Evanston parents are fighting back against the school district’s plan to close two elementary schools at the end of the academic year. Evanston/Skokie School District 65 announced the potential closures earlier this month as a result of an ongoing financial crisis in the district. Since then, parents and families have rallied together to try to persuade board members to change their minds and slow down the process. The school closure recommendation was especially surprising to students and families at Dewey Elementary School. When the board began conversations about closing schools last year, Dewey was rarely mentioned as facing possible closure. In an email to families at Dewey obtained by WTTW News, District 65 interim Supt. Eric Witherspoon wrote, “While the work from last year remained an important foundation for this process, we knew we needed to go one step further by considering not only our current realities but also a longer-term vision for District 65 and the cumulative impact of these decisions on our community.” What parents are saying: Parents said they were disappointed by both the school closure recommendation and the lack of transparency from the district. “We had no idea that this would happen,” said Peter Rios, a Dewey Elementary School parent. “The fact that the teachers and administrators got the information at the same time the parents did is just absolutely disrespectful to them, too.” Lincolnwood Elementary School was part of discussions about school closures last year, but the board ultimately decided the school should remain open. The district instead decided to close Kingsley Elementary School and the Dr. Bessie Rhodes School of Global Studies — but did not rule out future closures. The board’s latest proposal includes approximately $20 million in reductions. In addition to closing schools, District 65 has also proposed eliminating the School Aged Child Care program, which provides care for students before and after school. According to the Financial Sustainability Plan, the district will also look to relinquish federal grants for Head Start and Early Head Start programs, effective July 1, 2028.
