Click on the link below to read an article on the benefits of smaller schools such as Prescott School and many of our other neighborhood schools.
If Missoula could return to the K-8 model we would be helping our students'education according to some studies.
"Dollars and Sense: The Cost Effectiveness of Smaller Schools" article from the internet
Monday, November 25, 2013
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Welcome to the Prescott School Missoula blog!!
Prescott School Missoula would like to welcome any visitors to this blog that have logged on in recent days.
psm is in the process started a couple of years ago to get the word out about the shortcomings of the Missoula International School/Prescott School lease.
Prescott School Missoula believes that the lease of Prescott School to Missoula International School needs to be terminated NOW!!
The fact that Prescott School was closed and subsequently leased to a competing entity is questionable and even corrupt at its core.
Please support Prescott School in Missoula by contacting district officials.
Prescott School Missoula knows that this is not the most perfect blog in design and perhaps the grammar is not always correct, however, the desire to share information about Prescott is ever present!
psm believes that Missoula loves its neighborhood schools and so many citizens have loved Prescott School.
psm is in the process started a couple of years ago to get the word out about the shortcomings of the Missoula International School/Prescott School lease.
Prescott School Missoula believes that the lease of Prescott School to Missoula International School needs to be terminated NOW!!
The fact that Prescott School was closed and subsequently leased to a competing entity is questionable and even corrupt at its core.
Please support Prescott School in Missoula by contacting district officials.
Prescott School Missoula knows that this is not the most perfect blog in design and perhaps the grammar is not always correct, however, the desire to share information about Prescott is ever present!
psm believes that Missoula loves its neighborhood schools and so many citizens have loved Prescott School.
Text of You Tube video posted on Prescott School Missoula reporting on the Breach of Contract by MIS and MCPS in the painting of the Prescott gym
The following text accompanies the You Tube video regarding the Breach of Contract by Missoula International School and Missoula County Public Schools in the painting by MCPS maintenance staff of the Prescott School gym in 2011.
MIS/MCPS Breach of Contract /Painting of the Prescott Gym by MCPS employees In 2004, Prescott School was closed along with Rattlesnake Middle School, both located in the Rattlesnake Valley along with Mt. Jumbo School in East Missoula. The Trustees voting for the closures on March 25th, 2004 at 1:00 in the morning were: Rosemary Harrison, Jenda Hemphill, David Merrill, and Naomi Kimbell. The district was forced to repeat the decision in July due to an Open Meeting Lawsuit. The Trustees that voted for the closures were: Rosemary Harrison, Jenda Cummings (later Hemphill), Naomi Kimbell, Toni Rehbein, Scott Bixler, and Joe Toth. All three schools were closed in a 48 day process!
Subsequently, the lease of Prescott School to Missoula International School was approved by the MCPS Board of Trustees in June of 2004. (This was only a 48 day process as well!) Under # 15 of the 2004 lease it states, "District will be responsible for major structural repairs such as roof repair or replacement and boiler repair and replacement. Lessee will be responsible for any other maintenance and repairs resulting from use of the Premises." Additionally, it states, "If there is evidence of Lessee abuse or neglect involving maintenance or repair, District will have the right to perform maintenance and repairs and to charge Lessee for the direct cost of the maintenance and repairs."
In other words, according to the lease, Missoula International School was and is responsible for the painting and the repairs to the Prescott School gym. By repairing the ceiling, doing electrical work, and painting the gym of Prescott in May of 2009, both MIS and MCPS were in Breach of Contract. At least $1,000 was spent by the district for painter's wages. (2 painters/$20 per hour/5-8 hour days) The painter said MIS paid for the paint. Add to that the labor for the electrician and his assistant and for the carpenters in addition to all repair materials, such as fender washers and shellac of which I was told were used on the ceiling tiles.
Again, the #15 clause of the lease it states that the district will charge Lessee for the direct cost of the maintenance and repairs (see above). Therefore, MIS owes the district the funds that were allocated for this gym ceiling repair in addition to the painting labor costs. IMPORTANT: The painter also told me that he had never seen so much damage to a district 1 school ceiling in his 15 years of working for the district. How tragic and disgraceful to hear about the lack of care to one of our most valuable school assets!!! This reveals the utter mismanagement of our facilities by district officials.
