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.)