Prescott School Missoula, on this day of September 20, 2012, is taking the bold step in calling for the resignation of ALL Missoula County Public School Trustees.
These eleven MCPS Trustees are: Board Chairwoman Toni Rehbein (remember she is a past officer of Missoula International School), Scott Bixler, Joe Toth, Adam Duerk (his twins attended MIS preschool), Shelley Wills, Joseph Knapp, Michael Smith, Jim Sadler, Drake Lemm, Marcia Holland, and Debbie DuPree. The first seven are elementary Trustees and the last four are high school Trustees.
Prescott School Missoula contends that all eleven of MCPS Trustees are untrustworthy and disloyal, therefore, are dangerous to our public school system; theses Trustees could very well be some of the most disloyal School Board Trustees in Missoula's history.
Prescott School Missoula contends that all eleven MCPS Trustees have reneged on their obligations in caring for the education of the children of the Missoula County Public Schools District #1as they have literally worked with a private school to provide for the private school's needs when leasing one of the district's valuable public schools.
Prescott School Missoula contends that all eleven MCPS Trustees have NOT protected school infrastructure for the public school children and the taxpayers of Missoula in decisions regarding leasing a public school to a private school.
The public school mentioned above is Prescott School and the private school is Missoula International School.
Some MCPS high school Trustees voiced their support of the Prescott School/Missoula International School lease; none have voiced any reservations to this arrangement; none have voiced support for Prescott School.
Our public schools were built and maintained for public school children, not for leasing to private school children.
MCPS Trustees do not seem to understand that the private school(s) they help are in competition with the public schools.
Another way of putting what is happening regarding the MCPS School Board and the leasing of a public school to a private school is:
Prescott School, the public school, has NO allies on the MCPS School Board. Missoula International School, the private school leasing Prescott School, however, has 11 allies on the MCPS School Board. Can it get more backwards, thus, more disloyal?!
Perhaps Board Chairwoman Toni Rehbein, former MIS president, and Adam Duerk, former MIS parent, can pull out their MIS tee shirts and have nine more made. Then all eleven Trustees can wear their MIS shirts to show off their true loyalties.
The latest decision to build a modular at Rattlesnake School was the latest blow to the public school children and Missoula taxpayers.
Additionally, shortly before the modular proposal, MCPS was set to send more of our Rattlesnake area children to Paxson School.
As of this date, the cost of the modular is unknown. A document request has been submitted to the district requesting all costs of the work on the modular. A bid came in at approximately $200,000 (this figure will need verification).
Prescott School Missoula contends that all eleven Trustees have failed in their duty as a Trustees of the school district for many reasons connected to the building of the modular at Rattlesnake School.
The July 2011 lease extension of Prescott School to Missoula International School, was a breach of trust to the citizens of Missoula, as much of the following information was known before the extension.
Trustees:
-failed to re-open Prescott School, or even consider re-opening an option, a school just down the road from Rattlesnake School, when it was clear that Rattlesnake School was at capacity, and instead extended the lease to Missoula International School FOR ANOTHER 5 YEARS just last July in 2011!
-failed to take into account Rattlesnake School's steady rise in enrollment since 2004, after Rattlesnake Middle School was closed and converted into an elementary school. Principal Seidensticker said that the school has 100 more students than when he first became the principal in 2006.
-failed to take into account the lack of space and classrooms in order to add grades at Rattlesnake School due to the expanding enrollment.
-failed to take into account that several Rattlesnake School classrooms needed para-educators due to larger class sizes because of the increased enrollment.
-failed to even look at their own demographic report which showed a large spike in elementary school enrollment. This demographic report was commissioned by the district and cost approximately $9,000 (psm will try to pinpoint the exact cost of the study).
-failed to take into account the many new subdivisions in the Rattlesnake School area such as Lily Court and Applegrove.
-failed to take into account a huge 115-unit apartment complex in the works and now completed on East Broadway. Prescott School Missoula did not hear one of the eleven Trustees mention this new complex once in any discussions when extending the lease of Prescott School to Missoula International School in 2011.
