Missoulian article from the December 22, 2012 edition - Hellgate 4-0 going into holidays after blitzing Butte : Boys' Basketball - and athletic transfers comments

Click on the link below to read about the Hellgate High School Boys Basketball Varsity team -

Hellgate 4-0 going into holidays after blitzing Butte : Boys' Basketball


The Missoulian newsprint edition of this story is headlined, "Tinkle powers Knights" with a picture of Tres Tinkle guarding a Butte player.

This brings up the subject of transferring athletes from one school to another in a school system.

Last season this was a hot topic as not only did Tres Tinkle transfer as a freshman from Big Sky High School but there were many other transfers on the Hellgate High School team from other areas such as Frenchtown and Florence.

Things were not getting off to a good start last season at Big Sky High School as Coach Lasovich resigned and the school hired a new coach.  The team was struggling under Ty Solberg. To be fair, things were not all that rosy under the coaching leadership of Coach Lasovich and perhaps Solberg's team would have shown improvement during the year had the team remained intact in addition to working out the kinks throughout the season. Tres Tinkle played on the Big Sky team one week and the very next week transferred to Hellgate and was immediately playing on Hellgate's JV team.

The significant question is - IS THIS FAIR TO PLAYERS THAT LIVE IN THE BOUNDARIES OF HELLGATE HIGH SCHOOL?

The answer is an emphatic NO!

For Tres Tinkle to walk on the JV team at Hellgate is unfair to every JV player that was on the team last year.  msw was aware of  complaints from some of the JV parents about this lack of fairness for their boys.

In the first season of Jeff Hays coaching career at Hellgate High School, two transfer students from Sentinel played on the Varsity team. To begin with this means that two players were not selected from the Hellgate boundary area and did not even have a chance at playing basketball.

One of these Sentinel transfer players started in every game and the other played sporadically. These players had played on the Sentinel Spartans team the year before. 

The transfers took away playing time for some of the seniors that had played for Hellgate their entire high school years. Many of these seniors displayed a lot of talent in previous years for the Knights and were thrown under the bus by Coach Jeff Hays and his staff.

In comments published in last years Missoulian articles addressing this topic one can read that many people have grave concerns about allowing rampant transferring of high school athletes. The majority of comments were that indeed, as mentioned above, it is not fair to the current players on the team and also to the players that have been playing at the lower levels and were slated to move up to JV or Varsity.

What came out of the online discussion is that athletes NEED TO WAIT OUT A YEAR before trying out to play at the newly transferred to school.  THIS IS FAIR.

One may say - the Hellgate boys in the district need to just practice more and get better so that they can compete with the transfers.

The above statement is right on. There are so few spots, however, on a basketball team - 12-14 players.  So even if a player is really working hard and shows some talent, his/her chances to make the team and to play significant time on the team is decreased by the transferring athlete(s).

So - do basketball players in this era, that live within the Hellgate High School boundaries and want to have a chance to play basketball need to think seriously about looking at his chances of playing at other area schools?  YES. Hellgate High School has a high number of student athlete transfers. 

Another aspect of the Hellgate Knights Boys basketball team is that even if an athlete exhibits great talent currently and in past years he may not be asked to play a lot. This is because, with all due respect, the father/son coaching duo show favoritism with their players.  If they do not like a player they will not play him even if a player has quite good stats on the state level. Can one say cold hearted and callous? - YES.


This topic has many tentacles that could be broached here. One could read the many comments from last years discussions on student athlete transfers by using google.

The article mentioned above was published in February of 2012.  The Missoulian deletes comments after articles after a unknown time period.  This is unfortunate as there were many valuable comments posted.

edited on March 21, 2013, March 23, 2013

Missoulian article from the December 22, 2012 edition - Unfounded threat rumors roil 2 Missoula high schools

Click on the link below to read about rumors of threats to two Missoula High Schools and to the Hellgate basketball team.

Click on the following link to read about threat rumors at two of Missoula's high schools.

Unfounded threat rumors roil 2 Missoula high schools

Quotes from the article follow:


"As for where the rumor about a threat to members of the Hellgate High School basketball team started, no one really knows, said Heather Davis Schmidt, a regional director."

"The team’s coach approached the school’s principal, Lisa Hendrix, and said athletes were worried about a rumor. Could she come talk to them?"

"Hendrix talked with the team, explained there was no basis to the rumors, that they were safe and that the school was safe. She asked if any team members wanted her to talk to their parents."

"Several basketball players said they would feel more comfortable if she contacted their parents, and so Hendrix asked for those students to write their names on a list so she would know who to call."

Single-sex education is on the rise

missoulaschoolswatchdog came across this article in the news and decided to post it on this blog.

