[4/13/26] D65 - Committee of the Whole

001The time is 5:04 p.m. This is the Committee of the Whole meeting for the Board District 65 Board of Education. Roll call. Hernandez. >> Here. >> Van Nieuwstraten. >> Here. >> Weimer. >> Here. >> Wilkins. >> Here. >> Pinkard. >> Here. >> Anderson. >> Here. >> Next item up is the approval of the meeting agenda. I move that the Board of Education approve today's meeting agenda as presented. >> Second. >> Hernandez. >> Yes. >> Van Nieuwstraten. >> Yes. >> Weimer. >> Yes. >> Wilkins. >> Yes. >> Pinkard. >> Yes. >> Anderson. >> Yes. >> Next we have the public hearing on reduction in force. At this time, 5:04 p.m., the District 65 Board of Education, pursuant to Illinois School Code, will convene a public hearing on the proposed reduction in force. Guidelines for public hearings

002on reduction in force will govern public comments for today's public hearing. Members of the public are welcome and invited to address the Board during the public hearing. Given the sole purpose of the public hearing is to discuss the proposed reduction in force, the Board expects that speakers will limit their statements to those related to the topic at hand. An An individual may not sign in to speak on behalf of another person. Speakers may not yield their time to another person. Individuals are called in order in which they sign up to speak. The Board values and welcomes courteous, respectful, and civil behavior from all speakers and all individuals in attendance at the public hearing. Profane language and disruptive behavior are prohibited. Individuals who are disruptive disruptive may and or may also be removed from the public

003hearing. Each speaker will have 3 minutes to address the board. >> I'll call up the first five people. Kelly Post, Jacob Delay, Morgan Carl, Veronica Smith, Anna Taylor. >> Hello. My name is Kelly Post and I am the president of DAC. On October 26th, I stood before you and outlined the many roles that make up DAC. Today, I return to tell you that one of the most essential roles will not be there to meet our students this fall. All of our middle school students, every single one, are set to begin the school year without school counselors. Every counselor has been riffed. There are no expendable These are not expendable positions. These are highly trained professionals. Every one of our counselors holds a master's degree. Everyone has been rated in the top two categories on their

004evaluations. And most importantly, they possess specialized qualifications that allow them to provide services that others in our building simply cannot legally provide. They are trained and authorized to assess suicidal or homicidal ideation. They are the professionals students turn to in moments of crisis, both the quiet ongoing struggles and the sudden life-threatening emergencies. And yet, unlike others who have been riffed, these educators have no additional certifications or licensure. That means no recall rights. When they are gone, they are gone. The loss of school counselors is not theoretical. It will have have visible consequences. These are the educators who support students who are not yet identified. They fill the gaps. They run programs like AVID, organize career exploration opportunities, and guide critical transitions to ETHS. They are central to the social, emotional, and academic success of our

005students. Eliminating their role directly contradicts what this district claims to value most, our students. The impact will fall squarely on our middle school students at a time in their lives when support is not optional, it is essential. Zack has requested to bargain this impact, but tonight we are asking you to do something very simple. Prioritize people over positions. Invest in the professionals who work directly with students every single day. >> [applause] >> Good evening, members of the board, district leaders, colleagues, and community members. Thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight. My name is Jacob Delay. I'm one of the nine middle school counselors in the district, one of three counselors at Haven, and I am currently serving as the department chair. I stand before you to speak with clarity, pride, and deep respect for

006the work of school counselors in our district. I also stand here to advocate for something special. Something that quietly, consistently shapes the success of our students every single day. School year 2021-2022 was quite a year in our district. Yet, the newly formed counseling team rose to meet the urgent need for additional social-emotional support through the creation and implementation of a comprehensive, evidence-based school counseling program designed to meet the dynamic and ever-changing needs of our middle school students. School counselors are not an extra service. They are not a luxury. They are a steady presence in the lives of students navigating mental health and academic challenges, relationships, identity, and planning for their future. When a student feels dysregulated, it is often a counselor who helps them learn and practice tools to find their footing. When a student

007is falling behind, it is a counselor who helps them re-engage. It is often the student that flies under the radar who may only feel known by their school counselor or an overwhelmed educator with the student challenge at hand that finds solace in a school counselor. What I want to highlight tonight is not what we are losing, but what we must protect. In every dis- In every District 65 middle school, counselors build connections that make students feel seen, heard, and supported. They collaborate with teachers, partners, and families and respond in moments of crisis with professionalism and care. They help students understand choices, learn coping strategies, and explore pathways beyond graduation. They advocate for equity and ensure that all students, regardless of background and circumstance, have access to opportunities. Beyond all of that, school counselors bring humanization

008to data points. We facilitate mini meetings twice per school year in the fall and winter, allowing us to meet with every single student in our grade level, learning their interests, goals, and areas of growth. This data, along with students' daily attendance, grades, test scores, SEL screener responses, and behavioral referrals help us identify and implement proactive interventions to support all students' social-emotional growth and well-being. We take the time to learn and deeply know our students, recognizing that a positive relationship with at least one trusted adult has life-saving benefits. The decision to cut a department that provides direct student support goes against what this community has shared they valued, against what the board has shared would not be cut in December, and brings the district's big five into question. >> [applause] >> Hi, my name is Morgan

