Letters for Tuesday, April 27, 2004 : Missoulian: News and Resources for Western Montana - Citizens againsst school closures - "whiners" or responsible citizens? (psm - responsible citizens)

Click on the link below to read three letters to the editor for the Missoulian on April 27th, 2004 regarding the contentious school closures in 2004. 


Especially great is Lisa Buseman's letter stating that it was not the Rattlesnake community responsible for the school closures but the MCPS administrators.


Buseman is responding to a previous letter to the editor calling Rattlesnake residents whom complained about the closures as "whiners".


Note to Missoulians - please come out against all school closures and sales in Missoula - what happens in one area of town affects us all!!














Letters for Tuesday, April 27, 2004 : Missoulian: News and Resources for Western Montana

Trustee election crucial time for Missoula school closures : Uncategorized - Missoulian article published in the March 28fh edition

Click on the link below to read a Missoulian article on Missoula school closures in 1999.


Trustee election crucial time for Missoula school closures : Uncategorized  -

The MCPS Board of Trustees at the time according to this article were prior to the 1999 school board election:

Mike Kupilik
Jan Guffin
Rosemary Harrison
Jenda Cummings
Greg Tollefson
Barb Seekins
Suzette Dussault

Running for the school board's two seats in the May election were:

Rosemary Harrison - incumbent
Jenda Cummings - incumbent
Barbara Sears
G.G.Weix

The article states that Harrison and Cummings were two of five trustees that voted to close Emma Dickinson and Roosevelt "last month" (which means February of 1999).

The closure trustees of Roosevelt and Dickinson Schools in 1999 using this article for a source were:

Rosemary Harrison
Jenda Cummings
Mike Kupilik
Greg Tollefson
Jan Guffin

Trustees against the closures of the two schools were:

Suzette Dussault
Barb Seekins


The article states that Tollefson, Guffin, and Kupilik were behind Cummings and Harrison.

Dussault did not endorse any candidates, however, Seekins endorsed Weix and Sears.

As Missoulian have heard over and over when the issue of school closure is brought up - the closue trustees thought it would be best to preserve academic and extracurricular programs.

The above argument is not an apples to apples comparison. To pit an entire school building against a program(s) is not a valid action as a district can more easily get rid of and add a program, but to close a school and reopen it is a monumental and expensive task. and has far reaching consequences in many areas. psm doubts the school district has engaged in a thorough analysis of school closures in Missoula.

Merry Christmas Prescott School and a Happy New Year!

All of us Missoulians that care about our neighborhood schools, Prescott alumni, neighbors of Prescott School, former teachers and staff,

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to Prescott School!

wish Prescott School a Merry Christmas.

May better days be in the horizon for Prescott School.

May new Trustees vote to reopen Prescott School for public school children - a school which was built and maintained just for them!

A lasting bond: Fifty years after taking the stage, old Missoula friends remain close - A Christmas story about some Prescott alumni

Click on the link below to read an article reporting on a friendship that has lasted 50 (now more) of four little girls from Prescott School in Missoula.  Smaller neighborhood schools foster strong ties amoung students, teachers, staff, and families.


A lasting bond: Fifty years after taking the stage, old Missoula friends remain close

'King Arthur' becomes 'Arturo' in Missoula International School performances- Missoulian article by Kim Briggeman published in the December 14th edition

Click on the link below to read a Missoulian article on a performance by Missoula International Schoool children.

King Arthur' becomes 'Arturo' in Missoula International School performances

Prescott School MIssoula comments -

In 2004 MCPS closed three schools within a 48 day time span. This shortsighted decision has had devastating consequences for not only the north side of our city but throughout the school system of Missoula. The closure Trustees were Trustees Rosemary Harrison, Jenda Hemphill, Naomi Kimbell, and David Merrill. 

A repeat of the closure decision was visited in July of 2004 due to an open meeting lawsuit against the district filed by Allan Oines and Molly Moody. FYI – The only person allowed to speak before the decision was approved was Prescott Principal Cindy Christensen who advocated for closure of her own school!! Thanks Cindy!

The second 2004 closure Trustees were Rosemary Harrison, Jenda Hemphill, Naomi Kimbell, Toni Rehbein, Scott Bixler, and Joe Toth (Rehbein, Bixler, and Toth had been elected in May of 2004).

