[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6231303,"mediaKeyId","3432635-f31fd94f93bf49ccc1883ba9d42b8ada","parentId",3432635,"title","District presents $12–15 million stabilization gap and convenes community steering committees for consolidation scenarios","audioSeconds",584,"startMs",7336000,"endMs",7920000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3432635-f31fd94f93bf49ccc1883ba9d42b8ada&start=7336&end=7920","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3432635-f31fd94f93bf49ccc1883ba9d42b8ada/thumbnail_7336000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6231303/Illinois/District-presents-1215-million-stabilization-gap-and-convenes-community-steering-committees-for-consolidation-scenarios","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6231303-cc93df790dd791b54907595c9e36496a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771157333&Signature=HcUsxUaMvpjg90vCWRVvV0fayNedjqaKmlG8H-GxoW~S1i7EJ1q9ty5WIdhiGYDKQ4915~VIJYyTkBA5lZkGMss~-50g63Xvu~lU6E6Jo0NtUn423RSP3k2vcoL6yrfsxWLvA9xbrJVzBShW4oLE7Xv4dy8Q4zMSaFSjuaYFR4gOW42yCG6EuNXANVsvjWTZ1nv1g5YJ13flMs41198fG5trYCa5TQCzuKMdl3SwIvYv8i8yGcKeLNM6LIdpu1flYon-4o3kM4tIXqCMRIKutfvkkeKsJ21nEMtjgt9Cw6eizVYKzIzmq0o4KTbGyj84G26RUO2-NmyEKNtv2fuNMA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Evanston CCSD 65","date","2025-05-22T00:24:02.35Z","article","Student Centered Services and District 65 staff presented Phase 3 of the Strategic Deficit Reduction Plan (SDRP) at the May 19 board meeting, saying the district must find an estimated $12–15 million in reductions or new revenue to stop multi-year deficit spending and avoid short-term borrowing. The presenters described an 11-month stakeholder process that will produce 3–5 scenarios for the board to consider in the fall.

Susan Harkin of Student Centered Services told the board the district faces enrollment declines and the loss of emergency ESSER grant revenue, and that deferred facility needs are substantial. “After this year, you will have had 3 years your enrollment is going down,” Harkin said, noting the district has “$188,000,000 worth of identified” facility needs in its master plan. “This is not going to be easy,” she added.

The SDRP timeline includes six meetings of a community steering committee and subcommittees (finance, facilities, programs) through June 30; a summer pause with internal staff work; and a planned set of modeled scenarios in August or September for board review. The plan’s internal steering committee will produce 3–5 scenarios that balance facilities, programs and finance. District staff said they will return with an update to the board on June 23 and that municipal advisors will present financing options in a forthcoming meeting.

Finance subcommittee members reviewed revenue options and financing levers with municipal advisor PMA Securities and are preparing scenario modeling that will combine expenditure reductions, potential revenue generation (including the possibility of a referendum), and borrowing strategies. The district said the immediate stabilization goal—estimated at about $12.5 million based on current projections—would restore the fund balance to policy levels, stop borrowing and address immediate cash-flow risk; it would not cover the district’s full long-term facility backlog.

Stakeholder engagement materials and meeting summaries were posted on the district SDRP webpage; staff said the community sessions and an online survey yielded common criteria for any proposed consolidations, including equity, walkability, program access and fiscal stewardship. Staff emphasized that any proposal to close schools would follow the state school code process and require additional public hearings, analysis and a final board vote.

Board members asked for clarity on the $12–15 million range and how sustainability is defined. Harkin and district staff explained the range reflects model sensitivity to year-end results and one-time versus ongoing savings. “At this point, we think we’re probably closer to about 12 and a half million dollars,” Harkin said; staff said the district will update projections after the June 30 close. The presentation also flagged that any long-term reinvestment in facilities would require an identified ongoing revenue source or additional reductions.