009Carl. I'm a school counselor at Haven Middle School, and I'm finishing up our statement. I have had the privilege of working alongside school counselors who show up every day with compassion, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to students. Just ask a school counselor the last time they had a protected and uninterrupted lunch break. School counselors celebrate victories big and small. They create a safe space to sit with students in their most overwhelming moments, and carry stories that others may never hear, holding these stories with dignity and care. Tonight, I ask that you acknowledge the vital role that school counselors play, not just in supporting individual students, but in strengthening the entire school community. As decisions are made moving forward, I urge you to keep students at the center, and to remember that when we invest in

010school counselors, we are investing in students and community well-being. Every student deserves a school counselor. To the nine District 65 school counselors, Jacob Delay, Morgan Carl, that's me, Shayna Wright, Lydia Wells, Angelica De Mari, Terry Nelson, Donna Dortsch Bach, Andrew Bab Fowler, and Josh Smith Cohen, your work matters. Your impact is real, and your presence changes lives. Thank you for your time. >> [applause and cheering] [applause] >> Hi. My name is Veronica Smith and I'm a fifth grade student at Carey Valley Montessori School. I'm currently enrolled to attend Nichols Middle School for sixth grade. One of the main reasons for that decision is that we believe that I would have a smooth transition to ETHS. I have ADHD and anxiety and my family wanted to make sure that I would have access to support, especially

011a school counselor. I'm not speaking I'm not just speaking for myself. I'm speaking for the the average of 15% of middle school students who have ADHD. That may not sound like a lot, but in a school of 600 students, that's around 100 kids. Plus, think of all the other kids who have 504 and plans and IEPs. That's a large number of students who rely on support systems to succeed in school. School counselors are not just extra staff. They are people students depend on. They help us manage stress, anxiety, and big transitions, like moving to middle school and high school. They also play a key role in helping students deal with bullying, whether it's giving someone a safe to talk to, helping solve conflicts, or making sure students feel heard and protected. Without them, many students

012will struggle to feel supported and safe and less likely to succeed. Taking away school counselors means taking away an important support system for students like me. Please reconsider this decision and keep school counselors in place. Please remember that behind every number is a student like me who needs support to succeed. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Hello. My name is Anna Taylor and I'm a seventh grader at Nichols Middle School. I know a lot of friends and peers who rely on these counselors as trusted individuals they can turn to when they need to talk about important or personal issues. For many students, counselors are not just academic advisors. They are consistent source of emotional support, guidance, and understanding during stressful or uncertain situations, which children all around the world need, especially in these times. Taking away

013this reliable support system can have a significant impact on students' well-being. Without someone they feel safe opening up to, many students begin to feel isolated, overwhelmed, or unheard. This loss adds unnecessary stress and pressure, especially for those who may already be struggling, because they no longer have a dependable person to express their thoughts, concerns, or feelings to in a healthy and constructive way. When you take away these counselors, you're not just removing staff. You're taking away a vital support system that helps create an organized, safe, and open environment for me and my fellow District 65 middle school students. Their absence will make it much harder to maintain a structured and supportive school atmosphere, ultimately impacting both our well-being and ability to succeed. Thank you FOR YOUR TIME. >> [applause] [applause] >> NEXT WE HAVE MICHELLE

014MILLS. May Rachel Paul Granja Christina Pierce Cara Forstman >> Hi everyone. My name is Michelle Mills and Veronica, who just spoke, is my daughter. I have a freshman at ETHS and my littlest one will be in the district for the next 8 years. I want to zoom out from what Veronica shared. While my oldest was at Nichols, I watched counselors deftly serve every kind of student, not just kids with 504s and IEPs, but kids navigating all the social complexity of middle school. My youngest doesn't have Veronica's needs today, but I want this right for her and for every kid coming up behind the current middle schoolers. This isn't about what kind of school system This is about what kind of school system and community we're building now. This is about that we need a clear

015vision from the school board. People can probably in theory accept hard truths about the budget. We can't accept endless series of cuts with no discernible destination. What does District 65 look like and what does Evanston look like when this is complete? If we're doing less with less, let's just say that clearly and make the case for the end state in alignment with our community's values. We can't get everything we want, so we need to hear the clear vision from you. Education is why many of us moved here and it's our crown jewel. This is an existential moment for the board and for Evanston. Thank you. >> [applause] [applause] >> Hi, my name is Mae Rykal and I'm a ninth grader at ETHS. I attended Nichols Middle Nichols for middle school and I can say with

016certainty that I would not have been as prepared as I was going into high school without the school counselor that helped me with the transition and during my years at Nichols alongside some of the hardest and most challenging moments of my life. Middle school is the time where you are learning who you are. You get in arguments with your friends, teachers, parents. That is not the time to be pulling counselors from schools. I know you are all trying to make the decisions that you feel benefit the district most with the resources it has, but I promise you this will create more negative than positive outcomes. This decision will in turn place more stress on administrative staff staff, a position that has already been downsized, and social workers who are already placed under enough stress as

017it is. You cannot afford to let students needs fall through the cracks. There [snorts] has been a There has to be a solution that doesn't include robbing the students of one of their primary lines of support. You could at least keep one or two counselors at each school, although I believe that counselors are irreplaceable. They check in with us before each school year. They set up support groups and support students academic and social emotional needs. Not only will removing counselors from these schools subtract from the positive environment, it could contribute to an unsafe one. A lack of conflict mediation could lead to more fights, which takes away from the overall goal, a well-balanced learning environment. My middle school counselor, Ms. Nelson, started a group that I was a part of called the Student Voice Committee.