Single-sex education is on the rise

msw is not taking a position on this issue - it is only posting it to provide a little information on this topic.

msw does believe there is validity in separating boys and girls for some classes, more specifically, health and P.E. This was done not too long ago in MCPS high schools.  By not too long ago msw means in the 1970's :).

There was an article in the Missoulian reporting on some single-sex classes taking place in Bonner School not too long ago. msw may post that article as time permits.

Was Toni (Toni Rehbein) Trustworthy Before Becoming a MPCS Trustee?

Did Toni Rehbein have a good record to stand on before being elected to the Missoula County Public Schools Board of Trustees? Had she displayed ethical behavior in her previous employment with MCPS?

According to past Missoulian articles reporting on Toni Rehbein (formerly Toni Smartt), the answer to the above question is unclear.

The Missoulian reported on a potential conflict of interest problem concerning Toni Smartt in relation to two of her jobs connected to Missoula County Public Schools.  

The April 14th, 1990 article was followed by another on April 20th,
(post regarding that article will be forthcoming) on the same issue.  In both articles there isn't information on how the investigation ended and on any conclusive decisions.

There is reason to believe that after reading the information in the articles that if there was no intentional "double dipping", (which we do not know if there was or not) Toni Smartt (now Toni Rehbein), at the very least, needed to avoid the appearance of any impropriety and not work for or get a pay check from Community Care.


Missoulian article on April 14^th of 1990

The article titled is titled:

“A conflict of interest,  (lower case letters as was printed in the Missoulian)

with a subtitle of -

"School official’s off-duty job raises legal question”

By Gary Jahrig and Michael Moore of the Missoulian

"Deputy Missoula County Attorney Mike Sehestedt, who acts as the school district’s attorney, delivered that message Thursday after investigating concerns raised about Smartt’s affiliation with Community Care, Inc."

"Community Care works with schools and community organizations to educate young people in the prevention of alcohol and drug abuse."

"Smartt, whose district salary is $39,650, coordinates District 1’s drug and alcohol programs, and also works as middle-school coordinator.  The district’s drug and alcohol program is in part paid for by a federal grant that Smartt “monitors” according to Block."

"District 1 uses the federal money to contract with Community Care for workshops designed to help district employees recognize and deal with chemical abuse."

"Smartt’s conflict, according to Sehestedt, arises because Community Care sometimes hires her to run those workshops.   Smartt also serves on Community Care’s   board of directors."

"Dorothea Lambros, president of Community Care’s board, said Friday that she is not sure how much money Smartt is paid.  Block said District 1 paid Community Care about $25,300 last year."

"The Code of Federal Regulations which governs use of grants, states that employees of a grant recipient, in this case the school district, are not to have “financial or other interest” in a firm that receives grant money, as Community Care does. "

"“It appears to me that if an employee who administers a contract supported by federal funds has an interest in the corporation that receives the funds, and in fact receives money from that corporation, then you’ve got a conflict,” Sehestedt said."

"Block said that although he was not aware of any problem with the current arrangement, he would abide by any decision Sehestedt reached."

"“If it’s a problem …we are going to correct the problem,” Block said. “The only way I can see correcting it straight off, without being totally disruptive to the training program as we go on, is to say, Toni Smartt, you’re no longer part of the Community Care, Inc. board, “plain and simple.”"

"Sehestedt said he was less concerned by Smartt’s position on the board than with her contract relationship with Community Care."

"“I think it’s possible that she could still serve on the board, so long as she is not receiving remuneration for her service,” Sehestedt said. "

"Block said the matter would be taken up with Smartt next week when she returns to work after the District 1 spring break."

"“If that is a violation,” Block said, “I’m not going to place this district in a position of liability.”"

"Block said that when Smartt “moonlights in training in the area of drug awareness and addiction,” she does so on her own time."

"“When she is doing that kind of training she is on leave without pay from the school district because obviously we don’t have any double dipping going on,” Block said."

"Sehestedt said the conflict of interest exists regardless of whether Smartt is on her own time when she works for Community Care."

"Part of Smartt’s job description with District 1 calls for her to coordinate efforts with Community Care and represent the district on the organization’s board of directors."

"Contacted at home by the Missoulian, Smartt said she was unable to comment on the matter because she was unaware o f the conflict or Sehestedt’s recommendation."

"Lambros said Community Care will do nothing to endanger the grant, or the organization’s attempts to h help children."

"“We want to do the right thing,” she said. We don’t want to put anyone in a position of conflict.  …We will resolve matters in a way that ensures that.”"

