#3 - Naomi Kimbell: From Missoula County Public Schools Trustee to Executive Director of Missoula International School

Naomi Kimbell:  From Missoula County Public Schools Trustee to Executive Director of Missoula International School

                                                                     Part 3

12.  June 8, 2004 – Letter to the Editor in the Missoulian by Rattlesnake resident/math professor David Patterson – Patterson’s letter explains that a lease of Prescott School had the potential to be financially devastating to the district.  His main reasoning was based on two premises: the low lease rate of the school to Missoula International School (The lease rate was $20,000 for the first 3 years and $30,000 for the last two years, which averages out over 5 years to be $1.19/per square foot!) and the enrollment-based funds that would be diverted from the public school system when students enroll in MIS. Patterson stated that if even 5 students enrolled in Missoula International School, due to its location, the school district would not receive any revenue from the lease, and could potentially lose tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in future years of the lease.  An additional quote from the letter reads:  “Alternative uses of Prescott that do not compete with the public schools should be explored first.  Any agreement to rent to a private school should be at a rate that provides clear benefit to the school district.”

*Note #1:  David Patterson’s letter details very succinctly the financial pitfalls of leasing a public school to a private school.  As the board failed to set aside a separate meeting to discuss the lease, as suggested by a minority member, the trustees, which included Trustee Kimbell (and the public), were denied the opportunity to deliberate these very important ideas, thus not fulfilling its fiduciary duties. 

*Note # 2:  Missoula International School has doubled in size since leasing Prescott School leaving no doubt that the district is losing the tens of thousands of dollars and could possibly stand to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars over the life of the 5 year lease.

13.  June 8, 2004 - monthly MCPS School Board Meeting - Agenda Item: Discussion and Ratification of Contract between MCPS and Missoula International School for the Lease of Prescott Elementary School - The motion was moved by Jenda Hemphill and seconded by Trustee Naomi Kimbell.  There were 5 affirmative votes for the ratification of the lease, including Kimbell’s, and 2 abstentions because of conflict of interest issues.  Trustee Carol Bellin first excuses herself from the vote as her son had once attended Missoula International School.  Subsequently, new Trustee, Toni Rehbein, excused herself from the vote as she said she was once on the board of Missoula International School.

*Note#1: Public records reveal that Trustee Rehbein was President in 1999 and 2000 of Missoula International School!

*Note #2: Trustees voted on the lease of Prescott School to Missoula International School at the June 8, Board Meeting even though on the agenda to be discussed later in the evening was the litigation of the school closure decision.  The results of this litigation could potentially have reopened Prescott School!

14.  June 9, 2004 - Lease between MCPS for the lease of Prescott School to Missoula International School was signed by Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees of MCPS, Rosemary Harrison, Executive Director of Business Services, Bruce Moyer, and Board President of Missoula International School, Marta Pierpoint (The lease was ready to sign the day after the board meeting).  A phrase in the lease states, “The term of the lease shall be from August 1, 2004 through July 31, 2009.”  The term of the lease is for five years.

*Note:  MCPS was still in litigation in an Open Meeting Law lawsuit concerning the school closures when it went forward with the ratification of the lease of one of the schools involved in the closures!  A citizen knowledgeable about land issues has suggested that the attorney for the plaintiffs needed to issue a TRO  (this could be the wrong acronym) due to the district going forward with leasing Prescott School. The attorney did not attempt to issue a TRO

15.  July 13, 2004 - MCPS School Board Meeting - Agenda item:  Revisit 2004-2005 Preliminary Secondary Budget Decision of March 24, 2004                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               The  The school closure decision was again brought up before the school board due to a lawsuit addressing breaches of Montana Open Meeting Laws.  The board, with a new make-up because of spring elections as described above voted again to close the three schools with Trustee Kimbell voting with the majority, standing by her March 24, 2004 decision.  Motion passed 6-1 with Trustee Bellin opposed.