Does Missoula County Public Schools Superintendent Thane deserve his award of the best superintendent in Western Montana?

Since following the school district in 2003 and 2004 and in subsequent years due to the MCPS school district closing my families neighborhood schools I have observed the leadership up close and personal. 

What I and others have found is that Missoula County Public Schools is massively mismanaged! I believe if anyone observed what I have they would have the same opinion.

So -- to my question in the title - "Does Mark Thane deserve his award of being a great school system superintendent?

My intent is to be objective as possible- so I'm asking the most obvious questions to see if the award is deserved. 

Here they are - questions that I believe would be address parent's biggest concerns -

* How many miles a day are Missoula's children traveling on a bus to go to school?"

* How large is the school that our children will be attending? Is it less than 200 for a grade school?

* How many grades are in each school? Is there a narrow grade span or a wider grade span? In other words - are there K-8 schools with all 8 grades plus kindergarten or are there elementary and middle schools with 1st through 8th grade with kindergarten?

* What is the percentage of administrators to non-administrators in the district?

* What is the pay roll of the administrators?

* Is the salary and benefits part of the budget at 80% or less?

* Are the children's scores on reading & arithmetic good or at least above average?

* Is the school district funding programs that are linked to United Nations education programs such as the International Baccalaureate program?

* Is the district funding too many programs so that basic education classes are not funded adequately?

* Is the district supplying children with a textbook for each class subject instead of over use of handouts?

* Is the district supplying the children with adequate school supplies that are traditionally supplied to students or are teachers picking up the bill for some or all of the school supplies?

* I'm sure there are other questions one could ask of a school district to make sure that children are getting a good education. Please write a comment if you can think of more ideas.

"Move over Emma, here I come. You've had your turn, now it's my turn when naming MCPS schools!" Jeanette Rankin

As I've mentioned, Emma Dickinson School has been closed for many years now. Immediately after the closure and most likely the reason it was closed, it became the building for adult learning classes. Over the years this building being used for adults - not for the area's children as was the purpose for building the school in the first place - the school district has expanded it's classes (and its administration BTW). Do people know that the adult learning center now  has TWO administrators making approximately $80,000/year plus benefits - probably more now!!

So - now the name of Emma Dickinson has been taken off the school building.  No more Emma Dickinson School. I saw a flyer calling it the Dickinson Building. This is so corrupt.

So where does Jeanette Rankin come in. The school district is now building a NEW school up Miller Creek which was called Cold Springs school, which is a school which has been closed.

The district decided to open up bids for a new name for the school in the past few months. Some children decided that a good name for the new school up Miller Creek would be the Jeanette Rankin School. (After the first woman in the Congress and who voted against getting into the Second World War.

So, again, move over Emma. MCPS does not value you or your school. Now they are on to someone new for awhile

NOTE: If you would like to know exactly how a school was approved to be built up Miller Creek soon after the district sold Roosevelt School in 2005 just ask former MCPS Board members, Rosemary Harrison and Drake Lemm and other Trustees. And you could also ask former MCPS superintendent James Clark. All of these people could fill you in on the corruption they were causing during all their property meetings (and behind the scenes, of course).

Josh Slotnick not up to speed to lead Missoula as a County Commisioner

As a citizen in Missoula for most of my life (hailing from Lake County as a young child), I became alarmed regarding the mismanagement and corruption going on in our biggest school district, Missoula County Public Schools. Our family and the families on the northeast areas of our city were tragically in the cross hairs of MCPS officials and closed three of our public schools. 

Because of my concern regarding MCPS school business I attended many MCPS meetings after the school closures which happened in 2004. School properties were discussed in many, many of these meetings. One piece of property that came up a lot was the Duncan Drive 13 acre parcel set aside for a potential school site down the road. This site has been used/leased to Garden City Harvest for the PEAS farm for just $1.00/year! The length of the term of the lease has varied and I don't have the terms as I write this post. I think one term was 10 years and another 3 years, however, don't quote me on this.

In 1996, MCPS bought this land specifically in order to build a school for the Rattlesnake area's children. I have some minutes which allude that this is true - however, I don't have this document info at the time of this writing.

So - as Josh Slotnick has been the point person on the Garden City Harvest lease, he has come before the school board and requested to continue the lease. Recently, and before the huge $158 million dollar bond was passed, MCPS gave Garden City Harvest a 40 year lease term and I believe the lease rate is still only $1.00 a year! This is unconscionable for a school district to give any entity this length of a term - one never knows if there will be a need for a school on this land in the next few years let alone the next 40. This lease will be in place, unless it is considered obsolete someday, long after many of us are on this earth.

To get back to Josh Slotnick - he placed the needs of his garden project - the PEAS farm ahead of the public good. He went before a MCPS committee meeting and told the members that Missoula would be so compromised if this little farm would not be given a 40 year lease. He sloshed and groveled before the group - it was not a pretty sight.

I lately saw a letter to the editor that alluded to the fact that Josh Slotnick was an entrepreneur. How can he be this great entrepreneur when he grovels before a school board saying that he absolutely needs this public land in order to continue his precious garden. 

