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Parents, educators and residents urge different approaches as D65 reopens closure talks
Summary
At public comment, parents and community members urged compensation and placement for educators affected by closures, criticized administration and consultant spending around Willard/Tweed, and offered pro bono financial assistance as the board moves to hearings on Kingsley.
Members of the public used the board's open-comment period to press the district on how it handles school closures and related supports.
Kelly Post, identified as president of the district educators' union (DECT), asked that "educators and schools that are closing should be compensated at their daily rate for the time required to pack up classrooms after the final day with students" and urged that displaced educators be placed in positions that closely align with their current roles. Post also asked the district to "pause" major new initiatives and curriculum rollouts during the transition period to allow staff time to adjust.
An unidentified commenter criticized District 65 leadership and said the board should "hold a vote on Willard Tweed" and either keep it open or close it, adding that the board "owns that decision" and should consider leadership changes to rebuild trust. Barry Doyle criticized a contract with Mosaic for community engagement around Willard, saying the consultants' approach is "incredibly disrespectful" and accusing paid engagement contracts of easing the path to more closures.
Vic Filippini, a D65 parent and longtime local-government attorney, offered pro bono assistance on creative public-finance approaches and told the board he would prefer to help them find financial solutions "than to sue you for improper land uses." Other commenters urged honest communication and collaboration, questioned whether proposed criteria were applied consistently across past approvals, and raised concerns about neighborhood impacts and equity if multiple schools close in proximity.
The clerk closed public comments before the board moved to the agenda item on the Kingsley resolution; commenters emphasized both the human impacts of closures and the need for transparent, equitable decision-making as hearings proceed.
