MCPS survey finds tech infrastructure highest priority for upgrade

MCPS survey finds tech infrastructure highest priority for upgrade

Pit Bulls and Prescott

In early June someone was seriously injured after being attacked by two pit bulls who lived near Prescott School. 

These pit bulls jumped the flimsy garden fence, broke loose from the stake on which their leashes were attached, and charged a woman. 

The pit bulls bit the left hand of the woman. During the attack the woman was forced to the ground which resulted in a broken right arm, which needed surgery.

This attack was the THIRD offense for these dogs. The first offense was a scare to some people. However, the second offense was a bite. 

It is the opinion of Prescott School Missoula that after the second attack the dogs needed to be confiscated. Why wait for another innocent victim - which is what happened? 

It was obvious that the young people were not responsible and were unable to keep their dogs contained in their yard!

In the course of this accident, the woman heard many references of a lot of children living in this area - something that the MCPS school district does not recognize.

Missoula International School Infiltration of the MCPS Board of Trustees - Public Comment at recent MCPS Board Meeting

A little background – Prescott School was closed along with 2 other north side schools in 2004 and immediately leased to Missoula International School. Our hearts were broken in 2004 and many, I included, ten years later continue to be saddened by this unnecessary tragedy.

A blog created to provide information on Prescott School and the lease to Missoula International School, at www.prescottschoolmissoula.blogspot.com has a post and a page (at the top of the blog) which addresses the infiltration or possible infiltration of Missoula International School supporters of the MCPS Board of Trustees and another MCPS position. 

A list was created to address this topic and includes parents, officers, and business associates of Missoula International School. On this list are: Toni Rehbein, Adam Duerk, Michael Smith, Marta Pierpoint, and perhaps Joseph Knapp. The connections or possible connections to MIS are listed on the website. There certainly could be more - how can we be sure if there are more MIS supporters on the Board - we can't!?

Additionally, other Trustees were no doubt influenced by the pro-MIS Trustees on the Board.

Are there more names to add to the list of MIS infiltrators after the election this May? I believe so – it has come to my attention that Trustee Newbold’s spouse works at ALPS, (as does the spouse of Trustee Smith). ALPS is a business at which David Rehbein, spouse of former Trustee Toni Rehbein, is employed and I believe is the CEO.

I haven’t spoken with Trustee Kendall on this issue; however, Kendall was part of discussions of a private school middle school in Prescott in 2005. After a conversation with her my opinion will be clearer.

In short, has MIS run candidates currently and in the past for the MCPS Board in order to make decisions favorable to them?

Was Prescott actually closed to make way for the MIS lease?  And after 10 years of reflection, in my opinion, is, yes to both questions.

Influencing elections by private schools, is nothing new to Missoula by the way – it has been revealed in a lawsuit that there was influence by the leadership of St. Joseph’s School in a MCPS election which may have enabled the sale of Roosevelt School.

Because of the influence or even the possible influence of the private school in MCPS elections a repeat lease extension of Prescott School to MIssoula International School needs to be taken off the table.

It is painfully clear that MCPS needs Prescott School. A modular, massive busing of Rattlesnake children out of the Valley is proof enough. 

MCPS needs to begin making plans to again open our school to public school students in 2017.

MIS needs to make plans for another location after 2017.

Dollars and Sense: The Cost Effectiveness of Small Schools: Rural School & Community Trust

Click on the  link below to read a report about the cost effectiveness of small schools, great schools like Prescott School!

There is so much important information in this report - this report just makes sense - common sense. 

If you are like me you have longed for stability and common sense to come back to Missoula in regard to its schools and neighborhoods. 

What is so important for children, families, neighborhoods, and cities in general is to have a small public school in each neighborhood.

A public school in each of Missoula's neighborhoods is exactly what we USED to have. 

Over the years, and little by little, our smaller neighborhood schools have been taken away - and in each of the neighborhoods that have lost their school, a true tragedy occurred. Just a handful of people can cause huge devastation to our community's neighborhoods. 

Let's turn this around. We can reverse a lot of the damage done to our neighborhoods if a lot of us get informed regarding the importance of the neighborhood public school.

A great start is for as many people in Missoula as possible read the report below. 

It's an easy report to read. It's an uplifting report to read as everything you knew in  your heart that is right for our schools and neighborhoods is right before your eyes.

Adios, MIS! Missoula, and in particular, the Rattlesnake, needs our beloved Prescott School for the good of our Missoula County Public School children.

Again, click the link below to read an amazingly informative report on small schools.


Dollars and Sense: The Cost Effectiveness of Small Schools: Rural School & Community Trust