 

MCPS correspondence - No vote for the International Baccalaureate program at Hellgate HIgh School!

missoula schools watchdog sent in a request for documents form (form available on the district website) and asked for information on the International Baccalaureate program,  (msw did not really request any documents although using this specific form is the only avenue available by the district), and received the following information. 

msw appreciates Carol White's (the executive administrative assistant to Superintendent Apostle) work on behalf of requests for information and documents.
***************************************
The email follows -

Sent: Tuesday, July 05, 2011 7:45 PM
To: Carol L White; Alex P. Apostle
Subject: Was there a vote for the approval of the International Baccalaureate Program?

Carol and Superintendent Apostle,

I have been looking over some of the minutes and the agendas for Board Meetings. I am not clear on whether the IB Program has been approved by the Board with an official vote.

Can you please clear this up for me? 

The Board voted to approve a Grant Application for $20,000 in funding to pay for the teacher training and the original IB program application in April of 2009. The implementation of a program like IB itself is historically not something that the Board has to approve with an official vote. They have requested to be kept informed on it’s progress and Roberta Stengel has been giving regular updates at the Board meetings.

Is there some recent figures on how much this program is going to cost and how much it has cost so far?

The IB program, to date, has cost $42,608. The projected cost of the program will depend on how it is implemented in the future. We don’t have specifics on this.

Is this information somewhere on the district website? If not, that would be great if it was!!

This information is not available online at this time. We generally do not post this type of financial information online unless it is part of the budget process.

Can you tell me what the line item is for all the costs associated for the IB program?

There is no line item for IB in the general budget at this time, as the costs incurred so far have been paid for by a donation from the Washington Foundation to develop an IB program.

Costs covered to this point have been application fees, teacher training, instructional supplies and a coordinator stipend.

****************************************************

msw has the following observations on the answers received from the superintendent's office -

According to the information in this email there was NOT a vote on the implementation by the MCPS Board of Trustees.
For such a wide reaching and expensive program it seems that a Board vote by the all MCPS trustees would have been prudent.

The district does not seem to understand that citizens like transparency in government, especially where their money is concerned.  It is troubling that IB costs cannot be listed on the district web site.

NO LINE ITEM FOR IB COSTS IN THE DISTRICT BUDGET - THIS GETS A RED FLAG FROM Missoula Schools Watchdog!

IN JULY, 2011, THE DISTRICT STILL HAD NO IDEA WHAT THE IB PROGRAM WAS GOING TO COST THE DISTRICT.

 

"Missoula schools are Agenda 21 compliant" - a caller said on KGVO's Talk Back radio show

missoula schools watchdog listens to KGVO's "Talk Back" radio show which airs between 8:30 and 10:00 a.m. every day fairly often to hear what other Missoulians are thinking.

One day, May 16, 2012, was significant for msw as a comment was heard linking the school district and Agenda 21, two topics of interest.

A man called in toward the end of the show and said that he had heard someone say that "Missoula schools were Agenda 21 compliant".

WOW!

Are school officials going to come out and say to Missoula media sources, "We are now Agenda 21 compliant"?

msw thinks not - MCPS has a way of sneaking things into our schools.

All we have to do is look at what they are doing and it is quite evident that what thia man heard is correct.

21st Century learning, Interntional Baccalaureate program at one high school and discussions of making Lewis and Clark an IB school, global studies program at Mount Jumbo mentioned, massive increases in technology, Common Core standards, etc.....

missoula schools watchdog advocates for....and does NOT advocate ....

On December 1st, 2012, missoula schools watchdog blog added a subtitle to the blog title.  It follows in a different format below -

missoula schools watchdog is an advocate for:

neighborhood schools,

district transparency and accountability,

a basic education (the three R's),

and a K-8 grade school configuration.

missoula schools watchdog does NOT advocate for:

closing (or selling) schools,

unnecessary busing,

public schools helping private schools such as Missoula International School (the competition),

irresponsible spending,

and unnecessary and expensive programs such as the International Baccalaureate Program.

misssoula schools watchdog is for options such as homeschooling (being a former homeschooler) and private schools (being a former private school parent). 

msw also believes that smaller neighborhood public schools with a qualified staff offering a basic education are a great benefit to a community.

Finding big savings should be rewarded - Missoulian editorial published on November 15th, 2012 reporting on the savings found by Pat McHugh of MCPS

Click on the link below to read a Missoulian editorial published on November 15th, 2012 on the issue of MCPS business director's work on saving the district money by refinancing money owed by the district.

Finding big savings should be rewarded

Sentinel High cross-country team surprises senior with letterman jacket, 'Most Inspirational' award - Missoulian article from the November 19th, 2012 edition

Click on the link below to read a Missoulian article published on November 19th, 2012 written bty Betsy Cohen reporting on an inspirational story about some Sentinel High School students.


Sentinel High cross-country team surprises senior with letterman jacket, 'Most Inspirational' award

Good job boys!  You make Sentinel look good - Keep up the good work and may more of your classmates do similar things.

