News Summary
The Evanston/Skokie District 65 school board held a four-hour meeting to discuss possible school closures due to a significant budget deficit and declining enrollment. Board President Sergio Hernandez emphasized the need for a Structural Deficit Reduction Plan, as the board prepares for votes on closures in the fall. Various criteria for evaluating school closures were presented, alongside ongoing community feedback initiatives. The district is also addressing substantial maintenance issues while facing a historical drop in student population.
Evanston – The Evanston/Skokie District 65 school board convened for an extensive four-hour meeting to evaluate potential school closures amidst a significant budget deficit and declining student enrollment. The meeting highlighted essential criteria for school closures, assessment of student test scores, and ongoing maintenance issues that the district faces.
District 65’s Board President, Sergio Hernandez, underscored the criticality of the district’s Structural Deficit Reduction Plan. The board is projected to cast votes concerning school closures in the fall; however, no specific schools have yet been pinpointed for closure. During the meeting, it was established that the next board session will be held on September 29 at the Joseph E. Hill Early Childhood Center, where initial school closure scenarios will be previewed. Importantly, no formal votes on the closures will take place during this meeting.
To facilitate community input and feedback, the board adjusted its meeting schedule, ensuring that the discussion occurs after family-teacher conferences. Additionally, four community meetings are scheduled from October 14 to October 16, aiming to collect public sentiment regarding potential school closures.
Closure Evaluation Criteria
Assistant Superintendent Stacy Beardsley unveiled the framework for evaluating potential school closures, employing what is known as “closure scenario scorecards.” These scorecards will assess schools based on a range of criteria including geographical concerns, equity, building functionality, anticipated income from closures, and associated costs.
During the meeting, the district deliberated on how many schools to consider for closure scenarios. The discussions focused on closing between two to four schools, although some scenarios may contemplate the possibility of no closures or just one school. Furthermore, the potential inclusion of middle and magnet schools in the closure evaluations was debated, despite middle schools having been previously excluded from public conversations.
Current District Landscape
In June 2024, the district had already decided to close the K-8 magnet Dr. Bessie Rhodes School of Global Studies at the conclusion of the current school year. The board also agreed to create a closure scorecard for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Literary and Fine Arts School, particularly in light of its RISE program, which supports students with disabilities.
District 65 is grappling with considerable financial challenges. Specifically, it faces about $200 million in deferred maintenance across its facilities while currently allocating only $2 million annually for maintenance efforts. A proposal for a capital bond referendum was presented to address these repairs; however, board members expressed reservations about requesting additional taxpayer funding without demonstrating responsible budgeting practices first.
Currently, District 65 is functioning at an average building capacity of only 65%, a figure that could potentially drop to 58% when considering anticipated school openings and the planned closures.
Academic Insights and Assessment Shifts
Preliminary data from the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) test revealed that 54.6% of students met language arts standards, while only 42.1% achieved math expectations. New cut-off scores indicate that 64.1% and 52.7% of students have met proficiency levels in language arts and math, respectively. As part of ongoing assessments, the district is transitioning from the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test to i-Ready for math evaluations and Renaissance STAR for literacy assessments.
A new accountability framework is also set to be introduced, which will include regular quarterly updates, a public interactive data dashboard, and various scorecards aimed at monitoring the district’s strategic objectives.
Changes to the transportation policy, such as reducing the number of crossing guards and implementing fee-based busing for magnet schools, were proposed but not examined in detail during the meeting. Decisions on these transportation policies are anticipated in the upcoming board meeting on September 29.
The ongoing discussions regarding potential school closures and maintenance issues arise amid continuing fiscal challenges, as District 65 has seen a 20% decline in student population since 2018.
Deeper Dive: News & Info About This Topic
HERE Resources
District 65 Faces Budget Deficits and School Closures
Vallejo School District Faces Potential Closures
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
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