Schools Update; Kingsley Closure Hearings Tonight and Tomorrow

As you may have heard, the District 65 Board of Education voted to move ahead with a series of hearings, mandated by state law, to consider the closing of Kingsley School (in addition to the already-decided closure of Bessie Rhodes Elementary). All three hearings will be held over a two-day period, starting at 6pm tonight. All hearings are at the Joseph E. Hill Education Center (1500 McDaniel Avenue, Evanston). Additional details from the District can be found here.

The following is not by CSNA but is from a fuller report on the status of school closings distributed by the community group Invest In Neighborhood Schools, distributed here as a service to neighbors:

Many public comments for the Friday, Jan. 9 emergency meeting of the Board were submitted and over 800 people streamed the meeting.

Kingsley Closure Resolution Vote

A full transcript from Friday night’s Board meeting with key parts highlighted is available here. 

The Board unanimously approved a resolution (6-0) to move forward with Kingsley closure hearings.The Administration presented proposed attendance boundaries that would send Kingsley families to Orrington, Foster, Willard and Lincolnwood. There was some discussion of the criteria to keep Lincolnwood open in the future, including a District 65 utilization rate of 75% by October. The Board also committed to exploring other solutions that do not involve more school closures, noting the community will play a large part in that process. it is important to note that many ideas discussed during District 65 Board meetings don't necessarily get enacted.

What happens next?

Immediately following the resolution approval vote, Board President Pat Anderson recommended that Nichole Pinkard and Maria Opdycke lead the Board effort of identifying alternative approaches to reducing the structural deficit, an effort the community will be “actively involved” in between now and October. Additional details will be shared at future Board meetings.

The Board acknowledged that the closure “hearings are not enough” to support the Kingsley community and there needs to be a “very intentional and thoughtful process.” IINS agrees, and urges the larger Kingsley commuity to take a look at this letter written by Kingsley dad and former District 65 Board candidate, Peter Bogira, and consider signing.

Willard TWI

Friday’s public comment included multiple people questioning the Administration’s choice to hire consultants (Mosaic) to engage Willard TWI families. The recently published Willard TWI FAQs fail to alleviate the discontent and frustration among a significant portion of the Willard TWI community. The FAQs merely reiterate existing policies and procedures, demonstrating no flexibility or effort to address the core community concerns (such as transportation cost, sibling preference, and keeping student cohorts together), perpetuating concerns about how the Administration is handling an essential component of the Willard community. Note: closing Willard TWI was not a Board decision, and some question that.

Upcoming Dates

January 21 (Weds) 6pm: Kingsley Closure Hearing #1 @JEH

January 22 (Th) 9:30am: Kingsley Closure Hearing #2 @JEH

January 22 (Th) 6pm: Willard TWI Meeting with Consultants on Zoom

January 22 (Th) 7:15pm: Kingsley Closure Hearing #3 @JEH

January 26 (M) 6pm: Board Meeting @JEH

February 2 (M): Deadline for Regional Superintendent to Appoint Board Member

The top priority for all of us right now is supporting the Kingsley families and staff. We are on a path to creating an exceptional school district without closing more neighborhood schools and will leave everyone with one of our favorite quotes: "The one thing we need more than hope is action. Once we start to act, hope is everywhere."