After closing the three schools, Prescott School was leased in another rushed decision (again in 48 days) for a 5 year term to the private school Missoula International School. In 2009, a lease extension for 3 years was approved and in 2011, another lease extension was approved for 5 years for a total of 13 years. Trustees voting for the lease extension in 2009 were Scott Bixler, Joe Toth, Jenda Hemphill, Nancy Pickhardt, Joseph Knapp, and (not sure on this).  Trustees voting for the lease extension in 2011 were Scott Bixler, Shelly Wills, Michael Smith, and Joseph Knapp.

Citizens, including a math professor, have come forward in meetings and have stated that this lease is costing the district hundreds of thousands of dollars due to the increase in MIS enrollment throughout the years. The professor warned Trustees in 2004 that the lease could hit MCPS hard financially.  Prior to the 2011 lease extension approval the math professor sent an EMAIL TO ALL TRUSTEES AND THE SUPERINTENDENT STATING THAT THE PRESCOTT SCHOOL LEASE TO MISSOULA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL WAS AT THAT TIME COSTING THE DISTRICT $500,000 A YEAR!  Strangely but predictably this information was brushed aside and ignored by district officials

In 2004, MIS enrollment was 33 and in 2011 enrollment had increased to 121 (According to county numbers).. UPDATE – Since the approval of the lease extension in 2011 MIS enrollment has increased by 40 students thus an additional loss of approximately $200,000 (40 x $5,000) which brings the loss to the district in the $700,000 range!  The sweetheart lease rates do NOT make up for this loss. Should not Knapp, Bixler, Wills, and Smith be responsible for this amount?! And should not the other closure/lease/lease extension Trustees also bear the brunt of this loss?!

 If the superintendent and the Board of Trustees do not understand the basic concept that leasing a public school to the competition then in my opinion and I’m quite sure in others as well, MCPS has no business embarking on yet another facilities study.

Unless the district and the steering committee state up front that its first order of business is to terminate the Prescott School/MIS lease, MCPS has NO credibility and all involved should pack up and go home. UPDATE – A citizen at the latest facility meeting requested the district produce a report on this lease. 

By the way, two citizens and the MIS “moochers” along with other “moochers” had to wait 3 and ½ hours to wait to speak during public comment. MCPS really DOES NOT VALUE PUBLIC COMMENT!

Another FYI – Rosemary Harrison and Drake Lemm are on the facility committee! Harrison harmed not only Prescott School, but voted to close AND SELL Roosevelt and I believe voted to close Dickinson – HARRISON IS THE QUEEN OF MISSOULA SCHOOL CLOSURES and Lemm always endorsed the Prescott/MIS lease.

The Prescott School/Missoula International School lease can be considered the epicenter ofschool corruption in Missoula.

Note: Some of the information in this post has already been included in other Prescott School Missoula's blog posts. This post has some summary points embedded within.

 

 

 

 

 

Missoula needs to vote in new school board that will listen, send message on levies - This letter to the editor was written to the Missoulian in May of 2013 but is apropos for 2014 - Keep turning over the corrupt MCPS Trustees, Missoula!

Click on the link below to read a great letter to the editor to the Missoulian in May of this year. David Dayton brings to light some of the pork of MCPS.

Missoula needs to vote in new school board that will listen, send message on levies

A quote from the letter follows:

"Costly programs like the International Baccalaureate with its own full-time coordinator, and the Big Sky Academy all have merit, but not in these economic times. This program money, Apostle’s raise and the money paid to the directors would go a long way in taking care of these basic needs that benefit all students and staff. When better economic times return, then look into these programs. Districts around Missoula are cutting teachers and closing schools, so could we be next?"

The mention of the International Baccalaureate Program is important to this blog on Prescott School. Missoula International School is a International Baccalaureate (IB for short) Program school!

An important for all Missoulian to ask:  Was the IB program implemented at Hellgate High School to aid MIS students continue their IB studies at taxpayer expense?  Go to truthaboutib.com for information on the downside of the IB program being implemented in our American schools across the county.

FYI: Superintendent Apostle has refused to post the costs of the IB program on the website per a citizen request. Also, Apostle has admitted via an email that there IS NOT A SINGLE LINE ITEM FOR IB!  Spreading out the costs of IB throughout a school system's budget is a method of hiding the full costs of an IB program according to information on the website mentioned above, truthaboutib.com.

Roosevelt feels pain of closure : Uncategorized

Roosevelt feels pain of closure : Uncategorized