District 65 facility panel publishes weighted criteria to model possible school closures

Stacy Beardsley, assistant superintendent of accountability for Evanston/Skokie School District 65, told a meeting the district’s facility steering committee has developed categories, criteria and weights that will be used to build school scorecards and to model scenarios that could result in closing anywhere from zero to four schools; she said no decisions have been made.

The committee framed the exercise as a tool to help the district reach long-term financial sustainability. Beardsley said the district needs to reduce expenses by an additional $10 million to $15 million a year by the 2026–27 school year after two earlier rounds of reductions. She cited three driver areas: declining enrollment and lower building utilization, significant deferred maintenance across district facilities, and operating costs that outpace…