Lowell School preps modular building for 3rd-graders; space needed due to increased enrollment

Lowell School preps modular building for 3rd-graders; space needed due to increased enrollment

Click on link above to the August 27, 2012 Missoulian article.

The above Missoulian article reports on the modular built this summer at Lowell School.  Another modular at Rattlesnake School was also approved by the board and is now housing Rattlesnake children. 

The question is:  Was the building of the modulars at these two schools the best answer to the increased enrollment?

missoula schools watchdog would like to bring up other possibilities that could have been discussed to deal with the at-capacity situation at Lowell and Rattlesnake Schools.

In February of 2012, the district discussed busing more of our Rattlesnake/East Missoula area students from the neighborhood to Paxson. 

It was unclear why the district switched from the busing scenario to building modulars at Rattlesnake School. Busing more of our Rattlesnake area students would have been unfair as all of our middle school students are already being bused to Washington Middle School since the tragic school closures of 2004. 

When the modular topic was placed on the agenda, strangely, a modular at both Rattlesnake Schools AND Lowell Schools was addressed.  msw (missoulaschoolswatchdog) is wondering if discussions regarding the modular had taken place with the Lowell School community. Due to the rushed nature of these two projects, probably not much, if any.

msw is a proponent of using cost/benefit analysis and looking at other available choices when making decisions in order to make sure that the best interests of the schools in question and the district as a whole are met.

It does not appear that a through study was completed and that the building of the modulars were rushed into by the district.

Of critical importance is looking at the demographics of the school district before making decisions.  One must look at the birth data AND the projected enrollment for future school years which was extrapolated from the birth data.  If one takes a look at the demographic report commissioned by the district in 2009 you will see a projected 5 year spike in elementary school enrollment.

The demographic report is available on the district website at www.mcps.k12.mt.us under Business Services. (msw will attempt to provide a link as time permits)

So, if there is a projected 5 year spike in elementary enrollment, these expensive modulars were not the best use of district monies, in the opinion of msw.

As mentioned all possibilities needed to be examined before going forward with building modulars.  People in the north side and the close-by west side of Missoula may be wondering why the use of Whittier School was not considered.  This is a good question.  msw believes this would have been both educationally and structurally the best option considering that smaller schools offer the best education and due to the projected upcoming increase in enrollment more classrooms will be needed soon.

In other words, the building of the modulars both in the Rattlesnake area and in the north side area of our city is a STOP-GAP SOLUTION.  There is sure to be another capacity problem at both of these schools in the coming years.  Both of these schools are at capacity now even with the building of the modulars.

msw has addressed the problems it sees with the Rattlesnake School modular in past blog posts. The apex of the problem in the Rattlesnake area is the the school district is giving irresponsible favors to a private school, Missoula International School, by approving extensions of a questionable lease of Prescott School since 2004, a public school just down the road from Rattlesnake School. Remember - Toni Rehbein, Chairwoman of the MCPS Board was a past president of MIS shortly before being elected to the MCPS Board and has supported the lease in many comments.

msw's stance on the building of these two modulars is that the decision was shortsighted and expensive and was not the best of available options in dealing with the increased enrollment at these two schools.

Additionally, the article states that the modular can be easily moved to other areas when and if it is not needed at Lowell.  This is debatable. There is a question as to how much the modular at Rattlesnake Middle School cost when moved to Washington Middle School in 2004.  It is the understanding of msw that the cost was close to $80,000 - $100,00.

A former administrator remembers that the cost was $35,000.  msw will look into this discrepancy. Whatever the cost, it needed to be considered as part of the discussion when making the modular decisions.

There are other aspects to the modulars issues which may be brought up in future blog posts.

msw is in favor of re-opening our closed schools for better education, healthier neighborhoods, and sound fiscal responsibility.