Evanston board approves moving Willard and Bessie Rhodes dual‑language strands to Foster, 5–1

The Evanston CCSD 65 Board of Education voted 5–1 on Jan. 26 to consolidate the Willard and Bessie Rhodes two‑way immersion (TWI) strands and locate both at Foster Elementary beginning in the 2026–27 school year.

The motion passed after more than two hours of public comment in which parents, teachers and community advocates urged the board to preserve a TWI strand at Willard. Kelly Post, president of DEC, told the board that “transition plans are currently being developed without educator input,” and called on trustees and cabinet to engage classroom educators in the planning. Parent organizers shared a community survey they ran in January 2026; Meg Knappick told the board that her group’s survey (68% response rate) showed “47 percent of current Willard Tweed students will leave the program entirely” if the strand moves to Foster.

Administration and the multilingual team defended the consolidation as a way to strengthen program quality and sustainability. A…