Missoula School Watchdog Breaking News!!! MCPS is looking at leasing or buying back Rattlesnake area Lincoln School!

Rumor has it - MCPS has made it known to some that it is interested in acquiring either by lease or purchase of the historic Lincoln School in the Rattlesnake Valley. The rumor is that the district is considering using Lincoln School to ease the crowding at Rattlesnake School.

As has been brought up by msw many times in public comment before the Board that Rattlesnake School is AT CAPACITY.  In fact, the school district spent thousands on a modular just two summers ago.  This modular houses only two classrooms.

And most importantly, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT EXTENDED THE LEASE OF PRESCOTT SCHOOL JUST 7 MONTHS PRIOR TO DISCUSSIONS OF BUSING RATTLESNAKE STUDENTS TO PAXSON SCHOOL.

The district did not send students to Paxson School and decided to go the modular route.  This decision was entrenched in strange goings on by the district. Just one suspicious instance is that REGIONAL MANAGERS DID NOT KEEP ANY MINUTES.

msw would have liked for Lincoln School never to have  been sold, however, msw is very happy that Lincoln School may be once again used for public school children.

ALSO - THE USE OF LINCOLN SCHOOL DOES NOT MEAN THAT WE NEED TO SELL OR LEASE PRESCOTT SCHOOL. WE NEED ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS IN THE RATTLESNAKE - JUST AS WE HAD FOR MANY YEARS.


 
Being such a proponent of neighborhood schools, msw believes that MCPS needs to look into the purchase of Lincoln School. Lincoln School has been a vital component thorough out the years beginning in 1912, the year it was built.


Being also such a proponent of our historic buildings msw sees a wonderful building full of charm which could still benefit Missoula citizens of all ages.


Having gone through Lincoln School recently msw believes that Lincoln School is in quite good shape - it needs basic maintenance for sure but other than that it is not in the realm of impossibility that this school could still be a great asset for MCPS and more specifically the Rattlesnake neighborhood. One person on the tour thought that the furnace was actually in good shape considering it's age.


msw LOVES LINCOLN SCHOOL, AS MANY OTHERS DO ALSO!!


Note: A part of msw's family history - msw's great-grandfather Willard Tiffany, was arriving at Lincoln School one morning (msw is not sure if Willard worked at Lincoln school as a janitor or what)and there to greet him was a big mountain lion!!  I'm not sure what action he took, but it must have been quite a scary experience. The huge tree that was recently cut down was known to house many mountain lions throughout the years.


As has been mentioned on other msw's blog posts or(perhaps on other blogs such as Prescott School Missoula or missoula schools (with an s) watchdog msw attended Lincoln School!  It was only for a month or two, however, msw remembers an important aspect of facility planning from this experience. msw lived in the Lewis and Clark area and because of overcrowding in the southern schools of Missoula 4th graders were bused to north side schools, thus the forth graders at Lewis and Clark School in 1964 were bused to Lincoln School - and we LOVED it as I remember. After moving to a 39th Street area home msw and all 4th graders from the Cold Springs area were bused to Paxson.


MCPS Trustees could take a page out of the 1960's facility arrangements. Busing one grade of students to another school makes more sense in man y aspects of school facility planning. Viva C. S. Porter (msw believes this was the superintendent at the time.)

Key to future business success – high-quality pre-kindergarten

Click on the link below to read a Guest Column in the Missoulian's October 20th edition.

Missoula School Watchdog is an opponent of adding more and more grade levels, i.e. pre=school and all day kindergarten.  msw is also an opponent of adding more and more programs such as the International Baccalaureate Program, the Health Academy, and the Spanish Immersion program. The superintendent and the Board have been over-extending the district's ability to offer the basics due to all the additional programs.

 Key to future business success – high-quality pre-kindergarten

Big Sky High chemistry teacher makes class a blast for students Missoulian article published on October 16, 2013

Click on the  link below to read a report on teaching chemistry at Big Sky High School in Missoula.

Big Sky High chemistry teacher makes class a blast for students

5th-grade orchestra lessons keep MCPS teacher on the go - Missoulian article published in the October 9th edition

Click on the link below to read a Missoulian article reporting on a MCPS orchestra program.





5th-grade orchestra lessons keep MCPS teacher on the go

MCPS to begin long-range planning on school upgrades-Missoulian article on-line on October 7, 2013

MCPS to begin long-range planning on school upgrades

Missoula school watchdog is leery of any long-range planning by this group of MCPS school officials. How can anyone trust them as they close our neighborhood schools, lease and sell our public schools to private schools, accept outrageous salary increases when our teachers are complaining of lack of basic school supplies, etc.etc.?

3-day youth summit at University of Montana promotes community food movement Missoulian article - October 7, 2013

Click the link below to read a Missoulian article published in the October 7tb, 2013 edition reporting on the PEAS farm 3-day summit for children on farm related work.

3-day youth summit at University of Montana promotes community food movement

MCPS: Move meetings to more accessible location

Click on the link below to read a letter to the editor by Ross Best in the September 25th, 2013 edition of the Missoulian regarding the location of MCPS meetings to discuss facilities.

Ross is correct in saying the Linda Vista Golf Course meeting room is just not convenient for most Missoulians.

The one comment so far after the letter states,

 tinlizzie - September 25, 2013 9:47 am

Perhaps they are trying to discourage the public from attending? Also, they probably have to rent this space so why aren't they using the meeting rooms in the Administration building, or the public library.

missoulaschoolwatchdog is in agreement with tinlizzie on both counts - that is, MCPS is discouraging the public from attending meetings AND that the district is unwisely using funds to rent the facility when they could be using any number of MCPS buildings for this use.



MCPS: Move meetings to more accessible location