Please contact the school district and let them know that you are troubled by the lack of care of the Prescott gym roof and that you are in favor of terminating the MIS/Prescott School lease due to both lack of care to the school building and to malfeasance in abiding by the 2004 lease by both entities.
MIS/MCPS Breach of Contract /Painting of the Prescott Gym by MCPS employees In 2004, Prescott School was closed along with Rattlesnake Middle School, both located in the Rattlesnake Valley along with Mt. Jumbo School in East Missoula. The Trustees voting for the closures on March 25th, 2004 at 1:00 in the morning were: Rosemary Harrison, Jenda Hemphill, David Merrill, and Naomi Kimbell. The district was forced to repeat the decision in July due to an Open Meeting Lawsuit. The Trustees that voted for the closures were: Rosemary Harrison, Jenda Cummings (later Hemphill), Naomi Kimbell, Toni Rehbein, Scott Bixler, and Joe Toth. All three schools were closed in a 48 day process!
Subsequently, the lease of Prescott School to Missoula International School was approved by the MCPS Board of Trustees in June of 2004. (This was only a 48 day process as well!) Under # 15 of the 2004 lease it states, "District will be responsible for major structural repairs such as roof repair or replacement and boiler repair and replacement. Lessee will be responsible for any other maintenance and repairs resulting from use of the Premises." Additionally, it states, "If there is evidence of Lessee abuse or neglect involving maintenance or repair, District will have the right to perform maintenance and repairs and to charge Lessee for the direct cost of the maintenance and repairs."
In other words, according to the lease, Missoula International School was and is responsible for the painting and the repairs to the Prescott School gym. By repairing the ceiling, doing electrical work, and painting the gym of Prescott in May of 2009, both MIS and MCPS were in Breach of Contract. At least $1,000 was spent by the district for painter's wages. (2 painters/$20 per hour/5-8 hour days) The painter said MIS paid for the paint. Add to that the labor for the electrician and his assistant and for the carpenters in addition to all repair materials, such as fender washers and shellac of which I was told were used on the ceiling tiles.
Again, the #15 clause of the lease it states that the district will charge Lessee for the direct cost of the maintenance and repairs (see above). Therefore, MIS owes the district the funds that were allocated for this gym ceiling repair in addition to the painting labor costs. IMPORTANT: The painter also told me that he had never seen so much damage to a district 1 school ceiling in his 15 years of working for the district. How tragic and disgraceful to hear about the lack of care to one of our most valuable school assets!!! This reveals the utter mismanagement of our facilities by district officials.
Please contact the school district and let them know that you are troubled by the lack of care of the Prescott gym roof and that you are in favor of terminating the MIS/Prescott School lease due to both lack of care to the school building and to malfeasance in abiding by the 2004 lease by both entities.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Hellgate senior: Class of 2014 'guinea pigs' for frustrating curriculum - Missoulian article published in the November 13th, 2013 edition
Click the link below to read a Missoulian article written by Betsy Cohen in the November 13, 2013 edition reporting on the MCPS November School Board Meeting.
A Hellgate student said that he spoke on behalf of many of the Class of 2014 in that they considered themselves "guinea pigs" for the administration. He also complained about the International Baccalaureate Program now housed at Hellgate.
A citizen also spoke out against the Prescott School/MIS lease.
Hellgate senior: Class of 2014 'guinea pigs' for frustrating curriculum
A Hellgate student said that he spoke on behalf of many of the Class of 2014 in that they considered themselves "guinea pigs" for the administration. He also complained about the International Baccalaureate Program now housed at Hellgate.
A citizen also spoke out against the Prescott School/MIS lease.
Hellgate senior: Class of 2014 'guinea pigs' for frustrating curriculum
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Rattlesnake Elementary at capacity; some students may be transferred
Click on the link below to read a Missoulian article published in the February 13, 2012 issue.
Rattlesnake Elementary at capacity; some students may be transferred
Rattlesnake Elementary at capacity; some students may be transferred
Missoula International School: Keep public, private systems separate - Missoulian letter to the editor published inJuly of 2011
Click on the link below to read a letter to the editor in the Missoulian in July of 2011 by an advocate of Prescott School. This writer makes many excellent points regarding the lease of Prescott School to Missoula International School.