018This group allows students to have a say and take action on problems they see without within their middle school. It takes um It gave us leadership skills that I will carry with me and creates a stronger and better school environment. I hope you understand how invaluable school counselors are, so much so that ETHS employs 17 of them. And you're saying that these middle schools don't get any. >> [applause] [applause] >> It is It is vital for middle schoolers to have people they trust, people they can go to, especially if those people aren't their parents or friends, and if they don't have access to other resources. With all due respect, it has been a long time since you guys have had to walk the um the halls of a middle school and feel un- misunderstood or

019alone or uncertain. And when I felt that way, I knew where to go. So, please make the right decision and put the students first. >> [applause and cheering] [applause] >> Good afternoon. My name is Paul Grinder. I have a son at in the in D65. Um This is not a teacher. There is no knowledge in here. >> [cheering] >> We cannot This will not take care of our children. This will not do anything. This is a pencil. We just spent $500,000, right? Anyone here from Cupertino, California? Anyone? Apparently, you all represent Cupertino, California, and not these people. Right? Cuz that's where Apple is. Apple's over there. We are here. These counselors are here. They're real human beings. So is my son. This is not a teacher. You just spent $500,000 on pencils. What about us?

020What about my son? What about these children? Please, represent us, not people in Cupertino, California. Thank you. >> [cheering] [applause] >> Tonight, I stand before you as a parent and a believer that District 65 has long stood for equity, compassion, and justice. Until Friday, Evanston felt like a beacon of light, a place where our children taught were taught to stand up for what is right. My middle school son has taken those lessons to heart, marching in support of immigrant communities. He likes his ice crushed. Choosing silence for an entire school day to stand in solidarity with his LGBTQ+ peers. These are not small acts. They're reflections of the values this district claims to uphold. And yet, on that very same day, while our children were embodying those values, we learned that the district plans to

021remove some of the most critical people who help them do so, our school counselors. That contradiction is impossible to ignore, and tonight that beacon feels dimmer. The mental health team at Haven has been essential to my son. He would not be able to be where he is without them. Their work is foundational, and there is no realistic way social workers can absorb the loss of counselors and still meet student needs. But this isn't just about my child, this is about equity. We live in a world where universal access to mental health care is inconsistent at best. Families are turned away by insurance, burden and costs, or limited time and transportation. Many children, school is the only place where they will ever receive constant mental health support. For some, it is the only safe place they

022have. I have seen this reality firsthand as a classroom teacher. 18 years ago, one of my students, third grade students, came to school without his homework. When I asked why, he quietly told me that there had been blood on it. The night before, his father experienced a mental health crisis and attempted to harm him. His mother intervened and was stabbed protecting her child. That student came to school the next day because it was the one place that his family knew that he would be safe. That is what schools are. They are not just places of learning, they are lifelines. Cutting counselors isn't trimming excess, it's cutting that lifeline. The cons consequences will be immediate. More behavioral crises, lower academic outcomes, and increased outplacements. What happened to every child, every day, whatever it takes? So, I

023ask you, why are we making cuts that directly impact the most vulnerable students while maintaining a district office with 85 front office positions? What are the values we actually choosing to uphold? What about whatever it takes? Please do not let the light go out for our children. >> [applause and cheering] [applause] >> Hi. My name is Cara Forsman and I'm a D65 parent. I'm here because eliminating school counselors has real consequences for children and families. I could cite the national statistics about the youth mental health crisis, but instead I want to get personal and share what this role meant to my family. Last year my son lost his father suddenly at the start of eighth grade. Understandably, the grief triggered deep anxiety and depression. Getting through a single school day felt overwhelming. Many mornings he

024didn't think he could walk through the doors. Ms. Morgan Carl, the Haven school counselor who spoke a few moments ago, didn't know she was going to be here so I'm a little more nervous now, became a critical part of his ability to function and heal. She met him at the entrance on the hardest days so he wouldn't have to walk in alone. She gave him space to grieve when he welled up in tears during classes and helped him manage anxiety so he could get back to learning. She listened, really listened, and checked in with me weekly so we could support him together. Unlike many families, we are fortunate to have an outside therapist, but that support is limited to once a week and all families have that. Ms. Carl helped fill the gaps during the

025other days responding in real time to what he was experiencing at school. Quite honestly, she is the main reason he made she made it he made it to school and graduated. >> [snorts] >> Outside of an unexpected tragedy like this, the ability to seek counselor support during the school day is critical. Experts stress that that preventing more significant challenges start with early intervention. If students can't access these services, they're at increased risk of inpatient services or truly devastating consequences. On a day-to-day basis, school counselors are incredibly necessarily hands-on. They get involved involved with fights, relationship issues, family arguments, social group challenges, breakups, where people are sitting at lunch, etc. These issues can seem minor, but without support are exactly what can cause some children to act impulsively and make undoable, even catastrophic choices. Without the

026counselor position, I fear that behavior problems will escalate, students will be asked absent more, and potentially worse. School counselors are a resource for all kids when a need arises. They are not interchangeable with other roles who provide support in other ways, and I'm not clear what the plan is for that support to continue. Students need support where they spend most of their day. Eliminating this position is not just a staffing change, it's removing a lifeline for students. Quickly from my son. When my dad passed away, I had a lot of trouble going to school. Ms. Carl helped me a lot, always being there for me if I needed help. She didn't just help me though, she helped the rest of my grade, solving problems for people and always offering a hand to help. She was

