We, as Missoulians, need to kick out MIS (a private school) from Prescott School (our beloved public school). We need to say "Adios Missoula International School! (MIS is an IB school and also a Spanish immersion school.)
That is, let's not extend the lease in 2017, the year it expires. Prescott School is a public school, for public school children.
Leasing a public school undermines the district financially and causes crowding in other schools forcing the district to build an unnecessary modular.
Leasing Prescott School is not fair to the Rattlesnake's public school children - the sole reason why Prescott School was built.
Realistically, Prescott School need never have been closed.
A Trustee on the Missoula County Public Schools Board of Trustees said to this writer the night of the closure decision, March 24, 2004, before the meeting, that there was enough money to cover the budget shortfall without closing any schools.
Prescott School Missoula is of the opinion that there were other underlying reasons for the closures.
One of these reasons, in psm's opinion, was to open the door for the lease of Prescott School to Missoula International School, which occurred shortly after the closures.
The lease scenario was begun with a letter from Missoula International School to the district in April of 2004, only a month after the closures. Prescott School Missoula believes the MIS letter is the first public document in the Prescott School/MIS lease scenario; HOWEVER, there may have been private conversations between MCPS officials and MIS representatives before the MIS letter was sent to the district (most likely in the opinion of psm).
The Prescott School closure and subsequent lease of this school to Missoula International School tragically happened and continues to undermine our school district and our neighborhood to this day. We cannot turn back the clock.
We can, however, look to the future. And that future is one in which Prescott School is returned to it's rightful owners - the public school children of Missoula County Public Schools.
Let us begin the conversation!! Let us figure out how much the real costs would be to re-open Prescott. We always get the run around by school administrators saying that it would cost too much.
Prescott School Missoula believes that re-opening our school could be at a reasonable cost. For instance, we do not need a separate principal at first, this job could be shared with the principal of Rattlesnake School until the enrollment increased.
There are a myriad of possibilities. Volunteers could be used for various jobs. Other remedies could be applied to problems as they spring up. Remember, when Prescott School was closed and then reopened in the past many parents volunteered to help with the library.
Whatever the cost, it is doubtful that it would equal the funds we are losing now leasing our school to a private school, which was estimated to be $500,000 in one year by a professional mathematician. Another citizen who has extensive experience in real estate transactions has estimated that the lease cost the district approximately $300,000 a couple of years ago.
Let us begin the conversation of re-opening Prescott School after the MIS/Prescott lease expires in 2017. Let's make the plans now so we can look forward to using our beloved Prescott School once again.
Update on March 23, 2014 - If one drives by Rattlesnake School you will see a modular on the playground. This was built in the summer of 2012. In a telephone conversation with Principal Seidensticker it was revealed that someone told him that Prescott and Mt. Jumbo Schools were NOT to be in the conversation dealing with the overcrowding at Rattlesnake School in 2012. Asked later who this person was, Seidensticker would not say.
This points out that Missoula County Public Schools will bend over backward for Missoula International School (and for Walla Walla College) and not reopen these schools even though there is obvious need and will even build a modular at the cost of approximately $250,000!! The school district has done remodeling of Rattlesnake School (filled in the band room - what a shame!!) and psm is sure there are many other projects of which the public is unaware and will probably always be (unless you work or have kids in Rattlesnake School and perhaps not even then).
Edited in February 2013
Edited on March 23, 2014
No comments:
Post a Comment