Hellgate students decorate graffiti mural with anti-meth message -Missoulian article on November 30th, 2012

Click on the link below to read a Missoulian article written by Gwen Florio published in the November 30th, 2012 edition reporting on an anti-meth art project at Hellgate High School.

Hellgate students decorate graffiti mural with anti-meth message

The subtitle reads, "Graffiti artist, students create mural to educate others about the dangers of meth use'

This artwork joins the artwork done by a previous generation that is displayed on a wall at Hellgate. Some teachers A few years ago were rummaging in a not-so-used area (msw forgot where) and found many pieces of art created by students in the 1940's.  These pictures were framed and are now displayed.  The historical aspect of the pictures is amazing.

So, too, will this latest piece of artwork become historical at a certain point in time.

When discussing Hellgate High School with my sister-in-law, a Hellgate alum from the 60's, she said she was disappointed that many of the murals which students had previously painted in the halls had been painted over.

Student artwork becomes more valuable with time - (as do our neighborhood schools - msw had to insert this!) - therefore, if school officials decide to remove it, it would behoove them to somehow save the artwork.  It is my understanding that a mural can be saved, however, I'm not sure about this. 

Big Sky High students craft skis, snowboards; raffle planned - Missoulian article on November 29th, 2012

Click on link below for a November 29th, 2012, Missoulian article on what is happening in shop class at Big Sky High School.

The subtitle for the article reads, "Big Sky shop class crafts snowboards, skis. The article is written by Betsy Cohen, the reporter recently assigned to report on Missoula area school news.


Big Sky High students craft skis, snowboards; raffle planned

missoula schools watchdog is a proponent of shop class in our middle schools and in our high schools as well.

There seems to be lack in this area in MCPS schools in the younger grades.

Yes, it's nice for girls to learn about areas of a shop curriculum and for boys to learn about cooking.

However, it seemed to be beneficial to divide the girls and boys into home ec and shop classes respectively as was done for decades.

Big Sky High thrift store holding 'Black Week' sale - Missoulian article from November 26th, 2012

Click below to read about a Missoulian article written by Betsy Cohen and published on November 26th, 2012 reporting on students at Big Sky High School. The subtitle of the article is, "Students holding a 'Black Week' of discounted merchandise."

Big Sky High thrift store holding 'Black Week' sale

NO MORE SCHOOL CLOSURES OR SALES OFOUR PRICELESS NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS

Our family, living in the Rattlesnake Valley, suffered an injustice in 2004.  Just as our third child was planning to attend Rattlesnake Middle School, as did his siblings in past years, in addition to finally being able to walk just a couple of blocks to this school, MCPS TRUSTEES PULLED THE RUG OUT FROM UNDER US!

This school closure scheme was foisted on Rattlesnake families on February 5, 2004.  Just 48 days later, including the weekends  which makes it even a shorter time span, on the evening and early morning hours of March 24th and the 25th of 2004, the MCPS school board voted (4-3) to close not only Rattlesnake Middle School, but also Prescott School, a school which had been closed and reopened a couple of times, and Mount Jumbo School in East Missoula.

Northeast Missoula families' hearts were broken into a million pieces.

As a family that has experienced a school closure and the threat of school closures, which can be almost as stressful to a family, msw (missoula schools watchdog) is warning both trustees, administrators, and citizens of Missoula, a school closure is NOT the answer to a school district's financial, social, educational, neighborhood, facility maintenance issues, enrollment issues, or any other problem or excuses that trustees will use to close or sell a school.

The 2004 school closures have cost the district millions of dollars over the last 8 years. In future posts msw will attempt to outline some of these costs. 

The ongoing closure costs will NEVER be brought up by Trustees, as they were the cause of them. These costs will NEVER be paid by the people that caused the district the financial problems to the district. In other words, Trustees will NEVER be held accountable for the negative results stemming from their votes to close a school. 

Have you ever heard of a trustee being charged for a modular that was built as a result of his/her shortsighted decisions? NO!

Please, Missoulians, FIGHT to keep our priceless neighborhood schools.  Say NO to any more school closures. Say NO to any more school sales. Say NO to building new schools at this time.  Say NO to favoritism for private schools.

Say YES to our neighborhood schools. Say YES to re-opening our closed schools.  Vote for trustees that will value our neighborhood schools.  Not the Trustees that are in power at this time.

Native American students thriving in Missoula County Public Schools - Missoulian article from November 25th, 2012

Click on link below to read a Missoulian article written by Betsy Cohen and published on November 25th, 2012 reporting on Native American students in Missoula schools.

