Evanston-Skokie D65 may close four schools; it must cut $10 to $15 million due to deficits
District officials said the district needs to cut about $10 to $15 million from its budget, and the administration is holding meetings telling the public about its criteria for weighing which schools to keep open.
At three meetings the district held for parents and community members from June 23-25, officials said they are using the measures of equity, geography and building functionality to determine which schools should be closed. The district won't make a decision or present its idea on which schools to close before September, according to Assistant Superintendent of Academics Stacy Beardsley.
Communications Manager Hannah Dillow said the district's goal is to limit school school closures to the start of the 2026-2027 school year beginning July 1, 2026.
The next school year's budget, which began on July 1, 2025, is still in development, according to Dillow. 'Our Financial Services department is optimistic that the district performed better than budget for [Budget year 2025],' Dillow said, but exact numbers on the district's current deficit will not be available until the budget is approved.
Beardsley hosted a community meeting at the Dr. Jorge and Luz Maria Prieto Community Center on June 25, responding to parents' concerns about what steps the district is taking to minimize the impact of any school closures on students.
Beardsley said the district will need to keep making cuts to its budget in the next school year, even after slashing 73 jobs in the last school year.
The criteria the district is following was developed by the Facilities Subcommittee, made up of 16 stakeholders with diverse backgrounds in education, architecture, engineering and civic leadership, per district documents.
Equity
The district will make efforts to avoid disproportionately impacting marginalized groups within the district, which consist of Black students, Latino students, students with IEP plans, English language learners and students on free and reduced lunch rates.
'The thing that the group [subcommittee] talked about was that we don't want to replicate what was the unintentional impact or the impact of the closing of the original Foster School,' Beardsley said.
'When the district closed the original Foster School, we ended up disproportionately bussing Black students throughout Evanston and removing the opportunity for them necessarily to have a neighborhood school,' she said.
Geography
The geography of a school is the highest weighted criterion to keep a school open, per district documents.
Beardsley said the district will consider walkability for students to access their school, with a recommendation that students walk no more than three quarters of a mile to their school. This will also intentionally avoid raising transportation costs, Beardsley said.
The safety of a student's walk to school will also be considered, she said, considering traffic and safety hazards identified by the Illinois Department of Transportation.
Beardsley also said the district is considering a school's proximity to other schools, as some are considered 'community hubs.'
Building Functionality
The third-highest ranking criterion the subcommittee and district are considering is a school's current building functionality, given that the average District 65 school is 79 years old, has long overdue repairs, and may not be ADA accessible, Beardsley said.
The subcommittee will also consider how the school uses its building, she said, primarily pointing out cases where some schools have their cafeteria and gym in the same room, which can limit schedules for P.E. and lunch. The number of classrooms will also be considered, she said.
Financial impact
The lowest-rated criteria the subcommittee is considering is the possible revenue a building sale can bring in to the district and the cost needed to repair an existing building, per district documents.
Future public meetings to further discuss possible school closures will be scheduled between September and November, according to district documents. If the district goes forward to close a school, it would go into effect July 1, 2026.
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