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Evanston district unveils sustainability plan, introduces policy revisions for later vote
Summary
District 65 staff presented a new sustainability plan and proposed revisions to the district’s resource conservation policy, asking the school board to consider the changes at a future meeting and to collaborate on implementation and public reporting.
District 65 staff on Wednesday presented a districtwide sustainability plan and introduced proposed revisions to the district’s resource conservation policy, asking the school board to vote on the policy changes at a subsequent meeting.
The presenters asked the board to adopt the revised policy at the next meeting and described next steps for implementation, public reporting and community engagement, including an online dashboard and multilingual outreach. "We're asking the District 65 school board to adopt the policy revisions," the staff presenter said, adding that the policy introduction at this meeting was a first reading and that a formal vote was expected later.
The presenters said the plan links policy to implementation and stressed annual reporting and periodic plan updates. They also asked for collaboration with the district communications team to publish the plan in multiple languages and produce a polished public version.
Board members praised the process and breadth of participation. One board member said the committee’s work—done in roughly six months—brought together city officials, students, families and staff and called the collaboration “the gold standard.” Another board member asked how the district would measure student outcomes tied to sustainability education; staff said the plan includes indicators and measures for each goal, such as how often students participate in outdoor learning and grade-band participation in change-making projects.
Members discussed alignment between the proposed policy language and a model referred to as "Press Plus." Staff said they would provide a redline showing differences between the district’s current policy, the Press Plus model, and the proposed language before the board’s next packet. Staff also confirmed that an anti-idling rule already exists in the district’s current policy and would be retained in the proposed version.
The presentation did not include a formal vote. Board members requested a redline document and more detail in the next packet so they can see exactly what language will change if the board adopts the revisions.
