Skip To Main Content

District Home

Schools

Translate

Community Conversation - Chute 10/14

Thank you to all of the individuals who invested the time to engage in our Community Conversation sessions regarding the Structural Deficit Reduction Plan's school closure scenarios.

Meeting summaries were created to provide increased transparency across the community and to provide insight as to the perspectives and thoughts across various stakeholders.

The total number of participants does not include district facilitators.

Meeting details:

  • Date and time: October 14, 2025, at 6 p.m.
  • Location: Chute Middle School
  • Approximate number of participants: 160

Questions generated via QR code:

Participants were asked to scan a QR code and submit questions, which were then answered in order. The questions below were transcribed directly from the QR code data, with the exception where identifying information was provided.

  • Please address the newly revised budget deficit, which has dropped significantly from $5 million to $372,509, as reported by the RoundTable.  This drastic shift raises serious questions about the need for any closures at all—especially given the inconsistencies between school enrollment projections and the city’s population data.
  • Can the people on the stage introduce themselves and also identify any board members in the room?
  • Does the district have the administrative capacity to manage the closure of 4 schools and opening of 1 school in a single year?
  • Why is there not a scenario which shifts the elementary schools to K-8 and closes middle schools?
  • Would current middle schoolers change placements next year if feeder patterns change, or would they be given the option to complete their Middle School years at their existing school?
  • Would middle school kids be impacted next year? 
  • Is there a way to not close any title 1 schools? What are the financial repercussions of closing a title 1 school? 
  • It was shared that the decision criteria was shared with the Board in June. At that time, did the Board object to the decision criteria that was set forth? And if so, were there any changes to the decision criteria?
  • If feeder patterns change, would current middle school students need to move to another middle school?
  • How are we doing our best to keep cohorts of students together?
  • How will teachers be moved? Will teachers follow cohorts of students?
  • Was central considered a major road in the initial analysis ? 
  • Are 2 and 4 school closures no longer being considered? This is a little confusing to me. 
  • Why are the metrics evaluated at the school instead of at the level of the scenarios? For instance, if you close two nearby schools, all of the kids who went to either school must now travel further. This seems like it is not factored in at all!
  • Will current middle school students be moved to a new middle school based on the new elementary boundaries for where they live feeding into a different middle school?
  • What is the level of administration and staffing versus student enrollment? My understanding is that the staffing has been increasing year over year and student enrollment has been decreasing year over year. 
  • ADA compliance, a civil right, is equally weighted with the gym/cafeteria separation?  How do you justify that, or expect anyone to have confidence in your consultants' calculations when they took such a "back of a napkin" approach?
  • To what extent is D65 considering selling school properties?
  • Have you considered the long-term benefits of unifying Evanston’s two school districts. Many larger cities operate under a single, streamlined district, which helps reduce administrative inefficiencies and cuts costs—something that could help ease our current budget crisis.
  • During today’s meeting, Dr. Beardsley stated that it was not the will of the Board to model school closures sequentially, but rather to model scenarios ranging from zero to four closures. However, these two approaches are not mutually exclusive. “Sequential” does not mean “phased over time,” but rather understanding how closing one school affects the metrics and proximity scores of other schools within the same scenario. For example, if Kingsley were closed, Lincolnwood’s proximity score should change in scenario 3B to reflect that impact. After receiving community feedback highlighting the consequences of omitting sequential modeling, will the Board be willing to revisit and remodel the scenarios to incorporate these interdependencies? If not, can you explain why that approach will not be pursued?
  • Do your calculations include the administrative costs associated with school closings - HR, lost revenue from students that leave the district, etc?
  • If the school scores are the main data point, why was dawes investigated at 2.8 but the four schools receiving 2.9 were not put up for consideration? The tenth of a point does not seem statistically significant, which is critical in this comparison with such high stakes. 
  • What is your expectation for teachers maintaining engagement for the remainder of the year - knowing they be laid off - so how will they continue to be encouraged - to keep raising the bar for students ? 
  • What are the revised scores for the updated scenarios?
  • Can you put a little table lamp at the table so that we can see the presenters?  And can the screen be positioned so that the lights at the top of the stage don’t block off the top rose of text?
  • How do you justify closing adjacent schools, walking away from the notion of neighborhood schools after opening Foster on the the premise of the importance of neighborhood schools?
  • Has any new data emerged or changed that would make us adapt our SDRP plan at this point in time? If yes, what data? If not, why are we considering slowing down the process or adapting timelines? (Are we actually considering this?)
  • Would staff be partially moved to other schools or completely cut for impacted schools? Would students who are enrolled in TWI be able to move out of TWI to go to a school closer to their home?
  • How confident is the district that they’ll be able to lease the closed schools starting in the fall? What happens if the empty buildings aren’t leased? 