027there for me during the hardest times. Her position for should be required at the school. I can't understand why you're taking it away. Thank you. >> [applause] [applause] >> Next we have Ann Bogolzing, Ethan Spots, Beverly Stillwell, Sam Hannigan, Michael Davis, and Will Pierce. >> Hi. My name is Ann Bogolzing. I'm a parent at Willard. Thank you for the opportunity to speak with all of you tonight. Um, I want to acknowledge everyone here on behalf of the counselors. We're behind you. I'm here for a different reason. I'm speaking on behalf of 126 parents and counting. A document I emailed to all of you members on the board earlier today who are in strong opposition of the proposed elimination of Willard's assistant principal for the 26-27 school year. We understand Sorry. We understand that this cut

028is tied to enrollment and population staff. >> Excuse me. Oh. This is the public hearing for the >> Yes. >> Counselor uh >> Oh, I asked outside. Well, I'm supposed to be on the other list. >> Yes. >> Sorry. I asked I got the wrong info. >> That's okay. >> Can you move me to the other one? >> Yes. >> Thank you. So, so sorry. >> problem. I I just want to make sure that the people that came to >> [applause] >> Okay. >> [applause] >> Hi. My name is Beverly Stouffer and I'm in sixth grade at Nichols Middle School. I recently found out about the laying off of the District 65 school counselors and these are some of the negative impacts that this could have on District 65 students and the overall rating and

029status of the school. My first reason reason is that this will offset students' mental health. As someone who struggles with mental health issues, I believe that this will neg- negatively affect me and my peers. This result will ultimately lead to an increased amount of lower grades, which will negatively affect the scores of of of the five essential survey and make people less willing to send their kids to District 65 schools. And this will lead to money loss and more debt for the district. My second reason is that this will impact the social workers and school/academic clubs. The social workers will become overwhelmed with students and ultimately lead to a lower quality of their work. Without counselors, multiple school clubs, specifically at Nichols, will close because of the counselors that run them, including Student Voice Committee,

030which is arguably a very important club because it teaches students to speak up and share their voice in their current life and in future jobs. My third reason is that this will impact the social environment of the school. Without school counselors to mediate situations, more fights will break out causing a tense environment, and there will be less people to stop fights and talk it through with the students. This could also create a distracting learning environment for students and teachers. I also heard that you are going to be laying off the teachers with the least amount of experience, but I would like to point out that you can't have experience until someone gives you the chance to get it. One of the teachers at my school school who students love and learn from is being laid

031off, which really saddens me and my peers. I know I'm just a kid, so why should you listen to me? But you would be surprised how much I understand about the situations. My counselors have guided me and supported me through all my years of school, and I know the most important part of school is to get good grades, but having good mental health comes first. Thank you for the consideration. >> [applause] [cheering] >> Hello. My name is Will Pierce. I am here as a student because I heard that we are cutting the school counselors, and I think taking away a school counselor is taking away someone who students can look up to. If we can keep school counselors, we can keep being a community with them. They help us follow our thoughts and support our

032dreams. When I am bullied at my school, school my school counselor is always there and ready to help me with out with my conflicts. My school counselor helped me make friends and helps me calm down my body. I love my school counselor. I hope we can keep them. Thank you for your time. >> [applause] >> Good evening, board. Thanks so much for having us tonight to speak. Um I prepared for a minute so that I have 3 minutes. You're in for a treat. You're going to hear from my wife. I will be reading a letter from her because she's not feeling well. And then I am going to speak for myself with opinions that I formulated on my own. Thank you. I'm going to channel my wife. I'm a parent of an eighth grader Nichols

033and also a teacher in another district. I am 1,000% sure people don't know what counselors do. They are more than a line item to delete. Counselors are the backbone of their schools. They are on the ground with students and their needs. While the social workers generally work with students who have 504s and IEPs, school counselors work with the students who don't. Who will be there for those students from now on? Counselors help students with big emotions, students who need help with resetting after a stressful experience, students who are having a hard day once in a while and students who are having a hard day every day. They help students get along with each other and help students become adaptive and self-advocates. School counselors are so important to the success of our students. Mental health is

034at the forefront of every academic conversation and school counselors are a huge part of a school's mental health model. You are not thinking about how this will affect students in the long term. We need mental health help in the schools and releasing school counselors is just the opposite of that. Oh man, I get a minute. Okay. Um yeah, so I'm the parent of an eighth grader at Nichols and I can't count the number of times that he comes home and says, "Miss D help me out. Miss Nelson helped me out." They have systems in place to come and connect uh confidentially, anonymously. All students can reach out. They do hard hard work to make that happen and it helps prepare them for high school, and if this is the pandemic and we didn't have uh

035counselors, where would we be? Like, our kids really need this support in order to get through these terribly hard years. I cannot I don't remember going through this myself, but when I see what my son is going through and his friends are going through, it just helps me to know that they have um that support. And I will now exit and go over to the city council meeting in support of affordable housing in the hopes to bring more families to the schools that will hopefully have counselors. Thank you. >> [applause and cheering] >> Good evening. Uh my name is Sam. I have a son in first grade at Lincoln Elementary. Um I want to just emphasize that school counselors are not uh optional. These are critical essential roles in our schools. They help with well-being,