Missoula International School: Keep public, private systems separate
Missoula International School: Keep public, private systems separate
Monday, November 11, 2013
Grantsdale School’s 620-pound historic bell removed as it waits for a new home - November 11, 2013 Missoulian article
Click on the link below to read a November 11, 2013, Missoulian article written by Betsy Cohen reporting on the removal of the bell in the Grantsdale School which was closed last spring by the Hamilton School District.
Grantsdale School’s 620-pound historic bell removed as it waits for a new home
See below Prescott School Missoula's thoughts on this article, on the 2004 school closures, and the closure of neighborhood schools in general.
Quote, "The bell and its 23-foot-high tower were recently transferred to the Ravalli County Historical Society in a move that has been in the works since last spring; when the Hamilton School District decided it could no longer afford to keep the 124-year-old Grantsdale School open."
Prescott School Missoula feels sad for the citizens of this area that had their school closed last spring The picture in the Missoulian along with the Grantsdale School closure article of two girls crying during a closure meeting broke psm's heart.
In 2004, many tears were shed as three of Missoula's northeast schools were closed, one with a long history as well, Prescott School. Prescott had served Missoula's children since 1893!!
It is my belief that the Hamilton school district did NOT have to close this school. The Trustees could have found a way to keep it open - there must have been a myriad of options available to them - just as there was in 2004 in Missoula. People who were against the Missoula closures arrived at the closure meeting with the opinion that all three schools could remain open. Some came to the March 24-25, 2004 meeting with alternative budgets which were ignored.
If there were an independent study of the 2004 closures in Missoula I believe that they would find that it was a disastrous decision in every way.
What resulted as a consequence of the 2004 closures is crowded schools, both elementary and middle schools. A private school, Missoula International School, leasing Prescott School has siphoned off many of the public school students as a direct result of leasing Prescott. According to professionals this lease has cost the district $500,000/ per year in the past few years. Starting with an enrollment of 33 children, MIS has increased its enrollment since 2004 to approximately 186 students.
Also egregiously, is that the district decided to build a modular at a cost of approximately $250,000 in 2012 and ALSO as of this year (2013) made the decision to bus Rattlesnake children to Pason. The reason that the district decided to build the modular in the first place s so the district would not have to bus Rattlesnake children to Paxson!!
When all the facts are laid out on the table it is absolutely clear that this school district in refusing to reopen Prescott School is continuing its DISLOYALTY TO MISSOULA'S CHILDREN AND TAXPAYERS.
When a citizen visited with Rattlesnake Principal Seidensticker in February of 2012, Seidensticker said that he was told that reopening Prescott or Mt. Jumbo was not an option in dealing with the overcrowding of Rattlesnake School (which had been ongoing ever since the closures in 2004).
What is the busing budget as a result of the closures?
To continue on the subject of the consequences of the 2004 closures – Many East Missoula children are now (since 2004) ATTENDING BONNER SCHOOL. In one look at the exodus of the number of children switching from Rattlesnake or Washington Middle School a document that indicated that approximately 40-50 children made the switch. Financially, this equates to a loss to MCPS coffers of $200,000 or more.
(Bonner Principal Ardiana will NOT release the numbers of children from E. Missoula attending Bonner throughout the years - since 2004 per a citizen request.) What is the school district doing about this - NOTHING. MCPS officials do not acknowledge this important issue.
To get back to the Grantsdale School closure - we see the citizens of this area rallying around this school to preserve its history. THIS REVEALS THE CLOSE RELATIONSHIP THAT CITIZENS HAVE WITH THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS. THIS RELATIONSHIP IS IMPORTANT TO THE COHESIVENESS OF A COMMUNITY.
What really made Prescott School Missoula angry is when psm read a headline in the Missoulian a while ago that reported that the Hamilton School district is thinking of expanding its preschool!!
Grantsdale School’s 620-pound historic bell removed as it waits for a new home
See below Prescott School Missoula's thoughts on this article, on the 2004 school closures, and the closure of neighborhood schools in general.
Quote, "The bell and its 23-foot-high tower were recently transferred to the Ravalli County Historical Society in a move that has been in the works since last spring; when the Hamilton School District decided it could no longer afford to keep the 124-year-old Grantsdale School open."
