Evanston District 65 plans more school closures, cuts
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Evanston/Skokie District 65 needs to cut $20 million by 2028 and district leaders are pushing to do that by closing schools and cutting after-school care.
Why it matters: Closing a school removes a community anchor and forces families to rebuild, and ending the childcare program disrupts working families. But district leaders argue that decades of unbalanced budgets have backed them into a corner.
The latest: At a school board meeting Monday night, several parents and community members spoke out against the plan. Some pointed out that the original fiscal projection presented this month was miscalculated by about $17 million.
- Officials double-counted capital expenses, D65 CFO Eric Miller said at the meeting, but the plan remains the same.
- "The proposal remains the same because of what it does for us, and … where we have information, comparable school districts, evidence-based funding formulas … and the bottom line is, we are sizing the district appropriately," Miller added.
What's inside: D65's plan would close two schools, Dewey and Lincolnwood, cut the School Age Childcare (SACC) program and eliminate roughly 200 positions.
- Officials classify Dewey and Lincolnwood as "underutilized." Dewey enrolled 314 students, and Lincolnwood had 331 students as of Oct. 1, according to the district.
- Most Lincolnwood students would head to Orrington, and Dewey would go to Lincoln.
By the numbers: Officials estimate district expenses will grow 5.8% annually, while revenues would grow 2.9%.
- Enrollment declined 26% from 2017 to 2026.
- 75% of the district's budget goes to staffing.
What they're saying: "This program is a critical lifeline for parents of special needs children," parent Katherine Marko said during the public comment period. "SACC professionals are also paraprofessionals in our kids' classrooms, providing much-needed continuity for special needs kids. I don't care what other districts are doing. We need SACC in this district."
- Quinn Egan, a fourth-grader at Lincolnwood who used to attend Kingsley, stood at the podium to share what it's like to change schools. "When my class heard the news of the new proposal this year on picture day, lots of us cried. Please don't do this to me and my classmates again," Egan said to the school board.
Context: Kingsley and Dr. Bessie Rhodes School of Global Studies both closed at the end of the last school year.
The other side: "This recommendation is asking a lot," Eric Witherspoon, D65 interim superintendent, said Monday. "There's no way to listen to everybody who spoke tonight and not care. And I know you do."
- "But [the school board members] also are trying very hard to step up and do what needs to be done, so we're not sitting here again a year from now, or two years from now, or three years from now, or five years from now, that we get the deficit solved … because we don't get enough money to operate at 64 percent capacity," Witherspoon added.
What's next: The District 65 School Board is expected to vote on the proposed financial plan on Nov. 9.
- Yes, but: The vote is for a financial plan. Public hearings about school closures begin in December.