036academic success, and and crisis prevention. Eliminating counseling roles might look like it's going to save money on paper, and that's okay, but the cost is going to be far greater in reduced student mental health, safety, and long-term outcomes. If you have to cut some funds, my recommendation would be more pencils, more paper, and a lot fewer screens. Thank you. >> [applause] >> My name is Michael Davis. I have one child who's a seventh-grader at Nichols, an older child who graduated from Nichols 2 years ago. My wife is a high school counselor. I'm grateful to the volunteer leaders who make up the D65 board and the special hearing today, and I'm here to speak against cutting the nine counselor positions. I would note that I'm the 19th speaker this evening, and so far not a single

037other speaker has spoken in support of your decision. This is the first time I have spoken or even attended a D65 meeting, and I'm here because my child was so upset when she came home on Friday after learning that she will lose such an important adult in her life, her school counselor, one who has made such a difference in her two years at Nichols. Having spoken with one of the middle school counselors today, I learned that the chaos that reigned in the schools 5 years ago before D65 added these professionals will return and with a vengeance. This is an equity issue. Counselors prepare, as we heard from others, counselors prepare IEPs and 504s for lower-income families. Those families who cannot afford private professionals will be left out. The number of cases on the counselors' workload

038has only grown since the pandemic, and the data is available. Instead of planning and working proactively, the remaining professionals will be left running after problems in a reactive mode, more work, but much less effective. The work's not going to go away. If a social worker is attending a mandatory meeting and another child has a crisis, there will be nowhere for that child to go, and the entire class will be disrupted. Given these issues, I'd like to end with three questions. One, the budget crisis is a fact, but what other cuts have been considered? Pencils, computers, we heard, but I'd ask directly, how many uh other staff have been hired in the last 5 years? Is every one of them essential? Two, why were counselors and parents not consulted or even informed until late last week

039just before the weekend? Three, why are we all here, parents and children and counselors and teachers gathered in this last-minute emergency meeting instead of engaged in calm deliberation and thoughtful planning in a timely manner? Thank you very much. >> [applause] [applause] >> Next we have Beth Hannibal, uh Shivan Jahad, Carla Stone, Mahalia Sobani, Clarissa Land. >> Hello. My name is Beth Hannibal. I'm a school counselor, an Evanston resident, and a parent of a kindergartner and a second grader at Washington Elementary. I have a master's degree in school counseling and have been a school counselor for over 15 years in Washington, D.C., Belview, Washington, and in Chicago. I want to be clear that I understand the seriousness of the district's financial challenges and the difficult decisions that must be made. However, eliminating school counselors is not

040the solution. D65 is fortunate to have a strong social work presence supporting students and families, but social workers and teachers should not be expected to carry the full scope of the school counselor role. These roles are distinct, complementary, and each essential. This moment calls for a clear, intentional definition of roles across student support staff and a coherent service delivery model, not elimination of one of its core components. School counselors provide universal, proactive, and responsive services for all students. We support academic, social, and emotional development through classroom instruction, small group work, individual support, and collaboration with families and staff. We are trained specifically to address developmental needs across the full student population, to build systems that provide belonging, safety, and connection. School counselors also serve as a bridge across the educational continuum. We support students through

041transitions from elementary to middle school and from middle school to high school, which is sorely needed. We ensure students are prepared for both academic and prepared academically and emotionally for each step along their educational journey. This continuity is essential for student success and long-term adjustment. This work is foundational to the student achievement and well-being, as well as school culture and climate. I also want to name the concern about the process and communication deficit reduction scenarios presented in 2025 led staff and families to reasonably believe that positions providing direct student services, including school counselors, would not be eliminated as part of the budget reductions. If an actual decision point was between closing an additional school or eliminating all school counselors across the district, that trade-off should have been explicitly and transparently communicated from the outset. If

042we're serious about equity, student well-being, and educational outcomes, then the solution is not removal of student support. It is thoughtful alignment of roles, clear staffing models, and preservation of direct student access to trained school counselors. Um I just want to close with an anecdote. My kids, they're 6 and 8 years old, and when I'm helping them through difficult situations, they tell me frequently, "Mom, you're not my school counselor." And I'm not, and I don't want to be, but I want them to know their school counselor. They should have one in elementary school. they need one in middle school. >> [applause] >> Good evening District 65 Board of Education, Evanston parents, children, fellow educators, and counselors. My name is Kevon Jahod and I'm a 6th grade math teacher at Nichols who has been riffed simply because

043I have only two years of experience in the field in comparison to tenured educators who make up the majority of our school. And honestly, speaking on behalf of all non-tenured teachers, this was the last place I would ever expect to be at such an early time in my career. I would like to say that in my time here at Nichols and District 65, I feel like I have made such a drastic impact on this community as a whole and I feel like that aspect is being fully neglected. I also feel like there has been a huge lack of support for new teachers and non-tenured teachers. I've had to learn the ropes almost entirely on my own with a few helping hands who I'm forever thankful and grateful for. I want to emphasize that decisions like

044this don't just affect staff members, but students and our community as a whole, team morals, and overall school and district climate. This is currently lowering morality across the building and creates so much uncertainty and tension for everyone else. Throughout my experience, I feel that I've been super reflective on my pedagogical skills so that I can better support my students that lie on all ends of the academic spectrum. I really try my best to set my students up for success in the real world, not just academically, and I think that's a huge difference between me and a lot of other educators. I would like to add that I've submerged myself in the community by getting involved with clubs and community committees and the 6th grade team overall. I even have brought in personal close friends for