Native American students thriving in Missoula County Public Schools

In most articles reporting on Missoula County Public Schools the Missoulian is not including the cost of the programs and where the funding for each of the programs is coming from.

As a family that has been negatively effected by school closures, this is important to us.  During the school closures, the trustees are always pitting programs against school buildings.

The public needs to know the financial picture of each program before the program is implemented in addition to the ongoing costs. The district ALSO needs to know this.

This information needs to be available on the district website.
I have asked for information on the costs of the International Baccalaureate program. I have been given some of the preliminary costs, however it is time consuming to have to ask every month or so. For this reason I  have also requested that the finances for this program be placed on the district website.  The superintendent stated that this could not be done - so much for the transparency he talked about on a radio program.

I am not saying I am against this program.  Although I am steadfastly against the IB program. What I'm saying is the taxpayers and citizens deserve to know what they are paying for; how OUR money is being spent.

Please, Betsy Cohen, follow up on a report on the costs of this program, from where the funding is coming, in addition to the costs of the IB program and from where that funding is coming.  I and others would like to know.

Later:  Responding to a comment on the Missoulian comment section after the article stating that the Montana constitution requires that schools add Native American studies to their curriculum - yes, it is in the Montana constitution which was re-written in 1972.  It would still be nice to know how much this program is costing the taxpayers. Transparency is key when spending citizen's money.

MCPS taxpayers to reap savings of more than $500K - Missoulian article on November 12, 2012

Click on the link to read about a Missoulian article written by Betsy Cohen published on November 12th, 2012, reporting on the district saving money by refinancing a bond.

MCPS taxpayers to reap savings of more than $500K

A quote from the story, "A savings of more than $500,0000 is en route to district taxpayers, thanks to the watchful eye of Pat McHugh. director of business and operations for Missoula County Public Schools.

Congratulations to Pat McHugh and MCPS.

You have now made up for the $500,000 loss to the district due to the lease of Missoula's public school, Prescott School, to a private school, Missoula International School for one year.

Prior to the MIS/ Prescott School lease extension in 2011, a math professor sent an email to all 11 Trustees and Superintendent Apostle stating that the MCPS school district lost $500,000 in the prior year due to the lease.  Business director McHugh and all Trustees and the superintendent did not heed his warnings.

McHugh and other district officials fail to comprehend or they choose to ignore the fact that leasing a public school to the competition, that is a private school such as MIS, is not a viable course of action for the district.

If McHugh had been looking out for the best interests of the public school system rather than the desires of a private school he would have advised against the lease extension.
Not only does a business manager of a school district have a responsibility to obtain good rates on a bond, but he/she also has a responsibility to advise district officials, including trustees and the superintendent, on the fiscal details of facility issues.  In all due respect, business director Pat McHugh has reneged on his responsibilities in this area.

Most importantly, Pat McHugh stated at the meeting in July of 2011 when the issue of the MIS/Prescott School lease extension was discussed that the district DID NOT NEED Prescott School.  

If that is so, why did the district end up building a modular at Rattlesnake School this summer, less than a year after the lease extension was approved. 

Prescott School is located just down the road from Rattlesnake School and could easily have been available if the distsrict had not extended the lease of the school to MIS. 

The increase in enrollment will increase in the next several years, therefore, opening Prescott School would have been the responsible course of action.  Or does the district intend to build a series of modulars all over the Rattlesnake School playground while a private school profits for the use of our public school?

So, now the Pat McHugh and other district officials need to figure out a way to make up for the approximately $250,000 cost of the Rattlesnake School modular that would not have been needed had the district opened Prescott School.

Additionally, the crowding at Rattlesnake School could have easily been mitigated had the lease been on a one year term. Whenever a school district enters into a lease agreement, the business manager would advise that a lease be on a yearly basis rather than long term.  This would be the cautious approach.

The district needs to decide to open Prescott School when the lease expires, which is, unfortunately, in 2017!  However, the school district needs to let MIS know that MCPS NEEDS PRESCOTT SCHOOL for its own students and will open it in 2017.

TWO AND POTENTIALLY THREE of Missoula's Public Schools have been converted to or have added the International Baccalaureate program!

missoula schools watchdog would like to point out to Missoulians that the International Baccalaureate Program, a controversial international educational program, is taking an unprecedented foothold into Missoula schools, both on the elementary and high school levels.

TWO OF MISSOULA'S PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND MAYBE A THIRD NOW HAVE THE INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE PROGRAM!

1.  PRESCOTT SCHOOL - In 2004, three northeast Missoula schools were closed by a 4-3 vote.  One of these schools, located in the lower Rattlesnake Valley, Prescott School, was hurriedly leased shortly after the closures for 5 years to the private Missoula International School. MIS is an IB (International Baccalaureate School).

