Community Listen & Learn - Fleetwood-Jourdain Center

Thank you to all of the individuals who invested the time to engage in our Listen & Learn sessions regarding the Structural Deficit Reduction Plan.

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

Robust conversation took place across sessions and content from the meetings were summarized based on high level themes that emerged. In community and parent/caregiver advisory sessions, the responses to questions 1 and 2 were transcribed directly from the chart paper provided from the various groups. Identifying information has been removed and responses to question 3 are provided in summary form (not verbatim quotes).

An asterisk indicates that the idea was supported or named by other individuals within the session. The total number of participants does not include district facilitators.

Meeting details:

• Date and time: December 16, 2024 at 9:30 a.m.
• Location: Fleetwood-Jourdain Center
• Number of active participants: 35

Question 1: As difficult decisions lie ahead to balance the budget, what are the top three priorities that you believe must be protected?

Class size

Support staff for diverse learners /IEPs / multilingual learners

Keeping teachers/staff in the schools who interact with students daily as a priority****************

• Retain this staff! Prioritize teacher morale and input

Maintain sense of community + neighborhood schools****

Protect fine arts curriculum (social emotional learning)

Maintain rigorous curriculum for all students (math/prep for high school/support for gifted learners)*

____

Top 3
Addressing Opportunity gaps

Fiscal health**

Pedagogical best practice*

• Avoid too many changes in curriculum/reliance on devices

Teacher development and retention*

Improve transparency - concerns about decisions made without information shared (ex Bessie Rhodes)

Results-based performance management - disparate outcomes for student groups

Maintain neighborhood schools

Arts education

Retain teachers

Understanding fallout from decisions

Social emotional learning

Get kids outside

SpEd and MLL supports

Coordinate with District 202

Avoid State takeover

Minimize disruption to schools that serve SOC

____

High quality professional development*

• Equity/diversity in discipline/restorative
• literacy/science
• Neurodiversity understanding

Support for Teachers*

• Keeping experienced teachers
• Low student:teacher

Higher levels of CARE team

___

Foster School ***

Teacher support and professional development  (creativity, innovation, staffing, salary and benefits)*******

Equitable services (IEP and high performing students)**********

Magnet programs (ACC, TWI)

Academic rigor + equitable services (retain families)

Diversity in teaching, student pop, community)

Curriculum (math, reading, etc)

Special needs schools (don’t let more fall behind) - Park, Rice

___

Safe, supportive, comfortable learning environment

Vigilance toward administrative cosy/spending/waste*

Importance of neighborhood schools, including as kids move up through grades (eg 18 schools moving to 1 at Haven)*

Equity in attention + funding, making sure reductions don’t impact marginalized groups most******

Protect socio-emotional staffing support*

Intentional w/ school closure timing vs Foster operational (minimize kids moving more than 1x)**

Class size staying under 25 max

Question 2: What programs or services do you consider most essential to maintain the quality of our students' education?

TWI (expanded)**

Special education services (high quality - STEP, RISE, Park, Rice)****

• Paying paraprofessionals better with better support
• Prioritizing (sp?) endorsements for paraprofessionals and support staff

ACC*

Tutoring centers (strong MTSS)

Child care vs. Right At School

FACE

CARE*

Individualized learning styles/challenges

Potential STEM/STEAM curriculum (nice to have)

Transportation - Crossing guards

_____

Enrichment (music, drama, gym, art) **

Evanston Kuumba

Summer learning - Summer STEM

Before or after school programming (chess)

Teacher grants (PEP funds)

• Improve classrooms

TWI, ACC, Academic Support Program (advanced math at HS)*

___

Access + equity in extracurriculars (no “pay to play”)

FAPEL ****

TWI**

Protect time allocated for recess/free time

Utilize partnerships in community to support extracurriculars*

Tech - city owned + managed by City so district can focus on education and not IT

Class size not exceeding 25**

Before/after care

____

Before and after childcare programs

Fine arts during the school day*

Re-evaluate structure of magnet programs (review class sizes + required services + staffing but maintain and strengthen communities of students)

Library, Bookery, Books & Breakfast, Book Nook

____

Maintain TWI*

• Adjust distribution of students

Special Education*

SEL

• Safe/consistent student experience

Reduced reliance on technology*********

• Move away from 1:1 technology
• Consider elimination of tech K-2

Access to accelerated learning**

Understand administrator impact (above teacher)

• Request for more information/transparency

Before and after care programs *

• Could district provide RAS programming?

Academic Rigor

Early childhood assessment

Teacher development*

Arts education

Playground/outdoor space

Physical education 

Question 3: Please share any additional information that should be considered as we prioritize budget reductions.

It is really helpful for the community to have as much context as possible as to what potential cuts can look like. Need to understand the ramifications and impact of the change.

We used to have all schools start at the same time and there is a need to look historically at the impact and why it was changed in the first place.

The community should feel confident that the decisions made by administration and the board and there is some envisioning of the consequences - 5, 10 years down the road.

The cuts we make are going to adversely impact, at some level, students and teachers. Given the teacher shortage, any changes that are made need to be clearly explained and the change should be least impactful or harmful to students and teachers.

What best practices are being employed? And what processes are in place to ensure we don’t end up in this same place again?

The administration and board needs to re-establish trust in the community. This will make the tough decisions easier to digest. Trust will drive this forward. The people, meaning the Board, that are voting on these reductions are not here and will hear it second hand. Those seven members will vote and four of them are leaving. There are three candidates here - need to have people with skin in the game.

Anyone who is questioning the validity of Foster School should watch the documentary Stolen School. 

There is difficulty for Dr Turner to come into the role and she inherited a lot of mess. Appreciated hearing we’re in trouble and let’s talk about it. There is a rich community of resources (need to address public and private) or we are doing our children a disservice. K-8 education is foundational. We need to be here for our children.

We are in a situation where everything is on the table. As much as it's going to hurt, we need 100% more transparency from the Board. They will make decisions based on what’s in front of them. Important for them to be here and hear the voices today. Someone will be looked at as the “bad guy” and the more transparency there is, the less anyone will look like the “bad guy”. Everything we need is right here in Evanston, Illinois.

The first two questions are similar, I don’t know all of the programs and services. The District should be transparent around every program that’s available (make a list) and ask people to prioritize that way.

Need to consider the physical condition of infrastructure and be as transparent as possible around school closures. Need to consider life safety needs within buildings. Also, if demographics change we need to be prepared to retain the asset if it makes sense. 

I’m pretty new to the district. How do we make decisions that protect the long term? Make sure we are thinking about both the financial impact and the long term effect of what we’re cutting.

Whatever cuts are necessary, school consolidation is far better than takeover by the State of Illinois. Folks need to have a clear picture of what state takeover looks like. Also need to have a silver lining and positive framing as much as possible. As much joy factor as possible in this process would be helpful.

Need to think less about advocating for particular schools, and about the best interest of all students and the future of the district. We need to dive deep on what our priorities are as a district and as a community.

What can be deferred to the incoming board for decision making? It would be important for the community to understand the timeline and implications.

What would need to happen for the state to take the district over?