May 2014 Public Comment at MCPS Board Meeting by Prescott School Advocate

The Public Comment follows:

In an update last month I mentioned that I was mailing a document and information request regarding the financial ramifications of leasing Prescott School to Missoula International School - which has been going on for a decade, since 2004.

I was quite disappointed in the response that I received from the Superintendent Apostle as he did not do the research needed to come up with a valid assessment of the situation at Prescott.

Superintendent Apostle refused to acknowledge that Missoula International School is attracting students within our school district boundaries. The superintendent made NO effort to contact Missoula International School, as far as I know, to gather information for which MIS would have access. It is reasonable for our school district to gather this information – as each student is worth approximately $5,000.

Of course, some students may come from out of our district. We are not saying that they don’t, however, most of them are most likely coming from the MCPS district boundaries!

Of course, Missoula International School would be operating in Missoula even if the school was not located in Prescott. The issue is – IT IS NOT OUR DUTY AS A PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM TO BE ASSISTING A PRIVATE SCHOOL BY ALLOWING THEM TO LEASE ONE OF OUR CREAM OF THE CROP SCHOOL FACILITIES.

I HAVE DONE SOME HOMEWORK ON THIS ISSUE. I HAVE STOOD AT THE CORNER OF ELM STREET AND VAN BUREN AND WITNESSED 80 VEHICLES A DAY STREAMING ONTO ELM STREET AND TURNING TO DROP THEIR CHILDREN OFF AT Prescott. 

The district, the superintendent, would not do any research on the number of Rattlesnake children attending Missoula International School. I have done some – about 1/3 to ½ of the vehicles turning onto Elm Street going to Prescott are from the upper Rattlesnake.

I have seen close to hundreds of flyers by Missoula International School all over this city advertising their school to the general public of Missoula – not just out of district children. These flyers are placed in a Rattlesnake Valley grocery store, in the hidden hallways of stores, and even in Missoula area restrooms!

I have heard Missoula International School infomercials airing over the radio waves of Missoula advertising their school.

Also related to this issue are the many one page ads from the Catholic Schools advertising their school which is now located in the former Roosevelt School.

Missoulians, we are being taken for a private school ride and a very expensive one at that!!

I am requesting that Superintendent Apostle get together with officials from MIS, perhaps Julie Lennox, and gather the necessary information for not only myself but ALL Missoula citizens.

Note: Corrections were made to the original public comment in order to correct grammar and a couple of sentences that didn't make sense.  5/13/14

Former Prescott School student, Daniel Magnus Hamilton's, obituary

A former student of Prescott School passed away on May 30th, 2014. A quote from the obituary printed in the June 3, 2014 edition of the Missoulian states,

 "The family moved to Missoula in 1963, where Dan attended Prescott Grade School and graduated from Hellgate High School in 1974."

Prescott School Missoula would like to express our sincere sympathy to the family and friends of Daniel Hamilton.



Click on the link below to read the obituary printed in the Missoulian.

Daniel Magnus Hamilton

MISSOULIAN EDITORIAL: Investment in early education will pay off exponentially

MISSOULIAN EDITORIAL: Investment in early education will pay off exponentially



Yet another reason to reopen Prescott.

MCPS renews private schools lease for building - Missoulian article reporting on the 2011 lease extension - so many reasons to vote against the lease but MCPS serves Missoula International School once again!!

Click on the link below to read a Missoulian article published on July 12, 2011 and written by reporter Victoria Edwards.

 Prescott School Missoula may have already posted this article - have to go back and check - however, decided to re-post it (again, if already posted).

There were so many reasons NOT to have voted for this lease, however, being the masters of Missoula International School that they are, MCPS Trustees voted in disloyal fashion TO ALLOW PRIVATE SCHOOL CHILDREN TO OCCUPY OUR PUBLIC SCHOOL BUILDING for another FIVE YEARS!

MCPS renews private schools lease for building

Picture of Missoula International School 1998 state document showing Toni Rehbein as President!!