-failed to take into account a large new subdivision in East Missoula named Hidden Trails, which was in the works in 2004, before the school closures.
-failed to take into account the growing number of young families moving into the Rattlesnake and East Missoula neighborhoods, just as an economist, Dr. Larry Swanson had predicted and shared with the school board many years ago. Prescott School Missoula created a document titled, "The Transitioning of Missoula's Central Neighborhoods" covering this topic using quotes from Swanson's work.
-failed to even acknowledge the letter from a math professor stating that the school district is losing $500,000 annually as a result of leasing Prescott School to Missoula International School. This professor has many times in past meetings and letters to the editor since 2004 addressed this astronomical loss to the district by this lease with no reasonable response from Trustees.
-have allowed Missoula International School to remodel in ways that are inconsistent with a public school building. Remodeling to fit the needs of a private school is improper.
- To undo the remodeling will cost the district thousands of dollars when Prescott School is used again for public school children. Allowing Missoula International School to remodel furthers the evidence of trustee disloyalty which has caused great harm to Prescott School.
-have allowed the school district to engage in maintenance and repair of the Prescott School building when is explicitly states in the lease that maintenance and repair are the duties of Missoula International School. The painting of the Prescott gym is an example. MCPS painters, carpenters, and electricians were engaged in this project for several days at taxpayer expense. MIS provided the paint - however, this arrangement was not in the lease.
-have acted in a rogue manner throwing any caution to the wind and ignoring a petition signed by 1,500 citizens requesting that Prescott not be sold and that any lease be on a short term rather than a long term basis.
-approved Missoula International School's lease extension for 5 years in 2011 so that MCPS could not use the school if it became needed. Trustees have leased Prescott School to Missoula International School for long terms. Prescott School was needed BEFORE the extension was approved and definitely after, the proposal of sending Rattlesnake students to Paxson and the building of the modular serving as proof of this. The first lease in 2004 was also for 5 years, so that, according to one Trustee, MIS could gain stability (caring more about MIS than MCPS).
-have let the Missoula International School get away with another aspect of the lease, which is the maintenance to the grounds around the school. There has been for most of the lease duration a breach of contract due to lack of maintenance to the grounds of Prescott School. Missoula International School has failed to water the grounds adequately and failed to take care of the weed control. As a result, approximately one and one half acres of the 2.3 acre playground is brown and dried up. Knapweed, dandelions, and other weeds have taken over the playground, especially on the hill behind the school building. Large patches of ground have no vegetation, especially in the front of the school. This lack of care goes on and on. Of particular sadness, is the dying of the spryia bush planted near a memorial to a long time Prescott School teacher. Each year since 2004 the bush has become smaller and smaller so that it is now basically dead. This is all due to Trustees that fail to take care of our public school facilities in a responsible and loyal manner.
- Trustees have leased Prescott School to Missoula International School without providing an opt out clause for Missoula County Public Schools. In the original lease, however, there was an opt out clause for one school, Missoula International School, NOT for Missoula County Public Schools giving further proof of disloyalty to the district.
etc., etc. etc. etc...
Many of the current MCPS Trustees were not serving on the Board when Roosevelt School was sold to the Catholic School organization in 2005. Some were, however, which makes the resignation of those Trustees all the more important.
The names of the Trustees who voted to sell Roosevelt and whom are still currently serving on the Board are Toni Rehbein, Scott Bixler, and Joe Toth. High School Trustees Drake Lemm and Jim Sadler, and perhaps Debbie DuPree (Marcia Holland was not on the School Board at that time) also voiced their support for the sale of Roosevelt. These Trustees are doubly dangerous.
Prescott School Missoula may add on to this list as time permits. However, isn't the above enough evidence that all 11 Trustees need to go on to other activities and make room for loyal and responsible Trustees which will place the public school children and our school buildings first in all areas of the city and in all areas of education?
Again, Prescott School Missoula is formerly calling for the resignation of all 11 Missoula County Public Schools Trustees.
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