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.
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