Board members and the public urged more transparency and faster communication to allay rumors about closures. Staff said more detailed briefings for board members will be scheduled over the summer and that legal counsel and advisors have been asked to define how board members may engage with stakeholder groups while complying with Open Meetings Act rules. No formal board decisions were made; the SDRP process is consultative through summer and modeling will return to the board in the fall for deliberation.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","[5/19/25] D65 - School Board Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","Consultants and district staff told the board the Strategic Deficit Reduction Plan Phase 3 will develop scenarios to restore long‑term financial sustainability; the district cited a $12–15 million near‑term gap and larger long‑term facility needs.","taxTitle","Evanston CCSD 65, School Boards, Illinois","taxId",50856,"location","Illinois","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6231307,"Board approves Foster School easement, names founding principal as community presses for ACC program",182,7083000,7265000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3432635-f31fd94f93bf49ccc1883ba9d42b8ada&start=7083&end=7265","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3432635-f31fd94f93bf49ccc1883ba9d42b8ada/thumbnail_7083000.jpg","/articles/6231307/Illinois/Board-approves-Foster-School-easement-names-founding-principal-as-community-presses-for-ACC-program","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6231307-edf35b1b8109c64d627ae87fb74b3d33/orig.mp4?Expires=1771157333&Signature=H0WzLAUbbBPrXHoSnftQJW7DK612lckDGoi6YelNDlPNSwHr~Q4jd~Bj5IdUW~83eSv7S5TzwXYe0rHataYVfIn8q6UWp91DMarQ3OI6rchOHmEAJGtJX6i0C97svLZhr~1xaqtDKj4CemX~lbSHDqJ72UlH3rIFrHgGPLhlz4gFVAi6V0Gc3L9~ptuhT5crL3t0p~sTpOjqP36Y3jVH2r5sA5UdRUveuGS49bpNqWE6nFqIm7CDIvrVNK3X9xp4HlKcbE1M-Qs~Apzo668NpGW76L~UNCqKGliVuN4PtQebR3SroQHxg3GL6DoCesgNUbGGrbitDD6oOc2BTQFYJg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Evanston Skokie School District 65 Board of Education voted 7–0 on May 19 to approve an easement with Family Focus to expand Foster School’s play area and to authorize a contract naming Charlize Burkell (spelled in the board motion) as the founding principal of Foster School, effective July 1, 2026.

Superintendent Dr. Turner described the easement as part of a plan to “create a unified campus across the 3 organizations” and said the project includes drainage piping, a field track and field lights to extend the playground area. The board’s motion to approve the easement passed unanimously, and the board subsequently approved the principal’s contract by the same margin.

“The renewed Foster School will bring students from across our community together, empowering a new generation of learners and preparing them to engage with our diverse world,” Charlize Burkell said after the vote, addressing the room as the appointed planning principal. The district said Burkell will serve in a dual role—continuing at Betsy Rhodes while preparing Foster for its fall 2026 opening.

Public comment that followed focused heavily on programing at the reopened school and the ongoing effects of Bessie Rhodes’ planned closure. Multiple speakers urged the board to establish a strong ACC (African-centered Curriculum) program at Foster and to ensure bilingual outreach and supports for families displaced by school consolidations.

Dr. Brandy Otis, an ACC parent-committee founder and Northwestern postdoctoral researcher in Black studies, told the board, “Reopening foster with a strong ACC program is not just a decision. It is a declaration that we love our black children and we're ready to give them what they've always been owed.” Several parents and community members echoed requests for bilingual engagement events, preservation of Bessie Rhodes teacher placements where possible, and assurances that cohort groups and sibling placement options would be honored where feasible.

Bessie Rhodes parents said the closure process has left families uncertain about options for middle-school placement and transfer processes. A PTA survey presented by Melissa Rosenzweig said many families were unaware that Bessie Rhodes is slated to close at the end of the 2025–26 school year and urged the district to continue in-person outreach with translation and childcare supports.

Board members and the superintendent did not take additional votes on ACC or program placement at the May 19 meeting. The board’s approvals on May 19 were limited to the property easement and the appointment of Foster’s planning principal; district staff said messages would be sent to Betsy Rhodes and Foster communities with appointment and planning details and that further program decisions will be made through the district’s Strategic Deficit Reduction Plan (SDRP) facilities and program subcommittees.

The board’s approval of the principal contract included a clause that Burkell will “serve in a dual role as the outgoing principal of Betsy Rhodes School of Global Studies and as the planning principal for Foster School,” the motion said. Messages to affected families, the district added, were scheduled to go out the evening of the meeting.

