Board Approves Sale of Whittier School to Child Start

Missoula County Public Schools will sell the Whittier building to Child Start Inc., which has leased the space for 30 years.

Updated on Nov. 15, 2026 in Primary Education

Wide view of a plain brick elementary school with a flat-roofed wing, set against a pine-covered hillside under overcast daylight, with an empty playground in front. — Missoula County Public Schools' board approved selling the Whittier Elementary building to Child Start Inc., which has leased the space for 30 years. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Should local government prioritize keeping Head Start programs in community buildings?

The Missoula County Public Schools Board of Trustees approved a resolution to sell the Whittier Elementary building to Child Start Inc., the Head Start program that has been a tenant there for 30 years. Federal funding delays have postponed the sale.

Why it matters

The decision affects 120 children and 49 staff who learn and work in the Whittier building, and it resolves a long-running lease arrangement for the district's property. Missoula families relying on Head Start services face continued uncertainty while federal funding remains delayed.

The Whittier building is leased to Child Start Inc. for $1,000 per month, while renovating it for another use would cost at least $6 million and deferred maintenance exceeds $1.5 million. The final sale price remains to be negotiated and will not exceed the property's assessed value.

The players

Child Start Inc.

Child Start Inc. is the Head Start program operator in Missoula that has long served young children and families in the area.

Missoula County Public Schools

Missoula County Public Schools is the district that owns the Whittier building and oversees public education across Missoula County.

The details

The school board approved a resolution naming Child Start Inc. as the intended buyer, with all elementary trustees voting in favor and Trustee Keegan Witt abstaining. If the sale is not completed within three years, the district intends to keep leasing the building to the program at $1,000 per month.

Approximately 30 years: Child Start Inc. has been a tenant in the Whittier building.
October: Forecast date for the federal application process, still pending in November.
Last month: The YWCA suspended some programming due to funding delays.
Tuesday night, November 2026: The school board approved the sale resolution.

Culture Shift

Local Head Start programs increasingly depend on long-term facility arrangements while federal funding cycles stay unpredictable. Whittier's proposed sale reflects that pressure as Child Start Inc. seeks stable ownership of its classrooms.

Families with children enrolled in Child Start's Whittier program will keep their current classrooms if the district continues the $1,000-per-month lease. The timing of any eventual ownership transfer depends on the federal funding application that remains pending.

The takeaway

Stable facilities are a practical necessity for early-learning programs, so families should watch for updates on the federal funding application and any final sale terms that could affect Whittier classrooms.