  • Explain why your demo data is so different than the city’s. Explain why you aren’t considering the increased density expected. Please share financial projections of 1 or 2 school closures as a first step. There was energy around this idea at the board meeting this morning. We’re cutting too deep.
  • So if my children school Dawes elementary happened to be one of the closed schools, which school will my children be next school year? 
  • Why is closing the Foster School not one of the scenarios considered?
  • Can Oakton and other title 1 schools take on all of the additional students? What happens to the title 1 funding? 
  • Why are Bessie Rhodes students not included in their regular attendance boundaries for the analysis? Their omission will make a dramatic difference in student populations of the various schools and should absolutely be considered. 
  • Was the geography score weighted for equity?
  • If washing has the largest percentage of students, and the second largest number of free/reduced lunch, children with IEP, and 405s, how would the amount of children switching schools or being affected be less than those school who aren’t even at 50% filled. 
  • In the scenario where middle school feeder boundaries change, will that take place immediately for 6th and 7th graders in current school year moving to 7th and 8th graders in school year 26/27?  Or will it be phased in starting with new 6th grade classes?
  • We are we using a masters facilities improvement plan from 2022, which was drafted under horton’s leadership. What is the plan to update this, get bids and become transparent about what needs to be done. 
  • A difference between 18% and 28% students impacted in terms of going to a new school feels significant. How does this factor into the district's decision making? 
  • What is the forecast of enrollment decline in the plan?
  • Why wasn’t King Arts considered in the 3-school closure scenarios?
  • Has the walkabillty of the new middle school feeder patter for middle schoolers been considered? In scenario 3B- kids living on Oakton street (some even across from Chute!) would go to Washinton and then Nichols- for many- way above 1.5 miles (38-40+ minute walks for many families) - this doesn’t make sense. The same for Lincoln students then changing to Chute. 
  • Isn’t racial and socioeconomic equity unevenly weighted as a deciding factor when you roll it in with ADA, IEPs etc. Racial and socioeconomic equity are the goal of building Foster School and Washington only has 1 despite being most diverse.
  • Where would the Dawes TWI strand go?
  • How many teachers would lose their job.? And as of now classrooms have 35 students and over , how many more students are going to be added to each classroom?
  • What is the reason for shifting Walker to Nichols in the Dawes closure scenario? Will Lincoln have so many students in that scenario it can balance out the loss of Dawes and Walker students at Chute?
  • What is the plan for displaced teachers? Why are we building new pickleball courts? How do the charges against Devon Horton play into this?
  • Can you confirm that no  Willard TWI student will lose their seat in the program? Will foster them have 1 or 2 strands? Will younger siblings/incoming kindergartens still get priority ?
  • Why are You disrupting twi and IEP kids right now? Don’t Balance the Budget on the Backs of South Evanston The 3 school closure plan harms the city’s most diverse, walkable and economically mixed neighborhoods – it should be off the table. Washington and Dawes are models of equity in action: Both are racially and economically diverse Title I schools, serving the highest percentages of multilingual learners and Hispanic/Latino students in the district. Breaking apart our children: 3 school closure scenarios dismantle South Evanston’s elementary school cohorts, and create a nonsensical middle school feeder pattern. Program disruption: Washington houses 12 TWI classrooms and the district’s only bilingual STEP program, disrupting our most vulnerable children from their established and inclusive environments. Community harm: Closing Washington would fracture one of Evanston’s most integrated, caring school communities, eliminating a place where all families feel safe
  • Can you speak to the % of students in each scenario and baseline that will walk .75 miles or less and the % .75-1.5 miles. Has consideration been given to WHO is walking (low income, disadvantaged students)?
  • By measuring equity solely demographically, did you take into account other components of equity (e.g. transportation infrastructure)?  Neighborhoods that don't have sidewalks?
  • If Dawes closes, would the current twi students go to Lincoln? Or to Washington/oakton?
  • Do I understand correctly, that we would need to raise $8,063,400 one time in order to put the district on solid financial footing until 2030 with no school closures? Or would we need to raise that every year. If it is the former, that does not seem impossible. What fundraising efforts have been tried, or are planned?
  • How were the weighted % arrived at for the score cards?    I'm wondering how equity is weighted just 22% (seems low to me given our stated values).
  • Can you further explain what the Oct 1st deadline of numbers was that was reported to the state and how will that impact the scorecard outcomes? 
  • Why are we only considering 3 school scenarios when several board member TODAY signaled they may want to leave open 1 and 2 school scenarios? There we no formal “agreement” made on 9/29 immediately following the data being made public? Where is District 65 leaving room for REAL community feedback. There is very little difference between savings in scenario 3D and 3B - are we seriously favoring closure of either of these schools over $100K in ESTIMATED savings?
