Against Demolition of Marquette School, South Bend, Indiana and the Call for the Removal of this Proposal from the Superintendent's Facility Plan

Marquette School is an integral part of our community with a vital connection to the citys history and the arts. As a product of one of President Franklin D. Roosevelts New Deal agencies, the Public Works Administration, and as an example of the Collegiate Gothic style, it is in itself a valuable educational resource.

With this in mind, we ask you to remove from the facility plan the destruction of Marquette School and its replacement with an inferior building. We ask you to seek opinions from firms whose expertise lies in the rehabilitation and renovation of historic buildings regarding the renovation of Marquette and additions to accommodate a potential increase in enrollment for the Montessori magnet program. Preferably, the Board would independently select such firm or firm(s) to assess these cost-effective solutions.

If equity is truly sought across the school district, then children in the Marquette School area deserve a well-maintained, technologically updated and beautiful historic school like the children who attend Madison, Monroe and Perley Primary Centers, Jefferson Intermediate Center and Adams High School.