Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Closures topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Evanston CCSD 65 board fails to authorize school‑closure hearings; no schools set to close
Summary
After more than two hours of public comment and debate, the Evanston CCSD 65 board considered multiple motions to begin public hearings on proposed school closures but each motion failed or tied, leaving in place no approved hearings and no immediate school closures.
At a Dec. 1, 2025 meeting, the Evanston CCSD 65 Board of Education considered but did not approve any set of public hearings for proposed school closures, leaving zero authorized closures after a series of tied and failed votes.
Board President (first referenced SEG 1152) moved first to hold six public hearings under section 10‑22.13 of the Illinois School Code to consider closing Kingsley Elementary and Willard Elementary. The motion (moved by the president and seconded at SEG 1630) failed after roll call votes recorded as 'No' for each named member in the sequence read aloud by the clerk (vote recorded in transcript SEG 1632–1643). A subsequent motion to hold hearings for Kingsley and Lincolnwood produced a 3‑3 tie and did not pass (SEG 1667–1683). A motion to hold hearings only for Kingsley also produced a 3‑3 split and failed to carry (SEG 1699–1726). A final motion to hold hearings for Lincolnwood alone failed on a 2‑4 recorded vote (SEG 1727–1766). The president summarized the result: "So there will be 0 school closures" (SEG 1767).
The votes followed more than an hour of public testimony from 37 speakers who urged widely different outcomes. Many parents, program advocates and teachers asked the board to protect bilingual two‑way immersion (TWI/TWE) strands and special‑education placements if closures proceeded; others urged swift closures to address the district's structural deficit and to ensure the new Foster School opens successfully. Board members framed the choice as a balance between short‑term disruption and long‑term fiscal sustainability: one speaker warned, "Doing nothing means that we go below 90 days cash on hand next year" (Board Member, first referenced SEG 1176), while the president told the public she had worked "to build consensus needed for an equitable and successful resolution to the SDRP 3 plan" (Board President, SEG 1152).
The motions cited the Illinois School Code (section 10‑22.13) as the statutory basis for holding the public hearings; the superintendent and president were directed in the motions to set hearing dates and give at least 10 days' notice by publication on the district website (motion language, SEG 1615–1630 and repeated in subsequent motions).
By the meeting's end, the board had not approved any new hearings to advance school closures; members said they remain divided on whether to close one or two additional schools beyond Bessie Rhodes and how to protect programs and staff while balancing the district budget. The meeting adjourned at 6:29 p.m. (SEG 1768–1769).