  • With the updated boundaries for Willard and Orrington, are the kids that need to cross Green Bay going to get bussed?
  • Have you considered how low-income or no car families will be impacted by walking farther or past problem streets? How does that get factored into this? Dempster is a state road - how do you propose we get cross walks across it when the city doesn’t control it? Or are you planning on bussing kids across the street?
  • Please provide more details about how it makes sense for Dawes TWI to move to Lincoln, so far away from Dawes
  • school capacity and class sizes are not based on science but rather are those that have been accepted by unions and districts in the past in attempts to balance financial considerations.  given less than half of our students in math and just over half in reading are meeting standards (which are low standards to begin with), are these the wrong metrics for us to be using?
  • Would there be as many title 1 schools?  Do these projections include the losses in federal funding?
  • What are the specific implications of closing title 1 schools specifically (Dawes and Washington)? Dawes also has the highest percentage of hispanic students, have the implications of disproportionately impacting them been considered?
  • Why is Dawes not considered a perimeter school? 
  • How are these scenarios accounting for the location of affordable housing in the city and predictions of enrollment at various schools into the future? Both Washington and Dawes are in areas of more stable population and affordable housing so I’m concerned that closing a school in this area could lead to over-capacity issues in the future. 
  • Hi! Can you talk about the plan to address the $200M in deferred maintenance after we close three schools? (Even if we close three schools, we are still facing $150M+.) How is the D65 administration planning to fund this? Thanks! (PS - Thank you all for your work on this!)
  • Why does your definition of equity not include consideration of the additional challenges of the Hispanic population in the current political climate? And also why is the ADA compliance considered under Building info and not under Equity?
  • Why does it seem that neighborhood schools are no longer a priority for the district, even though Foster School was reopened specifically to address the lack of a neighborhood school?
  • What is the plan for kids who need ADA accessibility for their schools if the plan is to change them to a school that is not fully ada accessible? (And they are currently are a fully ADA accessible school) - was making a building Ada accessible considered  in the financial impact - and if not- shouldn’t it be?
  • What boundaries are considered hazards in the modeling? Can you give examples of roadways that qualify and ones that don’t? How about the canal or Metra tracks?
  • Are additional school closures considered in the plan to financial stability AFTER the current school closures?
  • In the Dawes closing scenario students who live very close to Chute would be routed to Nichols instead. Was the number of students going to a school significantly further away than the one closest to their home considered?
  • How are the detrimental impacts of each school closing considered? Washington Elementary’s proximity to Robert Crown creates a hub for the community. Its closure will have a detrimental impact for the unique synergy it creates for the community.  
  • What consideration has been given to HOW DISRUPTED a school population is? For example- Washington closure would divide into FOUR schools and TWO middle schools. 
  • What is the vision the district is moving TOWARDS, aside from budgetary savings? It feels as though you are asking families to change schools, have larger class sizes, have more transportation challenges, and change communities without a visionary, alternative we can get behind. 
  • What is driving the revenue up ($1.2 million)!
  • What is the reason for shifting Walker to Nichols in the Dawes closure scenario? Will Lincoln have so many students in that scenario it can balance out the loss of Dawes and Walker students at Chute?
  • Why aren’t you sharing all of the scenarios for tonight’s meeting upfront, this is not a transparent process and feels manipulative. 
  • Have we weighed the effect closing a school like Dawes would take on Hispanic families? Those in the southwest corner of Evanston would have to walk 30 minutes each way to get to Oakton. Many do not have cars, and many are afraid to leave their homes right now. They rely on their communities and sometimes older siblings at middle school to pick up younger siblings. Have we consisted bussing kids on the north side at a school like Orrington instead? 
  • What if enrollment increases? If 88% at all schools how to accommodate?
  • We talked a lot about meeting the goal of reduction, is there a way we can generate more revenue to meet the needs for the school? There was a big surplus in the city a couple years ago, why can’t some of the surplus be applied to the school? It is projected that with the zoning policy change, the population in the community will increase by 40%. How do we accommodate the new growth of population with the school closure? 
  • When I look at the school scorecards for Dawes and Washington, I see fairly different scores for income potential and costs (capital expenses and operating expenses). But when I look at any of the financial projections, the dollar amounts in these two scenarios seem very similar. So my questions are: what is the basis for the potential income scores - what is that based on for each school (Dawes and Washington)? Are there any actual plans to sell or lease these buildings? And also, based on the school scorecard, Washington seems more expensive to maintain, where is that reflected in the financial projections?
  • How does the waiting of factors account for intersectionality? For example, a student who is indicated in all three of the equity markers (ML, F/R lunch, IEP)?
