10/08/07 Council Meeting Minutes

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REGULAR MEETINGOCTOBER 8, 2007 are now considered luxury places to live. When she lived there she had seen that may have been deemed unsuitable turned into really amazing things because of architects creativity and resourcefulness. She moved back to South Bend and wanted to live in a community that had a sense of place so they moved close to the City, even though her realtor wanted to take them to Granger, because of the school system. She wanted to be here in South Bend. When she read in the paper that Marquette was going to be a Montessori Magnet she stated she was overwhelmed with joy and it is such a beautiful building. Then she heard that the South Bend Community School Corporation wants to raise it to the ground and build something new. She did not come to this community for that. She is here tonight not only as a concerned citizen of South Bend but as a mother of four (4) young children who already called the SBCSC to get on a waiting list to see if her three year old could start at the Montessori School next year. She also comes here as a teacher at a Montessori School, she took training this summer and as a catacyst as a catacysist in the Good Shepard which uses Montessori methods. One of the most beautiful things and this goes to suitability is that this method as been used with the Zulu tribes with people in Chili, people in Mexico, with people all over the world who don’t have great means, but who want to learn, people who want to have that spark about education ignited. This is not about having the best wired buildings that have the classy glass its about a sense of place. Maria Montessori began her mission with children who were the poorest of the poor in Italy, who were forgotten about, who’s parents had to go to work so they left their children alone in a room at age 2 and 3. She saw that these children needed something to ignite that passion, because if they had crumbs they would play with the crumbs, they needed to do some work that was important. She stated that they don’t need a state of the art building, this can be done at Marquette Primary Center, what needs to be done is have one of her great lessons, which is the Golden Thread of History. We are connected to that golden thread and we have got to stop as a community chopping up the thread and throwing it out. As a mother, she constantly teaches her children that they need to reduce, reuse, and if they can’t do those first two, they need to recycle. As a child from a family of eight she noted that they learned to do that and she thinks that can be done at Marquette School and teach the children by our example about a greener, better environment. Mr. Colin Hodson, 807 Ashland, South Bend, Indiana, spoke in favor of this bill. He stated that he would like to address the issue of suitability through rehabilitation for a specific use which in this case is a Magnet Montessori School. Mr. Hodson noted that he is here tonight as a parent of Montessori students. His 7 and 10 year are Montessori kids, his wife and he are very greatful that his children can be in Montessori School, even though they can barely afford to send them. Montessori has been around for about 100 years, just this year. The lesson that Montessori teaches can home to him in no uncertain terms when a few years ago when his daughter was 4 and first learned to read. He had not expected her to be able to learn to read at 4, she did not even know her ABC’s and yet there she was reading to him from a book. He became a believer of Montessori at that time. South Bend Schools propose a Montessori School funded by a Federal Grant for a three-year pilot program. What should they spend the money on? Does have a pilot Montessori Magnet School require a new building? The first Montessori School was set up on shoestring in a slum in Italy. It was so successful that in 6 months of starting people were coming from all over the world to see the school. The school that his kids go to have been an old farm house and a church, both buildings that were not intended for that purpose, they were not designed to be Montessori schools. You will find most of the kids in Montessori school in South Bend are in buildings that were designed for something else. Both programs are very successful. No special buildings are required for these hundreds of kids each year. So this does this pilot Montessori program require a new building, No! Experts already confirmed that the Marquette building will work just fine and it is half the cost of a new building without the delay of new construction. So why is the program being delayed and doubling the cost of Montessori School education to the public school system. Don’t let the SBCSC play power games with the children of South Bend, don’t let them take this chance away from the kids. Don’t let the SBCSC shut out the Council’s voice and try to keep you in the dark, don’t let them leave another empty lot where the children’s future should be. Lincoln, Harrison, Muessel, Oliver, Nuner, Riley and the list will continue to go unless the Council does something about it. They have all been victims of the wrecking ball. Don’t think for a second that it won’t happen to this school if that’s what the SBCSC decides that’s what suits them best. He 10