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 revenue growth.

Beardsley summarized data the committee reviewed: expenses outpacing revenue growth by about 2.3% annually; 18 school buildings needing roughly $188 million in repairs according to district plans; and an average occupancy rate of about 65%. She said the facility subcommittee used inputs from earlier community engagement sessions and the superintendent parent/caregiver advisory group and met six times to develop the categories, criteria and weights.

The committee adopted five categories to score and compare schools: equity; geography; building functionality; building income; and building cost. Under equity the committee intends to measure the number of students who would need to change schools in a closure and then examine which historically marginalized groups those students belong to. For geography the committee will model walkability (defined as 0.75 miles), crossings of Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) hazards, and the share of students who would become eligible for mandated transportation under ISBE guidelines (students living more than 1.5 miles from school). Beardsley said three geography criteria are scenario-dependent and calculated only when modeling a specific closure.

Building functionality criteria include the percentage of the building that is ADA accessible, whether the cafeteria and gym are separate spaces, and the number of classrooms or teaching stations available. For building income the district plans to engage an external real estate consultant to assess potential revenue from short-term lease, long-term lease, sale or other uses if a building is closed. Building cost will consider capital expenses identified in the master facility plan and health/safety reports, and monthly facility operating costs such as water, electricity, heat and security.

Beardsley outlined next steps and a community engagement timeline: additional engagement in June, development of school scorecards and scenario modeling in July and August, review with the facility subcommittee, and the goal of presenting scenarios to the school board in late September. She closed by reiterating that the process is for scenario development and community input, not a final decision: "To be clear, no decisions have been made." She also encouraged stakeholders to complete the district survey.

The presentation did not include formal motions, votes or board decisions; it described a data-driven process and timeline for future modeling and public engagement.