News Summary
The Evanston/Skokie District 65 school board is exploring the possibility of closing schools due to a significant budget deficit and declining enrollment. In a lengthy meeting, the board discussed potential scenarios for closures, which will be unveiled at their next meeting. Community input sessions are scheduled to gather feedback on these proposals. The district faces challenges, including deferred maintenance costs, low capacity utilization, and disappointing student performance metrics. Official votes regarding potential school closures are planned for the fall.
Evanston
The Evanston/Skokie District 65 school board held a lengthy meeting to address the potential closure of schools due to a budget deficit and decreasing student enrollment. Board President Sergio Hernandez acknowledged the gravity of the district’s Structural Deficit Reduction Plan during discussions that lasted over four hours. While specific schools have not yet been identified for closure, the board plans to vote on these proposals in the fall.
The school board’s next meeting is set for September 29 at the Joseph E. Hill Early Childhood Center. During this meeting, preliminary scenarios for potential school closures will be unveiled; however, official votes will not take place at this time. The meeting schedule has been modified to gather community feedback following family-teacher conferences, emphasizing the board’s commitment to engaging the public in this sensitive matter.
Between October 14 and October 16, the district will host four community meetings aimed at collecting input on the proposed closures. Assistant Superintendent Stacy Beardsley explained how the closure scenarios would be assessed using scorecards that take into account various factors, including geography, equity, building functionality, potential revenue from closures, and associated costs.
During the meeting, the board deliberated on how many schools to potentially include in the closure scenarios, focalizing on two to four schools, although some scenarios may still consider zero or one closure. The discussions also touched on the possibility of including middle or magnet schools, despite previous indications that middle schools would be excluded from these discussions.
As part of budget management, the district had previously voted in June 2024 to close the K-8 magnet Dr. Bessie Rhodes School of Global Studies at the end of the current academic year. The board has agreed to evaluate the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Literary and Fine Arts School using a closure scorecard due to its specialized RISE program for students with disabilities.
Financially, District 65 faces around $200 million in deferred maintenance issues, while only $2 million is budgeted per year for upkeep, creating a pressing need for repairs. Although a capital bond referendum was suggested to finance the necessary insurances, board members raised concerns about requesting more taxpayer funding without demonstrating responsible budgeting practices first.
The district is currently experiencing an alarming drop in capacity utilization, averaging just 65% across its buildings, which could decrease to 58% amid anticipated future school openings and closures. This drop in enrollment is significant, with District 65 losing 20% of its student population since 2018.
As for student performance, recent preliminary scores from the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) indicate that only 54.6% of students met language arts standards, while 42.1% achieved math expectations. Adjusted cut-off scores reflect that 64.1% and 52.7% proficiency are now required in language arts and math, respectively. Furthermore, the district will transition from the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test to the i-Ready for math assessments and Renaissance STAR for literacy evaluations.
In addition, the district plans to introduce a new accountability framework. This will include quarterly updates to stakeholders, a public interactive data dashboard, and various scorecards to monitor the district’s strategic goals. Transportation policy changes, such as reducing the number of crossing guards and implementing fee-based busing for magnet schools, were briefly mentioned during the meeting, but no detailed discussions took place. Votes regarding these policies are also expected during the board’s meeting on September 29.
Deeper Dive: News & Info About This Topic
HERE Resources
District 65 Considers School Closures Amid Financial Challenges
Vallejo School District Faces Major Changes
Evanston School District Considers Potential School Closures
Additional Resources
- Evanston Round Table: District 65 School Closures and Deferred Maintenance
- Evanston Now: Board Leaning Towards at Least Two School Closings
- ABC 7 Chicago: District 65 Students Head Back Monday
- Chicago Tribune: Evanston Skokie D65 May Close Four Schools
- Evanston Round Table: Potential School Closures in District 65
- Google Search: Evanston school closures
Author: STAFF HERE NEW YORK WRITER
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