The board also approved other routine contract and bid items during the meeting; the Foster easement and principal contract were among the most consequential items directly tied to the Foster reopening timeline.","The District 65 board approved an easement with Family Focus for Foster School grounds and unanimously appointed Charlize Burkell as founding principal; public commenters pressed the board to include the ACC (African-centered Curriculum) at the reopening and raised concerns about Bessie Rhodes families’ transition options.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6231311,"Haven leaders point to test and attendance gains as teacher reassignment stirs union, parent objections",2932,1534000,4466000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3432635-f31fd94f93bf49ccc1883ba9d42b8ada&start=1534&end=4466","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3432635-f31fd94f93bf49ccc1883ba9d42b8ada/thumbnail_1534000.jpg","/articles/6231311/Illinois/Haven-leaders-point-to-test-and-attendance-gains-as-teacher-reassignment-stirs-union-parent-objections","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6231311-9039834128d1e28b36e921452dae50b1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771157334&Signature=IOtjvp7QBrBsEqVYF11WVspSO8ABwAMqLxlqQN~mheqowlLNJ0uFmoM0jOdfJtuSpfQz8Vw1DUFImaMczcTYt97tmZRY7cjNPeij3j0IWmW9E7kZ4szEJq~BFVFFVtK0TwmyEWtUDwidw77xuHmdz6XyHdAWDQ5tpjpRU4Ih2Ohvl6HaFIJURM7M9eSfknnuslPsIyYB5XcH60rBHQZjhFv90mNqwxGPM2bDVUWNFm67~7KJ63TvFr7EvU21oY7O597EfPztMDL1PbZXnwCwU~6ViaoBpeTjXJi76DWV5n4-TBJerthWKLBhmUtpbjjGQEfrePvb~EljWiHqWIMl5g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Haven Middle School administrators presented the school’s “State of Haven” update to the Evanston Skokie School District 65 Board of Education on May 19, saying attendance, survey and Illinois Assessment of Readiness results have improved after changes to schedules and supports. At the same meeting, teacher representatives accused building leaders of reassigning a substantial share of teachers into subjects for which they lack an endorsement.

Administrators said the school’s average daily attendance has improved and that Haven moved students out of the bottom quartile on MAP assessments and increased Level 4–5 (meet/exceed) performance on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness. “At this point last year, we’ve improved our average daily attendance rate for all students 0.56%. Black or African American students, 1.12 percent,” Chris Ladting, principal at Haven Middle School, said during the presentation.

Those gains, Ladting and Assistant Principal Thomas Smith said, followed a multi-year effort including cohort scheduling, restorative practices, expanded social-emotional learning supports, after-school partnerships and the AVID elective. “It was very palpable that there were some changes that needed to happen or systems that needed just to be put into place to kind of move the feel of the building,” Ladting said.

But the District Education Council and several Haven teachers and parents used public comment to push back on the staffing changes. Dr. Tricia Baker, speaking as DEC executive and reading a statement she said was from impacted teachers, said at least “30 percent of teachers will be teaching a subject they had not endorsed in, meaning they had no certification to teach the subject they are being assigned to teach.” Teacher and parent commenters gave larger, related figures: Tara Colville, a Haven parent and teacher, said “67% of core educators at Haven are assigned into new content areas and or grade levels,” and that “38% of Haven core educators are assigned to teach subjects in content areas they aren't even endorsed to teach.”

Union representatives and teachers told the board those reassignments were made without a contractually required scheduling committee or a clear training plan. “The schedule was created in a vacuum by building administration,” said Kelly Post of the DEC executive team. “Our students deserve better. They deserve to learn from teachers who have developed their craft.”

Administrators said the staffing changes were driven by enrollment declines that reduced available class sections, and they described a set of supports for staff who will teach new content, including embedded professional development during the school day, voluntary summer work opportunities, new-teacher training and additional LBS1 (special education) allocations for Haven. “The reason for the staffing model change is aligned with students enrollment,” Ladting said. The district added three LBS1 positions to Haven, administrators said, to address increased IEP counts.

Board members pressed for more detail about how the district will monitor outcomes and support teachers. Superintendent Turner and school leaders said they will use regular surveys—at the beginning, middle and end of year—plus monthly town halls and data checks to monitor attendance, climate and achievement, and they promised follow-up reports on teacher assignment numbers and training plans. No board action on staffing was taken at the May 19 meeting.

Board members and administrators also discussed the need to study cohort model impacts versus traditional scheduling more deeply. “To get a really good answer, that’s going to take some deeper dive,” Ladting said when asked whether cohort scheduling drove academic gains.

The meeting included student presentations about AVID and other school activities and testimony from several Haven students describing the AVID program’s impact on leadership and organization. Student speakers and leaders stressed the role of school culture alongside instruction in supporting gains.

Moving forward, administrators said they will provide the board with a clearer breakout of teacher assignment counts and endorsements, a training timeline for teachers reassigned to new content, and interim checks of student outcomes to ensure changes are producing the intended benefits. Parents, DEC and teachers requested the district supply a written plan for training and mentoring for teachers assigned outside their endorsements; administrators said they would follow up with specifics.","Haven Middle School administrators told the Evanston CCSD 65 board that student attendance and assessment scores have improved, but teachers and union representatives say recent staffing reassignments place dozens of instructors outside their endorsed subjects without a training plan.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

District presents $12–15 million stabilization gap and convenes community steering committees for consolidation scenarios

Board approves Foster School easement, names founding principal as community presses for ACC program

Haven leaders point to test and attendance gains as teacher reassignment stirs union, parent objections