EVANSTON, Ill. (WLS) — Proposed school closures in Evanston-Skokie District 65 will likely not go forward at the end of the school year after the north suburban school board deadlocked once again on which schools to shutter to solve a multimillion-dollar funding gap.
There is no consensus again as District 65 school board members arrived at a tie vote Monday night on whether to close one or two additional schools at the end of this school year. That means Dr. Bessie Rhodes School of Global Studies is likely the only one that will shutter next spring.
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Like last month, board members deadlocked when voting on competing plans to close either just Kingsley Elementary School, or to close both Kingsley and Lincolnwood elementary schools. Community members decried the uncertainty, including a psychologist.
“Think about your adult lived experience since 2016. That is the entirety of these children’s lives and the world they have grown up in,” said Dr. David Hauser, who is a parent of two children in the district. “The last thing these kids need is more volatility, disruption, and chaos. We are talking about school closures as if we are corporate consultants. Real vibes of move fast and break things, it’ll all be fine, completely separating it from the actual lived experience of this current K-5 group.”
The board unanimously voted not to advance a scenario that would have closed both Kingsley and Willard elementary.
The repeated tie votes make it likely that no action will be taken this year, because Illinois law requires the district to hold three public hearings on each school set for closure by winter break, which starts after Dec. 19.
Proposed closures are part of the district’s Structural Deficit Reduction Plan, which will involve approximately $11-$15 million in budget cuts before fiscal year 2030.
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