Below is a picture taken of a Missoula International School state document (Montana Corporation Annual Report) dated April 13, 1998. The arrow is pointing to the name of Toni Rehbein and reveals that she was serving during this year as President of Missoula International School. The address listed for Rehbein is 123 W. Hillcrest Dr., Missoula, MT 59803.

Missoula International School 1998 State Document - Toni Rehbein - President

This document is very important as it highlights what is going on at Prescott School in relation to the lease to Missoula International School. Rehbein was very high in the leadership of Missoula International School, serving as President for 2 years and Vice President for one year. (The documents for the other years showing Rehbein's leadership position are forthcoming on future blog posts.) 

Rehbein was elected in 2004 to the Missoula County Public Schools Board of Trustees and served as Chairwoman of the Board for a time before stepping down in 2013.

 Did the private school vote, both the Catholic and MIS, help Rehbein win the election in 2004 (in addition to her running mates, Scott Bixler, and Joe Toth?  Prescott School Missoula - YES!  These 3 Trustees, psm believes, Rehbein, Bixler, and Toth, were NOT challenged in elections subsequent to 2004, with the exception of the 2013 election when Bixler and Toth were ousted (yeah!). Rehbein chose not to run in 2013.

Prescott School Missoula maintains that Rehbein, along with other DISLOYAL MCPS officials, are using Prescott School to help Missoula International School with its facility needs which is totally corrupt for several reasons.

Our Rattlesnake Valley PUBLIC SCHOOL students are denied the availability to attend their neighborhood public school facility.

AND - Missoula County Public Schools is NOT supposed to be assisting private schools!!

This lease is costing taxpayers accumulatively (for a decade) millions of dollars! This lease is NOT a revenue producer!

The Prescott School property is not being properly maintained to district standards despite what MIS says and some district officials say.

ETC....

Linking the School Facility Study recommendations with Voting Record of Former MCPS Trustee Rosemary Harrison (who is NOW serving on this Committee!!)

Missoula County Public Schools, in my opinion, is making some drastic mistakes in its facilities planning.

And no wonder. The people involved in the planning process are none other than the people who got us into this mess in the first place.

One person, and I believe one of the major culprits in this latest facility plan fiasco, is Rosemary Harrison. Harrison voted to close several schools: Dickinson, Roosevelt, Prescott, Mt. Jumbo, and Rattlesnake Middle School.  Harrison went on to vote to sell Roosevelt School in 2005. Harrison also went on to vote for the lease of Prescott School to the competing private school Missoula International School in 2004 only weeks after the closure.

Other culprits in this gigantically expensive decades-long facility merry-go-round are:

 Roosevelt Closure - (circa 1998) - Superintendent Vagner, MCPS administrators, in addition to Harrison are Trustees Hemphill (Cummings), and others for which I am unsure at this time.

Roosevelt School Sale - (2005) – In addition to Harrison other Trustees voting for this sale were Jenda Hemphill, Toni Rehbein, Scott Bixler, and Joe Toth.

First North East School Closure Vote - (2004) - Superintendent Clark, MCPS administrators, and in addition to Harrison were Trustees Jenda Hemphill, Naomi Kimbell, and David Merrill.

Second North East School Closure Vote - (2004) – (This second vote was due to a repeat of the first school closure decision process due to violations in open meeting laws) - Superintendent Jim Clark, MCPS administrators, and in addition to Harrison were Trustees Jenda Hemphill, Toni Rehbein (formerly Toni Smartt), Scott Bixler, and Joe Toth.

Lease of Prescott School to Missoula International School – 2004 – Superintendent Clark, MCPS administrators, and in addition to Harrison were Trustees Jenda Hemphill, Naomi Kimbell, Scott Bixler, and Joe Toth.

Two lease extension of Prescott School to Missoula International School were approved by disloyal and malfeasance Trustees: one in 2009 and the other in 2011 under the leadership of Superintendent Alex Apostle (was this why he was hired?)