Prescott School Missoula feels sad for the citizens of this area that had their school closed last spring The picture in the Missoulian along with the Grantsdale School closure article of two girls crying during a closure meeting broke psm's heart.
In 2004, many tears were shed as three of Missoula's northeast schools were closed, one with a long history as well, Prescott School. Prescott had served Missoula's children since 1893!!
It is my belief that the Hamilton school district did NOT have to close this school. The Trustees could have found a way to keep it open - there must have been a myriad of options available to them - just as there was in 2004 in Missoula. People who were against the Missoula closures arrived at the closure meeting with the opinion that all three schools could remain open. Some came to the March 24-25, 2004 meeting with alternative budgets which were ignored.
What it takes is a commitment to keeping neighborhood schools open. This needs to be coupled with a belief that it is the SMALL schools that have withstood the test of time and are the best option for students.
If there were an independent study of the 2004 closures in Missoula I believe that they would find that it was a disastrous decision in every way.
What resulted as a consequence of the 2004 closures is crowded schools, both elementary and middle schools. A private school, Missoula International School, leasing Prescott School has siphoned off many of the public school students as a direct result of leasing Prescott. According to professionals this lease has cost the district $500,000/ per year in the past few years. Starting with an enrollment of 33 children, MIS has increased its enrollment since 2004 to approximately 186 students.
Also egregiously, is that the district decided to build a modular at a cost of approximately $250,000 in 2012 and ALSO as of this year (2013) made the decision to bus Rattlesnake children to Pason. The reason that the district decided to build the modular in the first place s so the district would not have to bus Rattlesnake children to Paxson!!
When all the facts are laid out on the table it is absolutely clear that this school district in refusing to reopen Prescott School is continuing its DISLOYALTY TO MISSOULA'S CHILDREN AND TAXPAYERS.
When a citizen visited with Rattlesnake Principal Seidensticker in February of 2012, Seidensticker said that he was told that reopening Prescott or Mt. Jumbo was not an option in dealing with the overcrowding of Rattlesnake School (which had been ongoing ever since the closures in 2004).
What is the busing budget as a result of the closures?
To continue on the subject of the consequences of the 2004 closures – Many East Missoula children are now (since 2004) ATTENDING BONNER SCHOOL. In one look at the exodus of the number of children switching from Rattlesnake or Washington Middle School a document that indicated that approximately 40-50 children made the switch. Financially, this equates to a loss to MCPS coffers of $200,000 or more.
(Bonner Principal Ardiana will NOT release the numbers of children from E. Missoula attending Bonner throughout the years - since 2004 per a citizen request.) What is the school district doing about this - NOTHING. MCPS officials do not acknowledge this important issue.
To get back to the Grantsdale School closure - we see the citizens of this area rallying around this school to preserve its history. THIS REVEALS THE CLOSE RELATIONSHIP THAT CITIZENS HAVE WITH THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS. THIS RELATIONSHIP IS IMPORTANT TO THE COHESIVENESS OF A COMMUNITY.
What really made Prescott School Missoula angry is when psm read a headline in the Missoulian a while ago that reported that the Hamilton School district is thinking of expanding its preschool!!
THIS SUPPORTS THE PREMISE THAT SCHOOL DISTRICTS CAN KEEP SCHOOLS OPEN IF TRUSTEES JUST VALUE THESE PRICELESS ASSETS TO A COMMUNITY.
Thursday, November 7, 2013
If the School Board and The Superintendent Do NOT Understand the Basic Concept That Helping Your Competion (read more)
Prescott School Missoula 's position on the latest facilities "study" by Missoula County Public Schools.
After closing the three schools, one of the closed schools was leased for a 5 year term to a private school Missoula International School. Prescott School is located in the lower Rattlesnake.
This figure has most likely increased as MIS enrollment has increased since 2011. Strangly but predictably this information was brushed aside and ignored as it still is to this date.
- "If the superintendent and the Board of Trustees do not understand the basic concept that leasing a public school (Prescott School) to the competition (Missoula International School) is harmful and not in the best interests of the district, then psm's opinion and I'm sure others, MCPS has no business embarking on yet another facilities study."
"In order for this district to gain credibility, it would have to engage in a multitude of actions: the termination of the Prescott/MIS lease would be first on the list of these corrective actions for the district."