Entrepreneur Josh Slotnick is not!

Do not vote for Josh Slotnick. I would urge you to write in a person who you think would serve Missoula's needs, not a pet project. I also do not like the work of his opponent, Jean Curtis, who has thrown so many of Missoula's traditions under the bus. Moreover, since Josh places his own needs before the public good it would behoove Josh to return to his roots - his family garden, Clark Fork Organics, which may have actually been an entrepreneurial entity and at which I bought many vegetables at one time, especially their great collards.

BTW, I ran into Josh at a local store a few years ago and brought up the fact that the Duncan Dr. property could/ would be a site for a school. Josh showed his true colors - he said that this property would never be used for a school and would never be needed for this purpose. Throwing all caution to the wind and revealing that he was totally for his needs, throwing the needs of the public to the dogs/or the pigs which the PEAs farm has raised at one time (to the consternation of the neighbors.

Another BTW, the PEAS farm was allowed to build a permanent building on this land. How could that happen when it is a leased site? How could that happen when this land was to be set aside for a public school? Something stinks here!

MCPS and Josh Slotnick have proved they cannot be trusted.

WHAT!! Emma Dickinson School is now called the "Dickinson Building! What is going on! Corruption - that's what!

I was shocked when I walked into Albertsons in Trempers - (something I've done for more than 50 years!). on a flyer on the bulletin board was a notice of a class being held at the Lifelong Learning Center in the DICKINSON BULDING!!!

Shocking! This is not the Dickinson Building no matter what Missoula County Public Schools wants to call it!' This is an important school building in honor of the first school teacher in Missoula, Emma Slack Dickinson.

To now name this school building which was closed in the late '90's under questionable actions and against the public will and best practices is disgraceful.

A 2005 picture of a postcard outlining Rosemary Harrison's obmissmal record on the MCPS School Board

An election postcard outlining Rosemary Harrison's

horrific record serving on the MCPS School Board 

The postcard above accentuates 4 of the most egregious actions taken during some of the tenure of Rosemary Harrison while on the Missoula County Public Schools Board of Trustees.

They are 1. Closure of three schools 2. Privatizing two MCPS school buildings (Roosevelt and Prescott Schools) 3. Ignored a board-appointed middle school's athletic committee report, and 4. Admitted to breaches in open meeting law.

Important!! Rosemary Harrison was voted off the MCPS Board in this election cycle, however, Harrison has continued her relationship with MCPS as the re-founder of the Missoula Education Foundation and was also on the committee for the bond passage for 2015 making all bond decisions suspect.

Why is there no reference to Missoula's first teacher at Emma Dickinson School now the Lifelong Learning Center?

Missoula's First Teacher - Emma Slack Dickinson

Again I ask, why is there no reference in the title of the school building that was built in the first teacher of Missoula's name, Emma Slack Dickinson? This is unconscionable and disrespectable to one of Missoula's most historic figures. This building used to be named the Dickinson Lifelong Learning Center or even the Dickinson Adult Learning Center. Now the "Dickinson is completely left off! Who decided this? This needs to be changed - and soon!

Another shock today when visiting MCPS school buildings - a school used for adults is far better maintained than schools for Missoula's children!!

I'm just livid.  I visited Willard School today just to see what the school was like on the inside. I attended Paxson school in the 60's which was demolished and was replaced with a new building (which is quite sad in my opinion).

Willard is the same design as the old Paxson and Whittier School on the north side.  The school is wonderful in that it had a lot of charm, however, needed some TLC. The school is not a lost cause and does not need to be demolished. Additionally, it is sad to see the school used for the alternative high school. This school was once attended by my husband in 4th grade and  by his siblings as well when Missoula had a 1-8th configuration. This is the optimal use in my opinion.

So - what was shocking? Read on. I then went over to Emma Dickinson School which was closed in the late 1990's.  Now it is the Lifelong Learning Center - what is known as the adult learning center. This school was so much better taken care of than the Willard. The school district is placing the building needs of adults far above those of the children of Missoula. The entrance had a fancy rug with the title, "Life Long Learning Center". It was airy and was nicely painted. I didn't go down the halls but did enter the gym. The floor of the gym had been nicely polished and shined. The walls had been painted just last year according to some adults using the gym. AND - shockingly, the basketball hoops had been removed and I was told the lines were just removed from the floor. So - there will be no basketball playing in this MCPS gym and a beautiful gym it is! Unbelievable! There is some exercise bikes and other work out equipment in the front of the gym where some adults were beginning to work out. One wall was fitted with mirrors. In other words, this school gym was actually an adult athletic club!! This is inexcusable when buildings that house our children are in such bad shape and need TLC - not demolition just some TLC, that which has taken place in this school, which, by the way is the Emma Dickinson School, a name you will not see anywhere except on some plaques on the wall.

Not to mention that our schools, according to the superintendent who was just on a radio program last week, are crowded and classrooms are exceeding size standards set by the state! This school needs to be reopened for children for whom it was built.

What an inexcusable shame!