Did Missoulians know that in this facility planning study has NOT given the closed schools the value of an open school – that is all closed schools were considered INACTIVE and all open schools are considered ACTIVE!!

Look at the connection that is being made in this post and you will see how us Missoulians are being taken for a ride – a very expensive ride. Many of the schools which were closed, sold, and/or leased to the competition by Rosemary Harrison are the schools which are now considered INACTIVE and most likely the reason why Harrison was selected to be in this planning study. HARRISON (AND OTHER DISLOYAL PEOPLE) WANT TO COMPLETE WHAT SHE STARTED – the non-use or disposal of the schools for which she closed: Dickinson, Roosevelt (check - she accomplished the disposal of this property), Prescott, Mt. Jumbo, and Rattlesnake Middle School (check -she accomplished the disappearance of this school).

If Rosemary Harrison, other MCPS Facility Study people, and the MCPS officials  complete the plan that is outlined in this article, we Missoulians (students, families, taxpayers, neighborhoods) ARE THE LOSERS – BIG TIME!!

 This latest study is a fraud (just like others before it) because of who is involved and the complete and utter lack of due diligence in school size, school configuration, i.e. K-8 vs. middle schools, costs of busing, costs of remodeling vs. building a new school, etc.).

Please Missoulians, stick up for Prescott School and other INACTIVE schools, such as Whittier, Dickinson, Mt. Jumbo, and Jefferson – THESE SCHOOLS NEED A VOICE! It is the NEIGHBORHOOD SMALL SCHOOL THAT IS KING IN PROVIDING A GOOD EDUCATION FOR OUR STUDENTS. Contact MCPS school officials at: Missoula County Public Schools, 214 S. Sixth West, Missoula, MT 59801.

I think that all of the above is correct – my apologies if not.

Missoula County Public Schools Up to NO GOOD - AGAIN!!

In today's Missoulian, published on May 20th, 2014, an article about the facilities recommendations are outlined. One recommendation concerning Prescott is the continuation of the lease to Missoula International School.

On this blog, psm has outlined how this this lease is detrimental to the district, in particular to the Rattlesnake Valley students. 

How can this study completely dismiss the use of Prescott School in light of how crowded Rattlesnake and other schools have been and will continue to be in years to come? How can they actually recommend spending millions on enlarging Rattlesnake School without, again, discussing reopening Prescott?

It is because we have corruption at its highest taking place in our school district.

In the many posts on this blog one will read about just some of the culprits in this "BIGGEST SCANDAL IN MISSOULA involving one of the smallest schools in Missoula.

Just some of the outlaws, er, school officials:

Superintendent Jim Clark
Superintendent Alex Apostle


Trustee Jim Sadler (always voiced support for the lease)

Trustee Toni Rehbein{former MIS president and vice president and many times advocated for the lease - however, did not vote for the lease (however much she wished she could no doubt)}

Voted for the Prescott School/Missoula International School lease:

Trustee Rosemary Harrison
Trustee Jenda Hemphill
Trustee Naomi Kimbell
Trustee Scott Bixler
Trustee Joe Toth
Trustee Nancy Pickhardt
Trustee Joseph Knapp
Trustee Michael Smith

Trustee Shelly Wills
and others - (working on collecting Board minutes)

Trustee Tom Orr (always denigrated Prescott)

*Business Director Bruce Moyer
*Business Director Pat McHugh

*Maintenance and Operations Director Bruce Moyer  
*Maintenance and Operations Director Scott Reed

*The above administrators have voiced support for the lease.

Prescott School Missoula believes the main outlaws, er, school officials are: Trustees Sadler, Harrison, and Rehbein. These Trustees are EXTRA DISLOYAL TO THE CHILDREN OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, IN psm's OPINION BY TEN PLUS YEARS OF OBSERVATION.

However, all of the above are culprits in this *unconstitutional issue.

*Assisting private schools is against the Montana constitution.