May 11, 2004 Missoulian article - "Spanish school eyes Prescott space"

On March 25, 2004, Prescott, Mount Jumbo, and Rattlesnake Middle Schools were closed after only 48 days of deliberation. Almost immediately, MCPS received a letter from Missoula International School expressing interest in leasing Prescott School.  The district changed the date of a committee meeting in order to rush the process.  One question that seems to rise to the surface periodically: Was Prescott School closed to make it available to Missoula International School? This idea seems plausible as this was not the first lease of a MCPS public school to a private school.  The district had experience with this type of transaction as it leased Roosevelt School to St. Joseph's School. Rumors had surfaced even before Roosevelt was closed that St. Joseph's would be occupying the school. Other questionable actions took place which prescottschoolmissoula plans to address in future blog posts. Some past and present Trustees have believed and still believe that doing favors for private schools is NOTa good idea. Many citizens disagree and believe this behavior is disloyal and imprudent on the part of School Board Trustees. Below is the May 11, 2004 Missoulian article by Jane Rider discussing the possible lease of Prescott by MIS.

Spanish school eyes Prescott space

JANE RIDER of the Missoulianmissoulian.com | Posted: Tuesday, May 11, 2004 12:00 am |

Missoula International School has expressed interest in leasing Prescott Elementary School to consolidate its operations at one building.

The issue was discussed at Missoula County Public Schools' Finance & Operations Committee meeting last month. The committee recommended the administration continue talks with the international school and seek a legal opinion as to whether the district needs to issue a formal "request for proposals" before considering the deal.

MCPS Chairwoman Rosemary Harrison said Monday the Montana School Boards Association's legal counsel advised that the district isn't legally required to solicit other proposals, but the board is expected to consider that option officially at its board meeting Tuesday night.

Missoula International School is a nonprofit Spanish immersion school that serves children from preschool through third grade. The school currently instructs about 70 students at two locations. It owns a building at 518 South Ave. W., where the preschool and kindergarten classes are currently held. In addition, it leases space from the University Congregational Church on University Avenue to instruct students in first, second and third grades.

"Our mission is to nurture strong minds and open hearts in young children," said Marta R. Pierpoint, MIS board president. "We are unique in this area in that we are the only elementary school within a thousand miles pursuing authorization from the International Baccalaureate Organization."

The IBO is an internationally acclaimed educational organization that provides a foundation for academic excellence among international schools, she said.

Missoula International hopes to consolidate at one location in time for the start of the 2004-05 fall school year, Pierpoint said Monday.

"We have been exploring all options to bring our school to one location," she said.

Though there are many buildings available in Missoula, few of them offer classrooms and play space, she said. Prescott became a possibility after MCPS' school board voted 4-3 on March 24 to close the lower Rattlesnake elementary school, along with Mount Jumbo Elementary and Rattlesnake Middle School, to help balance the 2004-05 elementary budget.

The district's plan calls for relocating most of the Rattlesnake middle-schoolers to Washington Middle School and transforming Rattlesnake Middle School into a K-5 elementary school in the upper Rattlesnake that would serve students who normally would have attended Mount Jumbo and Prescott.

Harrison said if the school board decides Tuesday not to seek more "requests for proposals" to lease out Prescott, the district's next step would be to begin discussions with Missoula International to determine how much it would be willing to pay in rent, insurance and utilities.

But looming over any action is a lawsuit filed last week by two Missoula residents against MCPS that alleges the district violated state open meetings law during its budget preparation process this spring. The lawsuit asks the court to void the board's decision to close the three schools.

If successful, the lawsuit would require the district to gather more public input and provide citizens and trustees with greater access to district budget team meetings, more options and decision-making documents that school administrators considered early on before recommending how to balance the 2004-05 budget.

Reporter Jane Rider can be reached at 523-5298 or at jrider@missoulian.com

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