  • Will permissive transfers still be honored? We are in Oakton boundary currently but have a transfer to Dawes
  • How do you reconcile the differing population projections between your demographic study and the city’s and what will you do with increased student populations 5-10 years out when this debacle fades from memory?
  • What are the numbers for the change in feeder pattern for Chute and Nichols? Is it really necessary to switch schools when the board emphasizes how important it is for continuity for Bessie Rhodes?
  • Have you budgeted to actually hire enough crossing guards to help children cross the increased hazards?
  • is the geography score adjusted in each scenario for the new borders after closure or are they based on the pre closure boundaries?
  • Why haven’t you considered closing the k-8 magnet school instead of a neighborhood school? The middle school feeder patterns change presents real transportation hardships for south west families, and there are hazards like Dodge/asbury/Main/Ridge at almost 1.5 miles what is the plan for SAFE transportation for those middle school kids?
  • I get that the board has landed on three school closures, but I don’t think that reality was understood by the community. Why does the board think it still needs to move forward with this many closures at the same time? It is highly disruptive and will impact our community for years to come. Neighborhood schools have been the focus of the past few boards, and this directly contradicts that for many parts of Evanston. I think that is a large reason that people in the community have felt the process hasn’t been transparent, even with the communication that you’ve tried to have.
  • How do the percentages for equity score (IEP, free/reduced, etc) change with the closure shifts? Do the percentages of those kids increase or decrease with the changes in boundaries?
  • For the three school scenario that contains Dawes we are looking at impacting 28% (more than a quarter) of Evanston students. It’s the largest number of kids impacted by any 3 school scenario, in the part of our community that has the largest Hispanic population, as well as low income families. Why would we choose 28% children over 18% of impacted children? 
  • Scorecards and quantitative data can be deceiving, especially when built on subjectivity. Shouldn’t there be room for judgement too given that any quantitative measurement system has flaws? If the Evanston community has stressed walkable neighborhood schools as a priority, closing two adjacent schools seems counterintuitive and should be taken into account, correct?
  • In this morning's meeting I did not here educational achievement represented in The Board's goals for this process. Where in the scorecards can we find your valuation of the expected educational impact? How will closing school scenarios impact educational achievement gaps that we have already struggled to address and maintain the educational successes we've known?
  • Why was king arts not considered?
  • Do the 18 and 28% include middle schools? Will students be grandfathered into their middle schools?
  • What is the plan for the 6 STEP classrooms and 2 bilingual STEP, increasing need for strands for STEP in junior high, with the move to Willard and TWI strands.  How has that been reflected in either of these plans? Willard seems like it could have very little space for gen ed class rooms.
  • Has the city been involved in the discussion on the implications of closure decisions?
  • The equity impact on the 2 schools w the most diverse populations (racially, socioeconomic) should not be closed! “Equity” is not factored correctly if these 2 schools are on your list.. 
  • What are the financial ramifications of delaying the decision by another year so we can have better days?
  • Does the district have specific plans for closed schools? If so, what are they? If not, what are the facility savings based on?
  • No matter what, families are going to be upset about their schools closing; There isn’t a way to avoid upsetting some parts of the community. With that in mind, what is the final decision making criteria? Will it stay objective?
  • What qualifies as “requiring” transportation? Is it only kids who are 1.5+ miles away?
  • There is a concerning disconnect between the school board and city leadership. The challenges facing our schools will inevitably affect the broader community, and we need to see much closer coordination between these two entities. What steps are you taking to address this divide
  • Will current middle school students need to change schools in scenario 3B?
  • What is the expected or predicted timeframe after school closure to lease out or sell? In this environment with interest rates as is? This affects estimates of savings from school closures. What if leases don’t work as expected? Does that mean district will continue to lose money?
  • How much were these consultants paid, and were they assessed using standards that have been substantively improved after Dr Horton's...ahem...non-exhaustive assessment for consultant quality?  It seems like an AP stats class at ETHS could've done a more rigorous analysis for free.
  • Why wasn’t dynamic stepwise modeling used for each scenario? The data shifts as a school is selected to closure. I’m not talking about phased closing. I’m talking about closing multiple schools at once. This question was not accurately answered this morning. 
  • Who will be leasing these spaces? Why is that number assumed as lease income the general equivalent as the capital cost avoidance? There appears to be significant risk in overstatement of rightsizing benefits.
  • With both 3-school closure scenarios, it seems like the greatest number of students being impacted are in our Title 1 school neighborhoods. How are either of these scenarios equitable with respect to our.low income, Blacka and Latinx families?
  • Are you going to provide transportation to Kingsley families west of Green Bay?  
  • Would siblings be forced to attend difference middle schools as the boundaries change? They start at the same time and it seems highly unlikely both could get there on time. 