2. HELLGATE HIGH SCHOOL - Hellgate  is now in it's first year of offering the IB program after a few years of working to get it off the ground.

Moreover, one wonders if the school district added IB at Hellgate High as another favor to MIS so that their students could continue the IB curriculum without starting a high school program themselves.

Note: msw finds that it is difficult to get a handle on the true costs of the IB program at Hellgate. The MCPS school district does not seem to have the total costs compiled in one place when the financial information is requested.

3.  LEWIS AND CLARK SCHOOL - And finally, the district is thinking of converting the entire school of Lewis and Clark into an IB school!!  This has been done in other cities across the country with ample negative public feedback.
                    
Quote found on truthaboutib.com letter to the editor by Duncan Koler regarding a Coeur d"Alene elementary school converted to an IB school, "They disagree with bringing U.N. linked education to our schools without public discussions, they disagree with the board hijacking Hayden Meadows, a neighborhood elementary school and making it an ideological test tube under the double-speak name "School of Choice".


Missoulian's need work to stop IB - Hellgate High  - and stop an entire school converting to an IB school  - Lewis and Clark - in addition, we need to stop leasing our public schools to COMPETING private schools which turn a popular neighborhood school into an IB school - Prescott.

The International Baccalaureate Program headquarters must be overjoyed at this cash cow from MCPS for their international educational program.

See information on IB on the "truthaboutib.com" website.

Contact the MCPS Trustees and let them know you are against IB in our schools!

Postscript:
Missoula International School, since 2004, has grown astronomically due to the upgrade in facilities that Prescott School offers. Many of these MIS students must no doubt come from the Missoula Public Schools boundary areas. Due to the state funding formulas, each student is "worth" approximately $5,000 to the MCPS coffers. One can see that the district is hemorrhaging money due to this lease - a prudent and loyal school board would not have entered into the Prescott School/MIS lease arrangement. See www.prescottschoolmissoula.blogspot.com for more information on the many blog posts - some having to do with conflict of interest issues and job incentive for votes for members of the school board.

(We also need to create a "sinking fund" to go towards buying back Roosevelt School if the opportunity presents itself as MCPS has right of first refusal.)

Blaine County eyes charges against Hays-Lodge Pole school board president

Click on the link below about a school board president experiencing negative ramifications due to his decision to close an elementary school.

The 2004 MCPS school closures and the school closure in this article have many of the same threads.

Blaine County eyes charges against Hays-Lodge Pole school board president

MCPS celebrates school year with picnic for educators, staff

Click on link below -

MCPS celebrates school year with picnic for educators, staff


A Missoulian article reports on a picnic for MCPS staff on August 27, 2012.

msw has decided to publish the article so that readers of missoula schools watchdog can easily access the article from this blog.

msw will attempt to keep up with MCPS newspaper articles and post them on the msw blog.

Meeting focuses on future of Graduation Matters Missoula

Meeting focuses on future of Graduation Matters Missoula

The above link is to a Missoulian report on Graduation Matters and MCPS goals.

In the newspaper the title of the article is, "Meeting offers glimpse at goals."

The article states,

"Separated into small groups of three to four people, the groups rotated through four stations to learn more details about the two-year-old mission that has already reduced the dropout rate from 4.68 percent in 2009 to 2.58 percent – the lowest in all AA districts in Montana. And currently, MCPS is closing in on a 90 percent graduation rate."

msw attended a meeting in 2004 at which parents were separated into small groups to discuss where students would be bused following the school closures. Additionally, the district's Ad Hoc High School Futures Meetings used the small group concept. 

msw is not a fan of meetings at which the people are separated in small groups or at separate tables.  msw is in favor or meetings in which all people can hear what each person is saying.  Some say that dividing people into small groups is a "divide and conquer" strategy which weakens the power of the citizens in public meetings.

and -

"Although the new Health Science Academy at Big Sky High School and the International Baccalaureate program at Hellgate High School are the shining stars of Graduation Matters Missoula, the program agenda is much more, said Melanie Charlson,
president of the Missoula Education Association."

msw would like to know -  
 - how much are the two new programs costing Missoula taxpayers and what programs will need to be cut due to adding these two programs?

Other helpful information would be...

- what are the names of all the teachers at Hellgate High School and other schools that have received IB training, where did they receive their training, and how much did it cost, including all travel expenses?

- what is the payroll costs of the IB program so far?

-  how and why did Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, our neighbor to the west, kick IB out of their schools?

- what do MCPS officials think about the association of IB with UNESCO?

Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for Comprehensive Long Range Facilities Plan (cut and paste from internet document)

missoula schools watchdog believes that Missoulians need to be aware of a facility plan project going on within Missoula County Public Schools offices.

msw and family and many neighbors in the northern part of Missoula were victims of a tragic facility plan decision by MCPS Trustees and administrators. In 2004, THREE schools were closed unnecessarily, throwing most of Missoula schools into chaos due to the overcrowding of the remaining open schools.

msw believes that NOTHING GOOD CAN COME FROM THIS PROJECT PLAN.

msw believes the above as many of the same people in charge of the changes in 2004 and also in 2005 with the sale of Roosevelt School, are now in charge of potentially MORE DESTRUCTIVE PLANS FOR MORE OF OUR MISSOULA PUBLIC SCHOOL BUILDINGS.

Trustees in 2004 and 2005 did favors for PRIVATE SCHOOLS AT THE EXPENSE OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.  Missoula International School, which is STILL leasing Prescott School and Missoula Catholic Schools which leased and then bought Roosevlet School have reaped the benefits of the disloyal Trustees WHICH ARE STILL IN OFFICE. We are now seeing results of the DISASTROUS DECISIONS during those two years - MANY EXPENSIVE ADDITIONS AND MODULARS due to over-crowding in Missoula's schools! All of which contributes to so much busing for our students.

msw is of the belief that Missoula County Public Schools needs to re-open our many closed schools due to the projected increase in enrollment by an economist (Dr. Larry Swanson completed a demographic report on enrollment trends for MCPS).

The Trustees in charge and their MCPS friends have discussed building NEW SCHOOLS for our students. In August 2005, MCPS administrators created a 3 page facility plan document with more harmful AND EXPENSIVE facility ideas.

Below is just one document in this new 2012 process.  msw hopes to post more in the future.  msw is finding it difficult to cut and paste the links to these documents, however, will work on this in the future.  Thank you for your patience during this publishing process.

 

 

 

 

Requests for Qualifications (RFQ)

for Comprehensive Long Range Facilities Plan

View and/or download original RFQ document for Comprehensive Long Range Facilities Plan (pdf)

published May 7.

View and/or download AMENDMENT published May 16 to original RFQ document.

View and/or download revised RFQ document with May 16 amendment incorporated into text

(see page 8 of document).

Missoula County Public Schools serves 8,500 students in the Missoula and Seeley Lake, Mont. communities. The District consists of 17 schools - nine elementary (K-5), three middle schools (6-8), and four high schools (9-12), an alternative high school programs, adult education, division, preschool program, and vocational agricultural complex. The District also operates and maintains several parcels of vacant land, a business building, administration building, and several buildings rented to other organizations. MCPS is committed to providing the highest quality education for all of its students. The District has five main goals that guide the development of its teaching and learning programs:

• Achievement and graduation for all students, regardless of their circumstances and abilities.
• Refine and implement a quality evaluation and supervision program for all staff.
• Define and implement a quality professional development program that encompasses best practices and supports the needs of all staff.
• Restructure the organization to become more efficient, effective and accountable to support the goals of the District.
• Cultivate and enhance staff, student, parent, business, and community involvement.

In the 2011-2012 school year, the District completed a 21st Century Comprehensive Educational Plan that now provides the vision for necessary educational facilities in the next 15 years. The 21st Century Model of Education is focused on six key elements: incease student engagement; transform learning environment; support early innovators; personalize professional growth; enhance communications; and collaborate with all stakeholders to make decisions.

MCPS must position its schools and facilities to support integration of the 21st Century Model of Education. The District seeks to establish a comprehensive facilities plan that identifies 5, 10, and 15 year recommendations for new construction, expansion, renovation and/or other options for buildings and properties in support of the educational vision developed through the 21st Century Model of Education. The Plan must also identify the necessary technology infrastructure and backbone that will be required in all buildings to support the integration of existing and emerging technologies in classrooms.

The District will establish a Comprehensive Long Range Facilities Plan Committee to oversee the development of the Comprehensive Long Range Facilities Plan. The bulk of the community and District input to the facilities plan should be completed between October 2012 and March 2013. A wide range of input from district teachers, staff, students, parents, community members and organizations is necessary to identify key stakeholders, issues and tasks. Respondents may propose alternative approaches which achieve similar goals by clearly indentifying any changes from the scope of services in the RFQ and the rationale for the proposed alternative approach including time or cost savings.

