http://www.ruraledu.org/user_uploads/file/Dollars_and_Sense.pdf

msw is posting this great website/study that goes into much detail about the validity of small schools, thus neighborhood schools. http://www.ruraledu.org/user_uploads/file/Dollars_and_Sense.pdf

Former closed Rattlesnake Middle School principal hired to be the next MCPS superintendent taking the place of current supt. Mark Thane

https://missoulian.com/news/local/bozeman-superintendent-rob-watson-named-new-mcps-superintendent/article_31ddbaba-126b-53e0-91c9-c566ef56a7ae.html#tracking-source=home-top-story


Please click on the above link to an article about Missoula County Public Schools newest superintendent, Rob Watson. Rob was actually a principal at Rattlesnake Middle School during the traumatic school closures in 2004. Some found it disappointing that Rob did not stick up for his school when under fire. Many did not, however, there were a few brave teachers and staff that did stick up for their school. After all, what is more important than a neighborhood school?!! It is one of top things that are so important for a child's success in school.

Nancy was right - since the closure/sale of Roosevelt School slant street children now have to cross one or two very busy streets to walk home from Paxson!!

Again, Nancy was right as was the hundreds of people that spoke up against the sale of Roosevelt School. Nancy's issue among many was that  the closure/sale of Roosevelt School would mean that the slant street children would  have to cross one or two very busy streets to walk home from Paxson!!

These words came back to me loud and clear last week when I was driving north on Brooks St. It was a Friday and the weather was just starting to warm up after a long and snowy winter. The light had just turned red so I was the first car at the stop light on Brooks and Mount St., a very busy intersection.

I saw a little girl waiting to cross the street. The light just turned red for me and green for her. I was struck that such a little girl had to walk in so much traffic. The crosswalk was on the other side of the street from where I stopped. To the left of me was a lane of traffic and across the street were two lanes of traffic going south - one in the left turning lane.

 Again, I was driving north on Brooks and was in the turning lane to go left on Mount. After the light turned green for me and I turned left  I rolled down the window and asked the little girl if she was going to school at Paxson and she said yes. I didn't want to bother her anymore but I just said something about the closure of Roosevelt and closed my window. Of course, she wouldn't have understood my reason for mentioning this and she may not have heard me. 

But the words of Nancy, a mother of two who lived in the Roosevelt School area reverberated in my mind just then. I remember how passionate she was (among others like I said) about the dangers and the problems of closing Roosevelt.. Nancy really cared about her children and other children being a teacher, a mother, a concerned citizen.

What I think: Each of the MCPS Trustees that voted to close and sell Roosevelt School need to take turns each day to drive the children from Paxson to their homes that lie situated across two very busy streets - something they would not have had to do if the school district didn't listen to and heed the wishes of St, Josephs School that fought to buy the school for their won children.

Note to readers:  This was written quite quickly and without much proofreading but it was written from the heart - a sad heart thinking of this situation caused by evil MCPS Trustees: Harrison, Hemphill, Rehbein, Bixler, and Toth with Superintendent Jim Clark, one of the most evil superintendents in the county.

MCPS - Problem with enough text books!!

eagnews.org/montana-school-district-no-elementary-math-books-but-superintendent-gets-45k-raise/

It appears, that unlike in the past a website needs to be copied and pasted into the search bar of google or other browser. It used to be that all one had to do is click on the link - does anyone know what is going on here?

The above link is for information  regarding the lack of math textbooks while at the same time former Superintendent Alex Apostle was in the process of getting a $45,000 raise!!

Hope the link works! I've been having trouble sharing information from other forums. Unfortunately!

One can go to the link below to watch a video of Newstalk KGVO's video on an open phones day. That is when the hosts, Peter Christian and Jon King take calls on any topic. This is a great forum to get out a person's opinion.

In the middle of the show, there was a discussion on the International Baccalaureate program, both pro, and con.

https://www.facebook.com/newstalkkgvo/videos/1683921114988609/

Missoulian letter to the editior - "Demolition of Willard School" in the June 4, 2018 issue

http://missoulian.com/opinion/letters/demolition-of-willard-school/article_72e55acd-e3ec-57e0-898c-fc3c80970f93.html

Click on the link above to read a letter to the editor regarding the demolition of a Missoula icon, Willard School.

As a long-time Missoulian and a Missoula school watchdog (basically following MCPS school business since 2004 when the disastrous 3-school closures on the north side of Missoula dramatically affected my family) I am very sad that the school district even contemplated the demolition of this wonderful school.

 A quote from the letter written by Missoula resident Lani Gallegos follows -

"Residents and neighbors in the area are sickened and disheartened to see the iconic building go. Voices were raised during a community meeting, but fell on deaf ears, with little adjustments made to the plan based on residents concerns."

Oops - I just lost entire paragraphs of very profound info/opinion - Ha!

So - since I have limited time for this blog, unfortunately. I will have to condense the profound sentences that were deleted 😏. What I brought up was that this school district has a history of not listening to its constituents going back (and probably further) to the middle school fiasco - that of reconfiguring our school district from a 1-8th or K-8th grade set up to an elementary/middle school set up. There was considerable opposition to the middle school model, yet, the school board in the early 80's went through with the change.

In one paragraph that mysteriously disappeared while writing this post is the issue of tyranny. The definition of tyranny taken from the Websters dictionary is, "unjust use of absolute government power". Isn't this what is going on here? Isn't this what has been going on in much of Missoula County Public Schools business? My observations as a person who has followed the district off and on for the last two decades and as a MCPS grad is "yes', and definitely "yes"!

Did Missoula County Public Schools close Cold Springs illegally? It is questionable in the mind of missoula school watchdog!

This post begins with some wording from the MCPS Policy 4333 dealing with school closures.

"Prior to the Board adopting a resolution closing an operating school, the Board shall consider the impact of such school closure on the education community.  In evaluating the impact, the Board shall consider at a minimum the following factors:  "Then then text lists about 7 considerations.'

The issue of a school closure for any Missoula County Public Schools school is addressed in Policy 4333, as mentioned,  under Public Relations. As many readers know, my family (a school closure affects the entire family, neighborhood, and the city as a whole) experienced a 3-school closure in 2004 and so I was part of the discussions of the policy. There are many aspects of the policy that are flawed, however, the emphasis of this post is - was the closure of Cold Springs School legal? 

My reasoning - the closure did not follow the school closure policy. As superintendent Mark Thane stated during his visit on KGVO's Talk Back program on Wednesday, May 23, 2018, the decision to close Cold Springs School was decided by a group of people during the school bond discussions. Each "active" school, as opposed to "non-active" school(in other words a closed school which was unfair to that school) formed a group to discuss the future of that school. 

I am thinking that a group formed to discuss the future of a school is not the proper protocol for closing a school according to the MCPS school board policy dealing with school closures, Policy 4333.

This issue needs more discussion. Time is of the essence. According to Thane, Cold Springs School will remain open until only next October or November and then the students will move to the new school (remember the Cold Springs bond group decided to build a new school - which was a flawed protocol in my opinion - and was later re-named Jeanette Rankin School.

The emphasis of this blog is the preservation of our neighborhood schools - for every neighborhood. As a person growing up in Missoula, this was considered normal. Missoula children didn't have to deal with constant closures and massive busing. We need to return to this tradition.

More to come on this issue - only on missoulaschoolwatchdog.blogspot.com!