Education
Evanston Parents Threaten Legal Action Following District’s Proposal to Close Two Schools
Families protest the proposed closures of two Evanston elementary schools, Oct. 26, 2026. (WTTW News)
Evanston parents are continuing their fight to keep two elementary schools open.
Attorneys and members of the Evanston/Skokie School District 65 community filed a legal objection Friday demanding that the district withdraw or defer action on its Financial Sustainability Plan, which includes a proposal to close Dewey and Lincolnwood elementary schools at the end of the 2026-2027 academic year.
The letter, addressed to the Board of Education and interim Supt. Eric Witherspoon, claims that the district’s current decision-making process does not comply with Illinois law requirements, specifically those of the Illinois School Code. It also urges the district to increase transparency, citing “significant unanswered questions regarding the financial, educational and equity implications of the proposal.”
The district first unveiled the proposal to close Dewey and Lincolnwood on Oct. 13, saying the school closures and additional cuts to programs, transportation and staff will result in $20 million in reductions.
Since then, two parents at Dewey uncovered what they say is a $17 million financial projection error, according to the Evanston RoundTable.
In an email to families at Dewey obtained by WTTW News, Witherspoon wrote, “The broader proposal is about more than reducing costs. It is about creating a stronger and more sustainable District 65, with greater capacity to invest in students, protect the programs and services they need, and provide exceptional learning experiences across our schools.”
The board is set to vote on whether it will move forward with closing Dewey and Lincolnwood on Nov. 9. Following the vote, the board will begin holding school closure hearings before taking any final action.
The Illinois School Code requires a public participation process, including three public hearings, to discuss proposed school closures. However, Dewey and Lincolnwood parents are questioning whether these hearings will have significant impact if they do not take place until after the board has already voted.
Additionally, the Illinois School Code requires the school board to consider methods to prevent the separation of students on the basis of race, color or nationality when revising attendance boundaries.
The district’s current proposal would require all students enrolled in the Two-Way Immersion program at Dewey to continue the program at Lincoln Elementary School. The program is for native and non-native Spanish speakers to develop literacy and language proficiency in both English and Spanish.
In the letter, community members call for the board to undergo a districtwide analysis of the program relocations to determine whether the proposed boundary changes will impact access to these programs.
Also included in the email to families at Dewey sent by Witherspoon and obtained by WTTW News was an explanation of these new attendance boundaries.
“Given the centralized location of Dewey within our community, efforts were made to keep neighborhoods together and use hazardous crossings/natural boundaries to draw proposed boundary lines to the greatest extent possible,” Witherspoon wrote. “If the Board votes to commence public hearings on the proposed closure of Dewey, we will have a formalized process to collect feedback on the proposed attendance area boundaries.”
In addition to the legal objection, families have begun circulating a separate community demand letter, which has since garnered …signatures, according to the filing.
If the board fails to meet the requirements outlined in the legal objection letter, the parents said they are prepared to pursue “appropriate legal remedies … to challenge the legality of the District’s decision-making process.” They also request a “substantive written response” no later than Nov. 4.
