'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.

 

 

 

 

 

Prescott School Missoula attended a MCPS facility meeting on December 6, 2013

Prescott School Missoula attended a MCPS facility meeting yesterday. It was NOT fun.

psm had not attended the MCPS facility study meetings in October or November. The reasoning for this is that psm attended EVERY Ad Hoc Property meeting in 2006-2007 during Superintendent Clark's tenure. When psm expressed opinions favorable to Prescott and other neighborhood schools at these meetings it was like psm was invisible and  did not hear a word. Why would psm think this newest property fiasco team, oops, facility meeting study, would act any differently?

It is NOT fun and is quite excruciating to attend any MCPS property and or facility meeting if you are a Prescott School advocate.

Just as in the Ad Hoc Property meetings people on this committee or the smaller committees have been hostile to Prescott in the past.

One example of a person hostile to Prescott School who attended yesterday's meeting has been featured on this blog as Prescott School's worst enemy - Rosemary Harrison.  Harrison as a long-time MCPS Trustee voted two or three times to close Prescott School (the closure decisions were reversed with the subsequent election of pro-Prescott Trustees) prior to voting for Prescott's closure in 2004 after a short 48 day deliberation period devastating our northeast Missoula area families as not only Prescott School was closed but two other schools were closed as well.

Subsequently, Harrison, in true disloyal fashion, voted to lease Prescott School to a competing private school.

Due to Harrison's disloyal streak - she along with Bixler, Toth, Rehbein, and Hemphill voted to sell another invaluable public school, Roosevelt School on Stephens Avenue, to the Catholic schools to house St. Josephs School in 2005. Thankfully, Harrison was voted out of office in May of 2005.

Another person who psm saw unfortunately, at this meeting yesterday, was Drake Lemm. Lemm was voted off the Board this May.

Drake Lemm ALWAYS expressed his desire to go forward with the Prescott School/MIS lease when the issue came before the Board. Lemm NEVER took seriously the public's concern regarding the huge financial loss to the district as a result of this lease. 

These two despised former MCPS Trustees just can't go back to their private lives and leave us Missoulians alone. No, they have to finagle their way onto a facility committee. It must be that each of these disloyal people have a big power trip and just can't let go. Therefore, the people who treasure our neighborhood public schools are forced to continually deal with two evil people.

Remember, Drake Lemm, as reported in the Missoula Independent, did work for Superintendent Clark in his capacity as a building contractor. The cost of the project was in the $4,000 range. The Missoula County Attorney's office decided that this amount was not a cause for concern. We, the people were the losers from this decision. One can Google Drake Lemm and school shenanigans to read the two Independent articles.

In a September 2005 Finance and Operations Meeting Lemm stated that a school in the Y area (near the airport) would be a good place to build a school. This idea did not make the minutes but it did make a citizen's recorder. A few years later the public learned that Lemm was before the County Commissioners office requesting to transfer some of his property near the Y to his wife. One commissioner questioned this particular request, however, it was granted.

Drake Lemm also built a subdivision in the Linda Vista area. The district has for years suggested a school to be built in this area.  There needs to be transparency on citizen's land holdings before being selected to serve on a MCPS facility study.

One more thing - and of particular interest is that the moochers from Missoula International School were there, Julie Lennox, headmaster of MIS and another fellow, the assistant headmaster. During public comment Lennox stated that MIS has taken good care of the property - NOT TRUE - see the YouTube video on this blog or use Google to view a slide show revealing the blatant negligence in the care of the grounds at Prescott. A citizen who is a botanist observed that, "there is not a blade of grass left in the lawn". What this person meant is that the grounds have little grass left and has been taken over by weeds.

Lennox also stated at this meeting that Prescott needed maintenance. The maintenance of Prescott School, according to the lease, is the responsibility of MIS. Lennox just admitted that MIS was not keeping up on it's duty in the maintenance of Prescott School (NOTE: Remember that the MCPS employee who was working illegally painting the gym in Prescott School - see another YouTube video on this blog - said that he had never seen a ceiling in such bad shape as the Prescott School gym - shame on  you MCPS!)

There was another citizen at the meeting who made some great comments during the public comment period regarding the district NOT following open meeting laws and public participation laws in the facility meetings. One example this citizen gave was that the smaller committees DID NOT TAKE PUBLIC COMMENT - PUBLIC COMMENT WAS NOT LISTED ON THE AGENDA!! Did facility leaders really think that taking public comment on a different day than a meeting is appropriate?!  This citizen encouraged the district to take a look at the financial implications of leasing a public school to a private school, i.e. the Prescott/MIS lease.

Prescott School Missoula is recommending that Trustees DO NOT TAKE THIS COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATIONS  DUE TO ETHICAL PROBLEMS IN THIS STUDY'S PROCESS.

Oh - and by the way the two citizens who were looking out for the public's interest and the MIS moochers waited THREE AND A HALF HOURS TO SPEAK!! The Garden City Harvest moochers came to the meeting, left, and then came back in time for Josh Slotnik to give his rousing speech about how he and his fellow gardeners are so important for the Duncan Dr. property. To my knowledge - NOT ONE PERSON ON THIS COMMITTEE HAS VOICED A CONCERN THAT MCPS WILL MOST LIKELY NEED THIS LAND IN THE FUTURE.

Hellgate senior: Class of 2014 'guinea pigs' for frustrating curriculum - Missoulian article published in the November 13th, 2013 edition

Click the link below to read a Missoulian article written by Betsy Cohen in the November 13, 2013 edition reporting on the MCPS November School Board Meeting.

A Hellgate student said that he spoke on behalf of many of the Class of 2014 in that they considered themselves "guinea pigs" for the administration. He also complained about the International Baccalaureate Program now housed at Hellgate.

A citizen also spoke out against the Prescott School/MIS lease.


Hellgate senior: Class of 2014 'guinea pigs' for frustrating curriculum