  • Could you clarify the exact street boundaries for scenarios 3D-R and 3B-R with regards to where Kingsley students would go?
  • We were told that Foster was all capital funds however on the board mtg this AM it was discovered that we have $6m in expense outside of capital. Can you please explain?
  • How will the Board be factoring in the community’s voluminous amount of feedback into the decision-making process? There has been a quantitative analysis with the score cards. How will all the subjective input received be fairly measured and quantitatively incorporated? 
  • What is the 2026 ratio of administrators to students and is that in line with nearby districts?
  • What is the expected per person savings from a reduction in headcount?  Most recently it appears that approximately $20mm was saved through the elimination of 130 roles (39 in phase 1 and 91 in phase 2).  Is it fair to assume approximately $150k per head given those figures?
  • The specific weighting criteria and methodology are not transparent and seem arbitrary.  What evidence based research is the basis of how the district has weighted criteria for closing?
  • I am getting the message that the Board has settled on 3 schools closing. How is that possible when you are organizing these community feedback mtgs now? Isn’t that disingenuous? 
  • If walkability was requested to be modeled at 0.75 miles, how successfully do the proposed closures address that goal? What are the plans for providing transportation for students living a mile or more from their new school?
  • changing people right now during their home schools at a time like this in our community for our spanish speaking population - is humanity in the discussion? 
  • If walkability was requested to be modeled at 0.75 miles, how successfully do the proposed closures address that goal? What are the plans for providing transportation for students living a mile or more from their new school?
  • Are you already decided on 3 school closures? Seems like it. 
  • When will you publish a map showing the new boundaries of middle schools under these scenarios 
  • How does the impact on title 1 schools factor into this process? Both of the these scenarios involve closing a title 1 school. Is it part of the equity factor and how does that play into the decision making process?
  • Can you speak to current class sizes at each school currently? What will class sizes look like under each of these scenarios?
  • Is additional money set aside if you need extra support for school opening/closings? And will the students suffer because the board is engaged in closing?
  • Is there anything that can be said at this point to pull us back from the point of school closures?  Does public comment and questions even do anything or is the board’s mind already made up?
  • If the magnet schools are not fully enrolled, as Dr. Beardsley stated, and there is increased interest in neighborhood schools, how is a full closure of King Arts not on the table?
  • Dr Beardsley said that TWI is underenrolled district wide. I am fairly sure this is not true at Dawes. Further, the Spanish dominant kids at Dawes are from the Dawes area, so that displacing them to other schools defies logic.  There were other misrepresentations. The board has not mandated closing 3 schools. What is going on here?
  • The scoring on the hub indicates keeping Dawes open. You are not following your own analysis.  My question is: what steps have you taken to avoid bias on the part of your team?
  • With the current political issues happening within our community (which could possibly continue for the next 3 years), are we keeping in mind that some families are afraid of going out? Dawes families that are being affected by the immigration raids have to walk to Dawes and are already in fear. Is this at all being taken into consideration? Even for Washington. 
  • How is the fact that children would have to cross dangerous streets like dempster give extra weight? 
  • If changing schools to k-8 needs a great deal of consideration, why does closing schools not require as much consideration/time for reflection 
  • What happens to a closed school’s staff and teachers? Are they all laid off or does seniority come into play and teachers across the district are impacted?
  • Are we only looking at 3-school closures at this point in the process?
  • Why are we closing two adjacent schools on the northside? Why not an option that combines Lincolnwood and Kingsley ? This leaves many of us without a walkable school (.75) . No child should walk 1.4 miles to school. 
  • Why is the three school closure scenario presented tonight as if it is an inevitability?
  • Are the qualifications of this SDRP team? Are they posted on the website?
  • Can you share more about the physical requirements needed for a middle school? Separation of auditorium and cafeteria, locker rooms, etc.
  • Please address the inconsistencies between school enrollment projections and the city’s population data.
  • Why did we not see a school closure scenario without a Title 1 school affected? Why can’t we consider three schools that are all under enrolled? Why do we need to uproot Dawes, Oakton and Washington — who have good enrollment numbers — because some other schools can’t get their enrollment numbers up? 
  • In either scenario would a non title 1 school (Dewey or Lincoln) become a title 1 school
  • With the current financial modeling, how long will the district be able to keep the required 90 days cash on hand?  What is going to be done in order to prevent the district from being in this situation again? Has the board considered the negative impact it will have on the community to close 2 neighborhood schools within blocks of each other and instead start with one in that area? Is the board willing to reach out to any of the parents who spoke today that offered their professional assistance to discuss further options outside of immediately closing 3 schools?
  • Why does the board need to decide by November 17 and hold their public meetings prior to winter break? What is the significance of these dates?
  • What are we going to do with the empty buildings to bring in funds? 
