School board authorizes quiet-title action for Prescott property

Missoula County Public Schools trustees voted to authorize district attorneys to file a quiet-title action to confirm district ownership of four Prescott-area lots that appear to underlie part of an elementary school building.

The vote, limited to the elementary trustees, followed staff requests to initiate court proceedings to “perfect title” after the district found a 1938 deed showing those four lots titled in the name of the Prescott PTA, an entity the district says likely no longer exists. Trustee Mercer moved to authorize the action; Trustee Witt seconded. The motion was approved by all elementary trustees present.

District staff told trustees the deed predates available contact information for the title holder and that a portion—about one-fifth—of the school building sits on the four lots, making resolution important for future facility decisions. The staff presentation said attorneys will need to determine how to provide legal notice in a case where the recorded titleholder appears to be a defunct organization and where the deed lacks modern addresses or names.

Trustee Mercer asked whether the district was optimistic about succeeding; staff said records are sparse and that the notice process will be “an interesting process,” with no timeline specified. There were no public comments on the item.

The board’s authorization directs the district’s attorneys to file the quiet-title petition and pursue whatever court process is necessary to obtain an order confirming title in the district’s name. The action was described by staff as necessary to clear record title for facility decision-making but does not itself alter the district’s immediate operations at the site.