Board Chair Toni Rehbein and other MCPS Trustees are disloyal once again!

Without any supporting documents for this post I feel compelled to write anyway about my frustrations regarding the handling of over crowding at Rattlesnake School. Last night, April 10,  I returned from a Board meeting in total disbelief by what I observed, (which is common for me after attending any MCPS  Meeting.).

The overcrowding at Rattlesnake School was first reported in a newspaper article in February of this year, Meetings were held to discuss busing more Rattlesnake students out of the valley. 

The idea of busing more of our Rattlesnake students is totally inappropriate in light of the fact that MCPS had just extended the lease in July of 2011 of Prescott School, a wonderful school just down the road, to Missoula International School for another 5(!) years. Prescott School is located on Harrison St. in the lower Rattlesnake at the base of Mt Jumbo.

 It turns out that according to the principal of Rattlesnake School, Mr Seidensticker, Rattlesnake has been at capacity for approximately three years. The school has been using para educators for some large classes.  The principal and the Regional Director, (Regional Directors  - another touchy subject!) decided that NOW,  AFTER the  Prescott/MIS lease was extended  he would address the overcrowding issue.  

I attended most of the meetings at Paxson and Rattlesnake School (probably the last thing I wanted to do but I went anyway) and I was left, once again, disgusted with the whole process of this latest fiasco of MCPS dealings with facility issues.

The reason for my latest frustration is that the Board, just approved the building and placement of a MODULAR at Rattlesnake School and one at Lowell. So....a private school has the use of one of Missoula's most popular public schools, Prescott School, and our public school students get to attend classes in a modular!!  Does that make sense?  NO! Once again, MCPS Board members are displaying their favoritism toward Missoula International School, a private school, thus showing disloyalty to the students and families they are supposed to represent. 

Remember, MCPS leased Roosevelt School for 5 years, then sold it in 2005 in a sweetheart sale. There is so much more to say but I don't have time right now. 

Thanks for listening to my frustrations on this issue.  I hope to convey to others the total mismanagement of MCPS neighborhood schools by this Board, led by none other than Toni Rehbein, past Board officer of Missoula International School.