  • There are 3 schools in Evanston that are not title 1 schools. In the 3 school scenarios was that not considered?
  • At this point, are the three school closures the only ones being considered? 
  • Has the impact on the community of closing Totle I schools been considered?
  • Why are we considering scenarios that impact the middle schools? 
  • What other scenarios, outside of school closures, has been considered for closing the budget gap? I know what has been done so far but what else could be done (thinking outside the box) instead of closing schools 
  • Given the overarching goal of the community to prioritize community schools (the driving reason behind foster), why haven’t we assessed a scenario that closes king arts as part of a three school closing scenario,  vs a 4 school?   Then it’s more balanced with only one closing per middle school feeder, and foster could pick up programming offered at king arts.
  • Where in the financial projections are the estimated number of kids pulled from D65 and put into private schools due to parents distrust of this district and general disgust with school closures?
  • You stated that King Arts has low enrollment, but it is a fact that D65 capped enrollment to keep neighborhood schools high, knowing King Arts was sought after. How can this statement of low enrollment be shared knowing you capped us? 
  • Is it on the table to consider only 1-2 school closures first in a phased approach and then reassess after a period of time if additional school closures are needed?
  • Is additional weight given to community impact of closing Title I schools? Why not?
  • It seems like no additional weighting is being given to ripping Washington apart in 4 different directions. (Vs just merging into 1 other school). Why not? This is very harmful.
  • Will principals be retained based on seniority and performance? Dr Cardenas Lopez At Washington is an incredible leader 
  • Enrollment is going down, the TWI program however is growing. With the commitment to TWI in middle school, moving to 7 strands right now seems premature. Advise you to think also about middle school integration when Foster will be the only TWI feeder to Haven and not providing an equal opportunity for those kids to interact with new students. Is this this not a disadvantage for those students who are already being moved from their existing school. 
  • Why are two-school closure scenarios not being more seriously considered?
  • Students will find comforts in their peers and teachers next year? Why would this not be a priority when closing schools and fracturing the community? Should the people be at the heart of these decisions?
  • Please explain why these changes appear to impact racially and ethnically marginalized students and families. The Foster school appears to have been approved only after the economic levels in the 5th Ward improved financially, ie, gentrification.
  • If it hasn’t been decided yet whether middle school students will have to move schools, how can we know the actual impact of these closure scenarios?
  • It seems like school closures only save about 2 million a school which is pretty insignificant given the budget deficit. Can you share what other ideas to correct the budget have been explored? School closures cause a great deal of harm for a small financial gain, in the context of the current budget deficit.
  • That IDOT standard is preposterous - how do you justify using such a nakedly terrible standard for calculating hazards?!
  • What was the new direction reflected in the board meeting today (for those of us who could not watch)?
  • How is walking distance calculated? As the crow flies, or how students will actually walk to school?
  • Why weren’t more three-closure scenarios modeled for the board and parents?
  • Would admin and board members be willing to test out these student walking distances with the official IDOT and other hazards? Literally walk a mile in their shoes.
  • Why should we trust this process or you? Administrators involved who worked with Dr Horton closely have been evasive and condescending to those of us who have asked questions. They have shown up to these very meetings, arms crossed, and flippant. And there is no plan to support families who will be most affected by school closures. That won’t be discussed until building close which is a backwards and damaging approach.
  • Will you try to place teachers from closed schools where the majority of kids from that school are slated to go? 
  • The scorecard includes building repairs that are long overdue. Please explain how the school is bearing the negative impact of a low score when the district/school board has been negligent in performing routine maintenance. 
  • Did you consider neighborhood enrollment projections? For instance, the neighborhoods where more families are moving into (and can afford)?
  • We're the school scorecards dynamic? For example, in a two school scenario, did closing the first school change the numbers for the next school's score card before the second school is considered for closure?
  • Why is the board focused on 3 school scenarios only. That has not been made clear. Why is King Arts not in either scenarios?
  • If the City claims a population increase and D65 claims a student decrease, are both parties looking at the same data? 
  • How are you going maintain continuity with students on IEPs that won’t negatively impact them?
  • Will there be more information shared on how boundary lines were redrawn in the various closing scenarios? What criteria is being used to draw these boundary lines? Are streets listed split to north side/south side with each attending a different school? 
  • What is the cost of busing with the new proposals 
  • Why has the change to the middle school feeder pattern not been more thoughtfully considered? There is only one scenario that does that, why can’t you answer questions about what the district would do with middle schoolers?
  • This is a comment. I have a PhD and a masters in social sciences and work in public heath. Dr Beardsley is using language to obfuscate issues, knowing that the parent population is not comfortable with terms like “mathematical models” and “baseline datasets.”  Shame on her.  This is not transparency - it is quite the opposite. People are not stupid. They know what is going on.
