SLE Board of Trustees - Work with the Community, Instead of Against It

SEELEY LAKE - As a local fixed income citizen in this community I have these opinions concerning the recent activities on our tax owners property and taxpayer employees.

I find it curious that the Seeley Lake Elementary School Trustees would allow the school to compete with other taxpaying businesses in this community. This school, under a grant from the Federal Department of Education and administered by the State of Montana Department of Education, have now used federal and state taxpayer moneys to open a business that is in direct competition with the local business community. This lowers the income of the self-funded business, which makes it difficult to pay the other fees the self-funded business is committed to paying, like property taxes, workers comp, insurance for the business and employees etc.

I find this very troubling since the grant funded business will not have to pay the above fees, do not have to borrow money for inventory and they utilize child labor which is under the description of school classes for an educational experience. By the way, child labor is illegal for the self-funded business.

I believe the school should expand the educational experience for the school children. Let’s do a program that allows the school to become a log broker working between the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) and the lumber mills. During that process they can broker the small wood for fences and furniture. There used to be a kitchen in the store they occupy so they can serve bagels and coffee, sandwiches and soup, cold drinks and ice cream. The class can then expand to serve pizza, beer and wine to the after work or unemployed crowd.

I do not in anyway, nor would I condone any of the above activities by the school but the Seeley Lake Elementary School Board needs to do a much better job for the taxpayer they expect to keep paying taxes.

Some time in the future the trustees may consider a Business/Student Shadow Program, that would be much more cost effective and work with the community instead of against it.

There you have it CAUSE, EFFECT, SOLUTION and CHEAP.