Remember that the Peas Farm is on MCPS School Property

There has been a lot of activity at the Peas Farm on Duncan Drive up the Rattlesnake in Missoula for a few years now. 

If one goes to the Peas Farm or has been there you will see an established small farm.  There are now fruit trees.  There are now permanent looking buildings on this little farm.

Remember this is MCPS school property.  How this school land was able to overtaken by the farm is a mystery. Government officials have been negligent in this area.

It is missoulaschoolswatchdog's belief that it is being leased to the farm for only $10.00 a year.

Yes, agriculture is important.  Yes, small farms are nice.  Yes, the Peas Farm donates a lot of food to the Food Bank.

Remember, this is MCPS school property.  It was bought by the school district for use as a future location for a school.

MCPS has not had good luck in recent years leasing its properties.

Roosevelt School was leased.  Then it was sold.

Prescott School is leased. Trustees have just approved a 5 year lease extension to the private school, Missoula International School while at the same time MCPS is building a modular at Rattlesnake School because this school is overcrowded. So...a private school has use of one of our beautiful public school buildings and MCPS students attend school in a modular...is that fair? 

In the last two examples private schools have come before MCPS schools in violation of the oath Trustees have taken when elected. In one case we lost a school and in the other we lost use of a needed school. Two MCPS leases run amok with tragic consequences.

Remember, the Peas Farm is on MCPS public school property. It doesn't matter how many children come to visit the farm or how much they enjoy it or how much they learn from it. 

It is quite irritating when a lessee thinks that he/she knows what is best for the leased land. missoulaschoolswatchdog has heard the manager of the Peas Farm say that the school district does not need this land.  How would he know and isn't he biased against the use of the land for a school?

There are many other 9 acre parcels of land in Missoula and perhaps in the Rattlesnake to which the Peas Farm could re-locate. 

It is time to think about the above action at this time.

Remember, the Peas Farm is on MCPS school property and is meant for land on which to build a school, no matter how important agriculture is to our citizens.