APPROXIMATE PROJECT SCHEDULE:

RFQ Avaliable - May 3, 2012

Deadline for RFQ Questions - May 15, 2012

MCPS Final Addendums/Updates - May 16-18, 2012

RFQ Responses due - June 5, 2012

Interview Invitations - June 15, 2012

Interviews - June/July 2012

Notify recommended Awardee pending Board approval - July/August 2012

Board of Trustee approval of Awardee - Aug/Sept 2012

Collection of date; Public/District Involvement Process - Oct/Dec 2012

Public Involvement - Jan/Mar, 2012

Present Comprehensive Plan Option & Alternatives - April 2013

Public Review of Options to identify preferred alternatives - May/June 2013

Planning Committee selects preferred recommendations - Aug 2013

Preferred Plan recommendations to Board of Trustees - Sept/Oct 2013

Final Comprehensive Long Range Facilities Plan documents delivered - Dec 2013

Requests for Qualifications (RFQ) for Comprehensive Long Range Facilities Plan View and/or download original RFQ document for Comprehensive Long Range Facilities Plan (pdf) published May 7. View and/or download AMENDMENT published May 16 to original RFQ document. View and/or download revised RFQ document with May 16 amendment incorporated into text (see page 8 of documents )  Missoula County Public Schools serves 8,500 students in the Missoula and Seeley Lake, Mont. communities. The District consists of 17 schools - nine elementary (K-5), three middle schools (6-8), and four high schools (9-12), an alternative high school programs, adult education, division, preschool program, and vocational agricultural complex. The District also operates and maintains several parcels of vacant land, a business building, administration building, and several buildings rented to other organizations. MCPS is committed to providing the highest quality education for all of its students. The District has five main goals that guide the development of its teaching and learning programs: Achievement and graduation for all students, regardless of their circumstances and abilities. Refine and implement a quality evaluation and supervision program for all staff. Define and implement a quality professional development program that encompasses best practices and supports the needs of all staff. Restructure the organization to become more efficient, effective and accountable to support the goals of the District. Cultivate and enhance staff, student, parent, business, and community involvement. In the 2011-2012 school year, the District completed a 21st Century Comprehensive Educational Plan that now provides the vision for necessary educational facilities in the next 15 years. The 21st Century Model of Education is focused on six key elements: incease student engagement; transform learning environment; support early innovators; personalize professional growth; enhance communications; and collaborate with all stakeholders to make decisions. MCPS must position its schools and facilities to support integration of the 21st Century Model of Education. The District seeks to establish a comprehensive facilities plan that identifies 5, 10, and 15 year recommendations for new construction, expansion, renovation and/or other options for buildings and properties in support of the educational vision developed through the 21st Century Model of Education. The Plan must also identify the necessary technology infrastructure and backbone that will be required in all buildings to support the integration of existing and emerging technologies in classrooms. The District will establish a Comprehensive Long Range Facilities Plan Committee to oversee the development of the Comprehensive Long Range Facilities Plan. The bulk of the community and District input to the facilities plan should be completed between October 2012 and March 2013. A wide range of input from district teachers, staff, students, parents, community members and organizations is necessary to identify key stakeholders, issues and tasks. Respondents may propose alternative approaches which achieve similar goals by clearly indentifying any changes from the scope of services in the RFQ and the rationale for the proposed alternative approach including time or cost savings. APPROXIMATE PROJECT SCHEDULE: RFQ Avaliable - May 3, 2012 Deadline for RFQ Questions - May 15, 2012 MCPS Final Addendums/Updates - May 16-18, 2012 RFQ Responses due - June 5, 2012 Interview Invitations - June 15, 2012 Interviews - June/July 2012 Notify recommended Awardee pending Board approval - July/August 2012 Board of Trustee approval of Awardee - Aug/Sept 2012 Collection of date; Public/District Involvement Process - Oct/Dec 2012 Public Involvement - Jan/Mar, 2012 Present Comprehensive Plan Option & Alternatives - April 2013 Public Review of Options to identify preferred alternatives - May/June 2013 Planning Committee selects preferred recommendations - Aug 2013 Preferred Plan recommendations to Board of Trustees - Sept/Oct 2013 Final Comprehensive Long Range Facilities Plan documents delivered - Dec 2013 HELPFUL DOCUMENTS (some of these links are also included in the RFP document): Complete RFQ document (pdf) published May 7 AMENDMENT to original RFQ published May 16 to original RFQ document. Revised RFQ document with May 16 amendment incorporated into text (see page 8 of document). 21st Century Model of Change Facility Condition Report, Sept. 30, 2009 (excel file) Demographics Study Facility and Property Report (pdf) Buidling Blueprints and Construction Documents (not available online, but available for review upon request at the MCPS Business Building). FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Scott Reed, Director of Operations and Maintenance Missoula County Public Schools 915 South Ave West Missoula, MT 59801 406-728-2400, ext. 3032 swreed@mcps.k12.mt.us PROPOSAL DUE DATE/DELIVERY REQUIREMENTS - before 4:30 p.m. June 5, 2012. Provide one digital (pdf file on CD Rom or flashdrive) and one physical copy to: Business Services Office (Attn: Scott Reed) 915 South Ave West, Missoula MT 59801

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