"Additionally, if the superintendent and the school board do not understand that the district needs to reopen Prescott School instead of building expensive modulars and sending Rattlesnake School children to Paxson they, again, do not have any business embarking on a facilties study."
Background: In 2004 MCPS closed three schools within a 48 day time span. This shortsighted decision had devastating consequences for not only the north side of our city but throughout the city.
After closing the three schools, one of the closed schools was leased for a 5 year term to a private school Missoula International School. Prescott School is located in the lower Rattlesnake.
In 2009, a leased extension for 3 years was approved and in 2011, another lease extension was approved for 5 years for a total of 13 years.
Citizens, including a math professor, have come forward in meetings and have stated that his lease is cosing the district hundreds of thousands of dollars due to the increase in MIS enrollment throughout the years.
Shortly before the 2011 lease extension discussin for approving the lease estension the math professor sent an email to all trustees and the superintendent stating that the Prescott School lease to Missoula International School is now costing the distirct $500,000 a year.
Shortly before the 2011 lease extension discussin for approving the lease estension the math professor sent an email to all trustees and the superintendent stating that the Prescott School lease to Missoula International School is now costing the distirct $500,000 a year.
This figure has most likely increased as MIS enrollment has increased since 2011. Strangly but predictably this information was brushed aside and ignored as it still is to this date.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
MCPS trustees get 1st update on long-range facilities planning - Missoulian article published on November 5th, 2013
Click on the link below to read a November 5th, 2013 Missoulian article reporting on MCPS' long-range facilites planning written by Betsy Cohen.
MCPS trustees get 1st update on long-range facilities planning
MCPS trustees get 1st update on long-range facilities planning
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Missoula International School Day of the Dead celebration a multicultural affair - Missoulain article written for the Saturday, November 2, 2013 edition by Betsy Cohen
Click on the link below to read a Missoulian article from the Saturday, November 2, 2013 edition reporting on the Missoula International's Day of the Dead celebration. The article was written by Betsy Cohen.
Why was there no mention of the location of Missoula International School? Why no mention that MIS is leasing Prescott School.
Prescott School Missoula is of the belief that the Missoulian is not doing due diligence in reporting on disrict news.
Missoula International School Day of the Dead celebration a multicultural affair
Why was there no mention of the location of Missoula International School? Why no mention that MIS is leasing Prescott School.
Prescott School Missoula is of the belief that the Missoulian is not doing due diligence in reporting on disrict news.
Missoula International School Day of the Dead celebration a multicultural affair
Booming student population pushes need for MCPS long-range facilities plan - Missoulian article in November 2, 2013 edition written by Betsy Cohen
Click on the link below to read an article by Missoulian reporter Betsy Cohen in the November 3rd edition reporting on the overcrowding of Missoula County Public Schools such as Rattlesnake School, just up the road from Prescott School.
The school district has been disloyal and negligent in actions taken which affect our Rattlesnake Valley students.
They have closed and sold Lincoln School (1986?) so that it is not available for handling the overflow from Rattlesnake School.
MCPS Trustees then closed Prescott School (2004) and subsequently leased it (also 2004) to a private school Missoula International School.
Citizens, including a math professor at the University of Montana, have figured that the losses to the district have been in the hundreds of thousands and now after 9 years of the Prescott School/MIS lease the loses must be in the millions of dollars.
This is all due to the state funding formula which attaches approximately $5,000 to each student.
So when a student decides to attend a private school the district loses that $5,000. It is significant when a Missoula student decides to home school or attend a private school. It is even more significant and downright disloyal on the part of MCPS trustees and administrators when the student ATTENDS A PRIVATE SCHOOL WHICH IS HOUSED IN A PUBLIC SCHOOL which is the case of Missoula International School School students at Prescott School.
Another example of disloyalty by MCPS Trustees is the sale of Roosevelt School to St. Joseph's School in 2005. The enrollment of St. Joseph's School grew almost every year since the lease was approved around 1998 (not exactly sure of the year) and especially after the sale in 2005.
Families will surely take into consideration the school facility when deciding on a school including a private school and perhaps more so if a school is private. In each of the cases mentioned the public school was a HUGE UPGRADE IN THE PRIVATE SCHOOL'S PREVIOUS FACILITY/FACILITIES!!