  • As someone who grew up poor in a community that heavily relied on busses for everyone, I’m not sure I understand the distaste for bussing.  It was a tremendous benefit to me and my family.  It also seems the cost are not nearly as high as what was presented in the analysis to justify opening foster.  Have we reasses the real value benefit analysis of more bussing so that communities aren’t restricted by arbitrary lines, which are the same red lined areas my community fought to break out of years ago? Now it appears we are right back where people of bad intentions wanted us.
  • King Arts is ADA compliant and has separate gym from cafeteria. Why is this not being proposed as a neighborhood school?
  • How does the district expect to be able to open Foster school, close Bessie Rhodes, and close additional schools knowing that evidence shows that school closures result in worse school performance and increases in mental heath problems? How will the district minimize harm and maintain educational excellence? 
  • Is $300,000 that much money for an elevator when we are saying we might be able to lease a building for $200,000? How do we plan to improve the schools that are left?
  • Who would lease a dilapidated school? What do you tell people who are calling this a pie in the sky idea without merit?
  • What is the long term vision for student centered learning and academic excellence for students and why hasn’t this been communicated clearly in this process?
  • Why are the financial saving projections so heavily focused on selling buildings that close but in the Q&A, it sounds as if that’s not necessarily a given? 
  • On the 9/29 board meeting, the board unanimously voted against considering 4 school closures. In the 10/14 morning meeting, they suddenly requested scenario 3x. 3x is billed as a 3 school closure but it is effectively a 4 school closure, as it will close the school and buildings of Lincolnwood, Kingsley, Dewey, and it closes the King Arts Magnet School. Language matters, why is 3x scenario not being labeled as a 4 school scenario as it is effectively that?
  • On the 9/29 board meeting, the board unanimously voted against considering 4 school closures. In the 10/14 morning meeting, they suddenly requested scenario 3x. 3x is billed as a 3 school closure but it is effectively a 4 school closure, as it will close the school and buildings of Lincolnwood, Kingsley, Dewey, and it closes the King Arts Magnet School. Language matters, why is 3x scenario not being labeled as a 4 school scenario as it is effectively that?
  • What is the financial impact of the 3X closure scenario?
  • Why close Dewey and not king arts totally?
  • As Dr Beardsley confirmed, there was little to no pushback from the board on the decision criteria when presented in June. If they did not object to the decision criteria at that time, why are we allowing the board to request new scenarios after the names of schools are provided? This opens up the community to believe board members have ulterior motives.
  • Please show financials for closing 1-2 schools 
  • With the new scenario, what percentage of students are affected with having to move schools?
  • What would the feeder pattern for middle schools look like in the new scenario 
  • Why does it seem that neighborhood schools are no longer a priority for the district, even though Foster School was reopened specifically to address the lack of a neighborhood school?
  • How would this scenario affect middle school maps
  • 3X impacts/damages 4 schools while only providing the financial benefit of closing 3. This seems needlessly destructive. What is your reasoning for this?
  • Why are we always moving our self contained classrooms?
  • Why are you walking away from your commitment to neighborhood schools as expressed in the opening of Foster and now closing adjacent schools?
  • Why isn’t King Arts being proposed to close entirely instead of closing ANOTHER neighborhood school?
  • The new scenario leaves all schools far from downtown. How many school age children live in the downtown core?
  • What is the motive for closing the only K-8 Magnet school in the district?   Are we all aware the certification and benefits go away if we change the model of the school? What is the gain?? 
  • Why not consider fully closing king arts and incorporating that programming into foster. Then you only close a max of one school feeding into any middle school.  Which seems more balanced and less disruptive to community schools.
  • In 3 x you’re including the neighborhood by Harbert which is majority Hispanic and many Bessie Rhodes families - how will you support to our Hispanic community with twi at king arts?
  • With the additional savings provided by closing King Arts versus neighbor schools including its deferred maintenance cost, why aren’t we considering King Arts in a two school model as a way of closing two schools now and a potential 3rd in the future?
  • What is the reasoning behind closing Dewey’s building vs king arts in this new scenario? Are fewer students impacted?
  • Given the growing lack of community trust in the Board and administration, what steps do you plan to take to rebuild confidence in the promise of public schools? 
  • King Arts is currently the only smaller environment middle school. If the middle school closes, what options will there be for middle schoolers who need a smaller environment? 
  • why is no one talking about the research that shows school closures are harmful to kids (both academically and mentally) and communities? Shouldn’t our primary focus be on maintaining a high quality education and minimizing harm?  Can’t we slow down and learn by the first year of transition?
  • What are the rates of utilization of schools by the children in their area? Are there schools whose residents are opting out of.d65 more than others?
