MCPS poised to lose $2.5 million due to lease of Prescott School to Missoula International School

Last year, 2011, the MCPS Trustees and administration made a very expensive decision.  This decision was the 5 year extension of the lease of Prescott School to the Missoula International School.

Information regarding a potential gigantic monetary loss if the school district went forward with the lease extension was sent to all MCPS Trustees and the superintendent before the vote via an email from David Patterson. David is employed by the University of Montana as a math professor, therefore, he has professional knowledge regarding numbers issues.

Some important quotes from the email letter follows:

"In 2004, I expressed serious reservations to the Board about the lease that MCPS was proposing to enter into with Missoula International School. I felt the amount of rent was so small as to constitute a subsidy to a private school. The potential loss to MCPS of ANB dollars was large.  I suggested that the rent be tied to enrollment, but I was assured by one board member that MIS would not be getting much bigger."

and -

"Here it is, 7 years later and MIS enrollment has more than tippled to 121 in K-12 [psm is quite sure Patterson meant K-8].  I'm guessing that the vast majority of these students are from the MCPS area, therefore costing MCPS more than $500,000 annually in ANB funds.  What is the return for MCPS?  Less than $60,000 annually less the cost of MCPS funded repairs and maintenance ( plus the costs saved of not educating those 100 + students, but wouldn't MCPS want those students?). Why then does MCPS enter into such an agreement?"

and -

"One reason seems to be that there are no alternative renters for the building.  To my knowledge, MCPS has never seriously marketed the building to find other possible renters, but let's accept that premise, for now.  However, we must also consider what other alternatives MIS has.  Is there any other comparable facility in Missoula for anything near this price?  Could MIS finance and maintain a new building at this cost?  Clearly the answers are no and no. The lease price must recognize this fact."

and the closing statement -

"I ask the Board members approach the consideration of this lease as a business proposition with a single objective: what is best for the MCPS students and the MCPS system?"

NO TRUSTEE TOOK THIS LETTER SERIOUSLY AND DID NOT CONSIDER THE WARNINGS OF HUGE FINANCIAL LOSSES TO THE DISTRICT AS A RESULT OF EXTENDING THE LEASE IN JULY OF 2011.

If you multiply the projected annual loss as stated above by Patterson, the district is poised to lose $2.5 million in the 5 year span of the lease. 

Every taxpayer in Missoula needs to be aware of this loss and to speak against further lease extensions to Missoula International School or any other private school. Remember that we have disloyal School Board Trustees on the MCPS Board, including the former Missoula International School President, now the MCPS Board Chairwoman, Toni Rehbein. All of our MCPS Trustees need to be replaced as they place our school district second to private schools.

Prescott School was built and maintained for more than a century for public school children. Our wonderful Prescott School needs to re-open so that it can be used by it's the rightful owners, the public school children.