City’s proposal to buy PEAS Farm is a win for all

Click on the link below to read a guest editorial on selling valuable school land to Garden City Harvest (Peas Farm). This column was written by Martha Newell and was published in the June 23, 2013 edition of the Missoulian.

City’s proposal to buy PEAS Farm is a win for all

missoula schools watchdog, having witnessed firsthand in the last 10 years disastrous property decisions by the school district would like to say  - THIS IS NOT A GOOD DEAL FOR MCPS AND IT'S BENEFICIARIES - MISSOULA'S PUBLIC SCHOOL CHILDREN AND THE MISSOULA TAXPAYERS!!

It is more about entities like Garden City Harvest, and others before such as St. Joseph's School and the Missoula International School wanting cheap land at a prime location.

But first let's look at the players involved in this issue:

Let's start with Martha Newell, the author of the guest column.  Newell is the wife(or partner) of former Missoula mayor Mke Kadas.  The current mayor, John Engen, came before the school board at it's June meeting and stated four reasons why MCPS should sell the land to Garden City Harvest.
So we have the mayor connection.

Another connection of Newell's to keep in mind is that of former MCPS Board Chairwoman Toni Rehbein.  Both Martha Newell and Toni Rehbein served on the Board of Missoula International School at the same time and in different years. It is absolutely clear that these two, Newell and Rehbein have had or still have a relationship due to their serving on the MIS Board.

Missoula International School is an International Baccalaureate Program school, IB for short.  Rehbein and the school district, in addition to Superintendent Apostle have been heavily promoting the IB program and have successfully instituted it at Hellate High School.  It would be interesting to know if the Kadas/Newell family have a son in the IB program at Hellgate. Even if none of her family was currently enrolled in the Hellgate IB program, Newell would most likely be happy and support the idea that there was a high school IB program so that MIS students could continue with their IB schooling.

It is msw's opinion that the reason the school district wants to sell any land it can get away with, is that it needs to raise funds for it's expensive IB program and other programs which have begun in the last couple of years in the Rehbein/Apostle era. In other words, instead of being frugal and responsible with the taxpayers money, they will recklessly start new programs without knowing from where the funding will come.

Missoula has lost so much of our school infrastructure, i.e. neighborhood schools, in the last few decades. It is time to put a stop to it for both our students who will fare better in their own neighborhoods and for the taxpayers.  HINT: The School Board has talked about selling our present schools and BUILDING NEW SCHOOLS!! BEWARE OF MANY ON THIS SCHOOL BOARD AND THEIR NEFARIOUS WAYS. New School Board Trustees: please know that you dealing in a lot of politics that is going on behind the scenes.

More connections?  Probably!!