The above cannot be overemphasized. The reason why these private schools pursue the public facility is to improve their school so as to attract additional students (which by the way come from the pool of children which attend MCPS).
Prescott School Missoula went before the Board for most every discussion of the leasing of Prescott School and before that for every attempt at closure. Along with others, psm mentioned the upcoming enrollment increase, that of the echo echo boom children (the grandchildren of the baby boomers).
This future increase of students throughout the district was substantiated by work done by Dr. Larry Swanson and others. Dr. Swanson had contributed many hours free of charge to the district before 2004 and in 2009 he was contracted to do a comprehensive study for the distinct. (See tab above on this blog).
All of the free and professional work by Dr. Swanson was brushed aside, at the peril of MCPS children and Missoula taxpayers, by the Trustees at this time.
The Trustees whom voted for the 2004 north side closures were: Chairwoman Rosemary Harrison, Trustees Jenda Hemphill, Naomi Kimbell, and David Merrill.
The Trustees whom voted for the 2004 north side closures in the second vote brought on by an open meeting lawsuit against the district by Molly Moody and Allan Oines, were: Rosemary Harrison, Jenda Hemphill, Naomi Kimbell (who later became MIS's executive director - see multiple posts of this blog!), Toni Rehbein, Scott Bixler, and Joe Toth. Trustee Carol Bellin was the lone dissenter.
The Trustees whom voted for the lease of Prescott School to Missoula International School are: Rosemary Harrison, Jenda Hemphill, Naomi Kimbell, Joe Toth, and Scott Bixler. Toni Rehbein recused herself from the vote (See multiple posts on the connections Toni Rehbein has with MIS), and Carol Bellin voted against the lease.
Trustees whom voted for the lease extension in 2009: Scott Bixler, Joe Toth, Joseph Knapp, and others (psm needs to look into the documents for information on other votes).
Trustees whom voted for the Prescott School/MIS lease in 2011: Scott Bixler, Shelly Wills, Joseph Knapp, and Michael Smith.
psm will correct the voting information if any is found to be incorrect and or incomplete.
All of these MCPS Trustees have shown disloyalty to the district by assisting a private school - when their loyalties are by law supposed to be ONLY to MCPS.
The picture for this article shows a modular at Rattlesnake School.
The article states that for the first time Rattlesnake students are being sent to Paxson.
MIS has received sweat heart leases for 9 years (see blog tab titled "MIS sweartheart lease"
MIS has been negligent in the care of the playground and perhaps other areas of the school.(See You Tube video)
MCPS has done maintenance on Prescott School at the district's expense, going against the lease agreement which stipulates that MIS is responsible for repair and maintenance. (See You Tube video)
psm is quite sure based on past experience that there have been other favors to MIS form the MCPS school district.
Going forward - MCPS needs to let MIS know that the lease will be terminated at the end of this school year(there is surprisingly an opt out clause in the lease - which has not been included for MCPS in past leases).
THEN MCPS NEEDS TO REOPEN PRESCOTT SCHOOL FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL CHILDREN.
How much more proof is there that WE NEED PRESCOTT SCHOOL!!
Booming student population pushes need for MCPS long-range facilities plan
The school district has been disloyal and negligent in actions taken which affect our Rattlesnake Valley students.
They have closed and sold Lincoln School (1986?) so that it is not available for handling the overflow from Rattlesnake School.
MCPS Trustees then closed Prescott School (2004) and subsequently leased it (also 2004) to a private school Missoula International School.
Citizens, including a math professor at the University of Montana, have figured that the losses to the district have been in the hundreds of thousands and now after 9 years of the Prescott School/MIS lease the loses must be in the millions of dollars.
This is all due to the state funding formula which attaches approximately $5,000 to each student.
So when a student decides to attend a private school the district loses that $5,000. It is significant when a Missoula student decides to home school or attend a private school. It is even more significant and downright disloyal on the part of MCPS trustees and administrators when the student ATTENDS A PRIVATE SCHOOL WHICH IS HOUSED IN A PUBLIC SCHOOL which is the case of Missoula International School School students at Prescott School.
Another example of disloyalty by MCPS Trustees is the sale of Roosevelt School to St. Joseph's School in 2005. The enrollment of St. Joseph's School grew almost every year since the lease was approved around 1998 (not exactly sure of the year) and especially after the sale in 2005.
