (Dimmick) of the town of Virt, and Union Free School district No.1 of the towns of Wirt and Bolivar, at a meeting on June 29, 1926, voted and organized as a Central Rural School district. The new school district was des¬ignated as Central School District No.1 of the towns of Wirt and Bolivar, Allegany County. The Board of Education chosen by the people to head the new centralization consisted of: Floyd Saunders, president, .I ames S. Johnston, Clarence F. Allen, Herbert L. Wightman and Henry Millis. At the first meeting the new Board appointed Wilfred J. Coyle as the first Principal of the new Central School. Elmer Cowles was appointed clerk and tax collector of the Board and Gerald Wightman, treasurer. |
 In the first year of centralization, transportation of pupils from outlying districts became an immediate problem. The P. S. & N. R. R. Co. contracted to provide railroad transportation for the pupils from Wirt Center; the train to arrive about 8: 15 and to return at 4:00 P. M. The O. B. S. Traction Co. contracted to furnish transportation for the pupils from the Cottrell district. L. A. Wightman contracted with the Board to furnish transportation for those living in the Dimmick and Pleasant Valley districts. Harold Steiner contracted to provide transportation for the Pine Grove district. During severe winter weather it was necessary to bring the pupils from some sections of the district by horse and sleigh.
As early as December 1928 it was found that the new school building lacked sufficient storage space so, an additional room, size 16 x 11 feet to be used for storage, was added to the present building. After many discussions in regard to increasing the educational services, it was decided in August 1928 to initiate business and physical education departments that fall. Seven typewriters were purchased and Priscilla Broadwell was employed as instructor. Miss Iva Jackson was employed as the first physical education instructor. |
 In January 1929 the people residing in the Dimmick School district decided to close their school and bring all their pupils to Richburg. This school, al¬though a part of the original centralization, had been kept open for the first six grades.
The Board of Education decided in the spring of 1929 that their school enrollment was increasing to such an extent that they should still further increase their educational offerings and as a result it was de¬cided to open music and art departments in the fall. Dorothy LeChien was employed to this position and opened these departments in the Richburg Central School in the fall term" of 1929. At the annual school meeting in August 1929 the School Board was authorized to dispose of the district school houses known as Pine Grove, Wirt Center, Cottrell, and Pleasant Valley. This was the beginning of the loss of identity of the old common school districts in our community. In the state of New York, previous to central rural school districts, there were approximately ten thousand common school districts, however, the increase in central schools to the present time' has cut the number of common school districts more than half. It was decided in the spring of 1930 to employ a man as physical education director full-time. Ira Brown was employed to this position and continued to serve the district well for eleven years. |