Author: Philip M. Faccenda

At the suggestion that Great Falls High School is under attack by our school district administration, some E-City Beat commenters have asked if the Great Falls School District’s actions are believed to be intentional. Whether by intent, or simple ignorance I believe Great Falls High School is threatened and here is why. In 2012 the…

With three of the four major building projects from the $98M bond levy currently under way, it is important to ask, “How did we get here”? Have the projects produced good results? And has the process of the selection of design consultants been carried out honestly, transparently, and with accountability? I, of course have my…

Drawing inspiration from many commenters on E-City Beat concerning the Great Falls Public School District’s $98M bond and $1.4M levy request, over the next few days we will be presenting views about whether or not the Great Falls Public School District is performing its public service in an honest, accountable and transparent way. In my…

In the aftermath of the recent school district levy failure, Superintendent Tammy Lacey took to the airwaves and newsprint to give the voters of Great Falls a good rap on the knuckles. Lacey’s condescending explanation of why the levy failed was way off-base and laid the blame on everything except for hers and the district’s…

According to USA Today, February 26, 2018, the cost of raising a child from birth to age 17 is $233,610. You can see the breakdown in the header image for this article. What does that have to do with the Great Falls School District’s operational levy that will be decided next week? Well, it means…

Do you think the Great Falls Public Schools District is bloated? Do you think there are too many highly paid administrators? If you answered yes to these two questions you are probably asking why, how did we get there, and why are they always crying that they need more money? A recent article by U.S….

Many Great Falls property owners received their ballots today for the upcoming City Park District and the Great Falls Public School District levies. Following right behind Federal Tax Day and a little more than a month away from Montana Property Tax Day, it seems like every level of government wants more of our money. Sometimes…

MONEY “Why is it that the further away you get from kids, the more money you make?” Spencer Campbell spends much of his days walking the halls of Elk Ridge Middle School, checking breezeways for kids playing hooky, redirecting foot traffic between classes and checking on substitute teachers. Campbell is one of two assistant principals…