045career day so students can gain inspiration from all different walks of life. Overall, this process is really demeaning, has so many holes, and instead of maybe doing bottom-up elimination, you should think about eliminating people from the top. I urge the board to look at the bottom-up elimination strategy and consider its long-term impact. We are losing the boots-on-the-ground educators who have direct daily impact on students' success to preserve administrative roles that do not require interacting with our children. I have tried to be the educator that shows up for the school community constantly, not just the students. I really try my best to be a positive presence in this building, and yet this is how my effort is received. If this district's mission is truly student-centered and excellence and bringing joy into our learning, then your decisions

046should be performance-based, not certificate-based, let alone simply cutting the building blocks of our district, our teachers, and our counselors. If my students' retention rates were based on my impact and the success of my sixth-grade math blocks, would we be having this conversation today? I would appreciate the time to continue my continue the growth that I've already proven I'm capable of reaching in this district. At the end of the day, I know what I've achieved and my capabilities, even if it's not fully recognized in this process. It does not take away from the work that I have done or the positive differences I know I have made. Thank you FOR YOUR TIME. >> [applause] >> HELLO, BEAUTIFUL BOARD. Look how beautiful you are. Yes, you are. My name is Carla Stone. I'm a national board-certified teacher,

047a Golden Apple Award recipient, and this is my 26th year in the district. >> [applause] >> In this time in this time, I have seen my fair share of your excellent initiatives, your excellent decisions that District 65 has carried out to benefit us teachers and kids. Thank you, beautiful board. One such initiative was hiring these counselors shortly post COVID. Thank you. I have been praising you ever since. Because since you have hired these counselors, I CAN DO MY JOB. >> [applause] >> AS A 26-year vet, when I know what it's like when you don't have counselors in the building. It is like herding a group of angry cats. You can't do that. You have You're trying to deliver your curriculum. You have kids who are crying under the table. They're crying outside your room. They're

048upset. They're hungry. They're depressed. They're sad. They're angry. A multitude of emotions. We call these emotional grenades. And the best people to deal with them, counselors. >> [applause] >> You tell us, "Meet the kids where they are." Counselors help us meet the kids where they are. They are a safety net when things don't go well at school. At Nichols, I've had the pleasure of knowing Ms. Nelson, Ms. DeMario, and Ms. D. AMAZING. >> [applause] >> THREE INCREDIBLE PEOPLE. There is no reason NO NO REASON WHY THESE KIDS HAVE BEEN SPEAKING UP IN FAVOR OF THESE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE. COUNSELORS SAVE LIVES. >> [cheering] >> YOU WERE NOT HERE when Ms. D put it upon herself to meet every last sixth grader so they could feel seen and heard in a middle school setting. She did that

049on her own accord. She did that. So please, beautiful board, BEAUTIFUL BOARD. FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART, a teacher WHO LOVES HER JOB, BOOTS ON THE GROUND every day. WE ARE STILL POST-COVID. THANK YOU. >> [cheering] [applause] >> HELLO. MY NAME IS MAHALIA SABANI, AND I'M THE sixth grade social worker at Haven Middle. I'm sharing these thoughts with the support of the other middle school social workers affected by this decision to eliminate the counseling department. I, like many, was shocked last Thursday to hear this. Many folks have already spoken to you about the good work counselors do every day, so I will not belabor that point, but I'd like to shine a light specifically on the impact this will have on special education and social work services. Counselors serve all students, not just gen

050ed students, and they often provide in-the-moment support to students in special ed when social workers are unavailable. And boy, are we unavailable. Social workers have legal requirements to be present in IEP meetings, as well as the 504s we case manage at the middle school level in this district. As IEP and 504 caseloads have grown in the wake of the pandemic, not only do social workers have more related service minutes we need to deliver with students, we also have more and more meetings to attend. While I'm in a meeting or facilitating minutes, I cannot go support the rest of my caseload. Who responds to the classroom needs then? It's our grade level counselor. I cover just one grade level, and I have a minimum of 85 required IEP or 504 meetings over the 37-week school year,

051averaging out to about two or three meetings per week. Adding that to the related service minutes I deliver, there are about 18 class periods a week where I'm not available out of 50 total class periods. So, a conservative estimate is that I am not available for in the moment behavior support a little over a third of an average school day. That's a conservative estimate. What is the board's plan to support my ability to fulfill my legal obligations while being responsive to behavior needs? I assume you must have a plan for this, otherwise students will suffer. At Haven, each classroom posts a QR code that students can scan with their iPads to fill out a Google Form to request SEL support. As of April 11th this year, the sixth grade alone has 432 requests for SEL

052support. If we conservatively assume that each request takes at least 15 minutes to address, this is a total of 6,480 minutes or 108 hours of labor this school year dedicated to responding to needs through this form. 72.7% or about 78.5 hours worth of these support requests specifically asked for the school counselor. What is the board's solution for meeting this manpower gap without counselors? Did anyone consult my administrators or my department leads before deciding to double my workload? We anticipate you might say that we have psychologists and face liaisons to support. However, our psychologists are occupied with increased evaluations due to the increase in special ed case loads, and our face liaisons are grossly unsupported by this district in developing any meaningful programming in our school building, especially this school year when our face liaisons are