Families will surely take into consideration the school facility when deciding on a school including a private school and perhaps more so if a school is private. In each of the cases mentioned the public school was a HUGE UPGRADE IN THE PRIVATE SCHOOL'S PREVIOUS FACILITY/FACILITIES!!
The above cannot be overemphasized. The reason why these private schools pursue the public facility is to improve their school so as to attract additional students (which by the way come from the pool of children which attend MCPS).
Prescott School Missoula went before the Board for most every discussion of the leasing of Prescott School and before that for every attempt at closure. Along with others, psm mentioned the upcoming enrollment increase, that of the echo echo boom children (the grandchildren of the baby boomers).
This future increase of students throughout the district was substantiated by work done by Dr. Larry Swanson and others. Dr. Swanson had contributed many hours free of charge to the district before 2004 and in 2009 he was contracted to do a comprehensive study for the distinct. (See tab above on this blog).
All of the free and professional work by Dr. Swanson was brushed aside, at the peril of MCPS children and Missoula taxpayers, by the Trustees at this time.
The Trustees whom voted for the 2004 north side closures were: Chairwoman Rosemary Harrison, Trustees Jenda Hemphill, Naomi Kimbell, and David Merrill.
The Trustees whom voted for the 2004 north side closures in the second vote brought on by an open meeting lawsuit against the district by Molly Moody and Allan Oines, were: Rosemary Harrison, Jenda Hemphill, Naomi Kimbell (who later became MIS's executive director - see multiple posts of this blog!), Toni Rehbein, Scott Bixler, and Joe Toth. Trustee Carol Bellin was the lone dissenter.
The Trustees whom voted for the lease of Prescott School to Missoula International School are: Rosemary Harrison, Jenda Hemphill, Naomi Kimbell, Joe Toth, and Scott Bixler. Toni Rehbein recused herself from the vote (See multiple posts on the connections Toni Rehbein has with MIS), and Carol Bellin voted against the lease.
Trustees whom voted for the lease extension in 2009: Scott Bixler, Joe Toth, Joseph Knapp, and others (psm needs to look into the documents for information on other votes).
Trustees whom voted for the Prescott School/MIS lease in 2011: Scott Bixler, Shelly Wills, Joseph Knapp, and Michael Smith.
psm will correct the voting information if any is found to be incorrect and or incomplete.
All of these MCPS Trustees have shown disloyalty to the district by assisting a private school - when their loyalties are by law supposed to be ONLY to MCPS.
The picture for this article shows a modular at Rattlesnake School.
The article states that for the first time Rattlesnake students are being sent to Paxson.
MIS has received sweat heart leases for 9 years (see blog tab titled "MIS sweartheart lease"
MIS has been negligent in the care of the playground and perhaps other areas of the school.(See You Tube video)
MCPS has done maintenance on Prescott School at the district's expense, going against the lease agreement which stipulates that MIS is responsible for repair and maintenance. (See You Tube video)
psm is quite sure based on past experience that there have been other favors to MIS form the MCPS school district.
Going forward - MCPS needs to let MIS know that the lease will be terminated at the end of this school year(there is surprisingly an opt out clause in the lease - which has not been included for MCPS in past leases).
THEN MCPS NEEDS TO REOPEN PRESCOTT SCHOOL FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL CHILDREN.
How much more proof is there that WE NEED PRESCOTT SCHOOL!!
Booming student population pushes need for MCPS long-range facilities plan
Friday, November 1, 2013
Irene Heikkila Newman - Attended Lincoln and Prescott Schools
Click on the link below to read the obituary of a Prescottt School alum. Schools are an important part of people's lives and are often mentioned in an obituary.
As a young girl, she lived with her family in the lower Rattlesnake, in a home that her dad built. She was educated at the Lincoln School, then to the Prescott School. She graduated from the Missoula County High School, and continued her education at the University of Montana, enrolling in the equestrian program when they had a riding stable as part of their curriculum.
Irene Heikkila Newman
My grandmother, who also attended Prescott School loved to go to Finnegans Restaurant as the creek flowing it reminded her of her childhood years in the lower Rattlesnake. People love their childhood neighborhoods and many of have fond memories of the neighborhood schools.
Prescott School Missoula would like to extend condolences to the family and friends of Irene.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)