  • How is there sufficient time between now and Nov 17 for the board, community, and city to fully understand the implications of a new scenario, let alone the existing scenarios. 
  • When can we expect a more thorough explanation of this closure and how it would impact things like finances or utilization? Has there been any thought to just closing King altogether?
  • How are you not taking the children with IEPs and Step into consideration and how this will affect their growth, NOT JUST THEIR EDUCATION
  • Do most of the king arts live in the 3x boundary model?
  • How are you reconciling the districts and city’s significant ally differing demographic reports and where do you plan to house students in the future if the district grows against?
  • I want to see a scenario that simply closes King Arts. Turning it into a neighborhood school is an entirely different scenario from simply closing the school. Why is Bessie Rhodes not the very first school considered for closure?
  • What data have you gathered regarding the number of students who will move to Foster School, considering a number likely went to king arts due to the absence of a neighborhood school
  • If King Arts were to close and students were to attend their neighborhood school, how would enrollments change across the district?
  • Why are we considering scenarios that reassign middle school feeders?
  • 2 questions: 1) why don’t any students that live north of McCormick get routed to Foster School? For some students that is the closest one. 2) this model with KA closing looks like it keeps all schools much more walkable, and keeps Totally l title 1 schools open. How much will that impact the weighting? It sends like it would be least impactful for many of our most vulnerable students (aside from the ones in the RISE program at KA.)  
  • You mentioned King Arts is already underutilized compared to many neighborhood schools. How much is their enrollment expected to decrease further with the Foster School opening next year? 
  • Can you share the new direction the board discussed taking at the meeting this morning for those who missed it?
  • Why is Dewey an option in this scenario but not in the original school closings scenario, especially given Kings Arts walkability score is the same as a neighborhood school
  • Are there any scenarios for 3 school closure that do not close a Title 1 school? In the spirit of equity, let’s try to insulate our most vulnerable populations from so much change that they just cannot withstand right now. 
  • Are you willing to openly share all the questions submitted at tonight’s meeting? Not just an FAQ that may not highlight the frequency for which questions were posed?
  • Why has the benefit of leasing closed school spaces been included in the rightsizing number l if there’s been no decision yet on what will be done with the closed schools?
  • Anyone who has ever walked anywhere in Evanston knows that the list of IDOT hazards is absurd.  There are no bike lanes on Main St.  Dodge is insane for kids to cross.  Southwest of Main and Florence have a ton of blocks with no sidewalks.  How can you justify using such an objectively terrible measure?
  • How do we get to the goal of having 21st Century schools?
  • How much of an impact is the Department of Education’s closure or decimation of special needs? How much would it costs to repair all of the buildings? 
  • Would this scenario change the middle school feeder plan?
  • How are you making space for pull-out services in very full schools without designated offices?
  • Are you willing to openly share all the questions submitted at tonight’s meeting? Not just an FAQ that may not highlight the frequency for which questions were posed?
  • Will the district share ALL of the scenarios?
  • Question: Given that Lincolnwood sits at the geographic center of Wards 6 and 7 — with ample green space, surrounding parking, and infrastructure to support full enrollment — why is it not being prioritized to remain open over Willard? If the primary rationale is lack of ADA compliance, can the district clarify:
  •    •   Whether the cost of bringing Lincolnwood into compliance has been compared to modernization costs at Willard;
  •    •   Why ADA limitations are being used as justification for closure rather than as a factor for equitable facility investment; and
  •    •   How favoring a geographically peripheral school (Willard) aligns with the district’s stated goal of maintaining neighborhood-based, walkable access for families in Wards 6 and 7?
  • The school admin modeled more than 30 scenarios. 3x was never proposed. Why does the board have the ability to ask for an additional proposal with specific schools when it wasn't modeled as a scenario originally?
  • If feeder schools change, wouldn’t possibly moving middle school students increase the amount of students impacted by school closures? Why would this scenario be considered in this case?
  • Why are we giving the facade of choice in Bessie Rhodes when clearly all kids in the district cannot have a choice in where they go?
  • Why are kids in Bessie Rhodes not counted in their assigned school neighborhood?
  • If the City claims a population increase and D65 claims a student decrease, are both parties looking at the same data? 
  • Please do not make middle school students change schools. Please do not change feeder patterns. This is so incredibly disruptive. 
  • Why are you set on closing 3 schools. Vs. 1,2, or 4. You have yet to explain this clearly.
  • Are you worried that closing multiple schools suddenly will contribute to even lower enrollment as families question the quality of education in D65?
  • If the south side schools are close to capacity why are we closing any of them especially considering they are title 1 schools. I understand (and voted for) the importance of walkable schools but now that we’ve been presented with the information it’s obvious that the north side doesn’t have the population to support walkabilty. And because of this we are cutting up the south side. Why not leave the south side alone?