053stretched between middle and multiple elementary schools. Face liaisons' roles and services vary widely between schools, and they serve a much smaller and more specific population of students than counselors. Counselors also share a responsibility to facilitate risk and threat assessments. I thank you for your time. >> [applause] >> All right. Um, my name's Clarissa Lau. I'm actually the social worker at Nichols. I've been here 13 and a half years, and I'm going to continue our statement representing the rest of the social work middle school scholars. Um so we do just want to emphasize that counselors share that responsibility to facilitate risk and threat threat assessments. A study in Florida found that rates of threat assessments peaked between fifth and eighth grade. We consider the loss of middle school counselors to be a direct threat to student

054safety and welfare. Middle school is a pivotal time for engaging students around attendance as they're becoming more independent. We regularly see attendance start to slip around sixth, seventh and eighth grade. Counselors are integral in engaging our gen ed students who struggle with attendance due to external stressors and chronic disengagement from the school system. School counselors and social workers are not interchangeable. They're complimentary. Every student deserves a school counselor. When school When schools have counselors, excuse me, all students benefit both in general and special education. If this district claims to value mental health, if this district claims to value high-quality special education, if this district claims to value humanization, then this district needs school counselors. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Next we have Emily Peters, Libby Short House, Fiona Ega, Colleen Egan, Megan Finn, Mary Hoyland.

055>> Hi. My name is Emily Peters. My son is a fifth grader at Lincoln Elementary and he'll be attending Nichols next year. The current fifth graders started kindergarten in 2020 and they were on Zoom for 5 months. They missed a lot of the social skills that most kids learn in kindergarten. Um when the current fifth graders were fourth graders, Evanston now ran an article with the headline, "Fourth Grade Is the New Seventh Grade" about behavioral issues. Seventh grade is when behavioral issues usually peaked, but these fourth graders were giving those seventh graders a run for their money. And now they're about to be sixth and seventh graders. Um as a group, these kids have minds and bodies at one level and social skills that are not there yet. The result is a lot of kids

056who can create problems and not solve them. Um I don't want to go too much too much detail, but this group has a lot of bullying. And there's a lot of kids experimenting with racist, sexist, homophobic language. These kids are going to need help when they transition to sixth grade next year. Right? They are encountering new challenges. They are growing and changing and their social skills will still not be caught up to where their minds and bodies are. And to be removing school counselors at this point instead of adding more of them seems really short-sighted to me. So, thank you. >> [applause] >> Um hello. I am a seventh grader. And just personally speaking for my school, I don't think anyone at my school likes it there. But those who do, it's because it's safe

057when their home isn't, when their life isn't. When the classroom is too loud, they have a panic attack. Teachers are trained to teach. Don't make kids care for each other. Don't let untrained teachers care for students. By cutting off middle schoolers' supporters, they will, beyond doubt, hurt themselves and each other. Although this helps, cutting school counselors makes it school an even more dreaded place. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Um hi, I'm Fiona Egan. I go to Haven Middle School. I'm also student ambassador there. Um when I heard that the counselors would be losing their jobs next year, I was sad and angry. My first thought was that the board would rather fry kindergartners' brains with iPads than have school counselors who who are in some cases saving lives. Most sixth graders um I know, well,

058just a lot of them, uh at times struggle with their mental health. And the counselors have helped me and my friends with all sorts of things. Losing them and Ms. Carl specifically um would be a real mistake. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Hello, my name's Colleen Egan. I'm a mother to wonderful Fiona, as well as two elementary age children. I can remember uh last spring at when we had the Haven orientation. We were sitting in the auditorium anxious and excited for the next chapter for our family with our uh daughter headed into middle school. Principal Adding and Vice Principal Smith put our minds at ease to hear about how the counselors, the vice principals, at that time there were three, um and the social workers would loop with each grade so that they had time

059to establish relationships with all of the students. I was clearly impressed when Ms. Carl told us that she would be meeting with each of the sixth grade students in the first few weeks of the school. She knows my daughter as well as the other sixth graders that she oversees. As a mother to a middle schooler, I some hear sometimes hear hear very little about what goes on during the school days. Um but when I do We hear about the fights that happen in the hallways. It's these staff members that we heard about um during orientation are the first ones that are running into the chaos. I'm asking you all to be thoughtful, ask questions of how the administration came to this decision, and re uh reconsider the elimination of the these positions. Thank you. >>

060[applause] >> Hi, my name is Megan Finn. I'm speaking tonight to express my concern regarding the reported plan to eliminate the counselor roles at the middle school level. I'm a parent of a seventh grader at Nichols and a fourth grader at Washington, and I'm also a licensed clinical social worker and I run a small group practice here in Evanston where we see children and adolescents for treatment. There are not enough skilled clinicians trained or available to see children, and mental health care has become far too expensive for most families to afford in the current economic climate. I would genuinely like to know if any of you have recently parented a middle school student. Despite what I do for a living, and you'll agree with me I'm sure, I was stunned to find out how hard

061it is to do well. Um it is a messy and emotional, hugely transformative time in life. Independence truly emerges, social emotional relationships change and become more meaningful, and ideas of adulthood success that can be actualized form. It takes a huge amount of attention and love not only from parents, but from an engaged community. And I cannot stress enough to you the importance of early intervention. To be seen, heard, understood, and cared for by many is critical and can have long-term impact on health and well-being. Middle school counselors are imperative in this. For some District 65 students, these counselors are their access to mental health care services, full stop. Many families face barriers to outside services, cost, transportation, availability, and the loss of school counselors will create a huge gap in this. To eliminate their jobs

062at a reported cost savings of $583,000 is not worth eliminating 50% of the mental health resources for 1,993 children. Some quick facts. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in the United States for people ages 10 to 14. Rates of anxiety, specifically in children ages 12 to 17, have increased by 61% since 2016, according to the CDC. And the average first-time use of drugs or alcohol is 13 years old. I have personally worked as a crisis worker intervening with adolescents in high-risk suicidal and violence ideation. This includes intervening in plans for violence against others, and believe me when I tell you in those scenarios, you want one of these skilled, thoughtful clinicians to be present. >> [clears throat] >> I've worked with girls as young as 11 years old in need of reproductive health

063care services, and I can continue to list statistics endlessly, but what I want to convey is the humanity in this work. The human impact. District 65 counselors address a spectrum of need from high-risk to high-impact, including helping students build coping skills, manage peer conflict, regulate emotions, and navigate academic and social changes. As a district administration, you've got some hard decisions to make, and I urge you to make the right one here. Thank you. >> [applause] >> GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS MARY HOYLAND. I'm a parent of two seventh graders at Nichols Middle School, a parent of a freshman at ETHS, um a district 65 graduate myself, and a K-2 educator in a nearby district. I have tried to extend grace thus far to those making difficult financial decisions for our district, even when I haven't

064fully agreed, but this decision feels different. Eliminating school counselors crosses a line. Removing these direct student-facing professionals who serve some of our most vulnerable children is deeply troubling and unacceptable. School counselors are often the first line of support for students. In middle school, when academic, social, and emotional pressures are intensifying, they provide consistency and build trusted relationships as one of the few or only adults who follows our kids from 6th to 8th grade. They know our children. They notice when something is wrong, and they intervene early. They support everyday challenges and respond in moments of real crisis. They're also there for the {quote} {unquote} smaller times, but those can cause big feelings and huge disruptions in children's school day. My children not only trust their counselors, Ms. Demari and Ms. Nelson, but they have turned

065to them when things felt hard and relied on their support and guidance. There were moments when they felt like no one at school was really listening, and whether or not that was true, it felt real to them. And at times they felt overwhelmed by the chaos of the world, but after meeting with their counselors, they came away feeling more confident and empowered. And when I would say, "Do you need anything? Do you need help with it?" No, I think I've got it. Ms. Demari talked to us like we've got it. Okay, that's what I want. Um, our social workers and teachers and administrators cannot take on any more. They have curriculum to prep for testing that is state-mandated. They have 504s, IEPs, and other things that are mandated by law to follow. Our school counselors

066are there to save lives and work in conjunction with that, but without them, they our students' mental health needs are not going to disappear, and those things that we might think are small, they catch it at the beginning, and those needs don't disappear. As both a parent, an educator, and a human who cares, this is something that I cannot accept. School counselors are a necessity and a lifeline, and I urge you to please reconsider this decision. We cannot say that we prioritize children while removing the very people who protect their mental health and safety. This is not the place to make cuts. Thank you. >> [applause] [applause] >> We have Lulu Miller, River Donahue, Michelle Taylor, and Sharon Walton. >> Hi there. Um I'm Lulu Miller. I'm a science reporter with National Public Radio, and

067I'm a mom with three kids in the district, a first-grader at Lincoln, and two more slowly making their way uh their way that way. Um to the board, thank you truly so much for the work that you do. Um as you consider this impossible chessboard of financial decisions, I urge you to consider the mantra choose people over technology. As I understand cutting these counselors' positions would save about half a million dollars, the same amount recently spent on iPads, one for every child. This concerns me. As someone who's been reporting on science and tech technology for over 20 years, I've watched a clear pattern in screen reduction. Most famously, uh the people who created these tools in Silicon Valley are often the most vigilant about limiting their own kids' screen time. Uh but across our country,

068the best schools are moving in the same direction. Uh very recent Wall Street Journal report shows that when in reduce screens, outcomes improve behaviorally, socially, and academically. Um we have an opportunity to lead right now, to not fall behind, but to lead. Um and as we watch AI replace all kinds of jobs, it's clear that the way to train our kids for the jobs of the future isn't necessarily the technology, which itself is already intuitive for any level, uh but to beef up their human skills. Um The ability to communicate, to navigate conflict, to show empathy, to manage the big emotions, uh to think creatively, and to collaborate. Skills that, as the students who spoke tonight so clearly and powerfully demonstrated, are honed with the support and sage guidance of our school counselors. Um So,

069I ask again, uh I ask you to consider the mantra, choose people over tech, invest in our counselors, invest in our teachers, in our boots on the ground, uh dial back the tech, not only might it save some money, uh it will support mental health, strengthen connection, um and prepare our kids for real success. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Uh hello. My name is River John Host, and I'm currently a freshman at ETHS. I was the 2025 graduate of Haven Middle School, and I'm here today to talk about a person who helped me navigate the toughest year of my life, Miss Morgan Carl, a school counselor at Haven. She is pillar and a guiding light to not only me, but countless other students in need of aid. She spends her whole day helping kids who

070might need a break from class, having a fight with a friend, or in some cases handle more serious situations that can endanger students. The children in this district are in a period of their lives where a lot of changes going on, and they need help to navigate that. Teaching kids math isn't going to make them into an adult, emotional maturity is. Imagine if it was one day decided that math teachers were unnecessary and kids were expected to teach themselves to prepare for the same tests. Failing math isn't going to end a child's life, but taking away a social worker feasibly can. If it weren't for Ms. Carl, I could genuinely be dead at this point. Cutting the mental health services by 50% will have a detrimental effect on the youth of Evanston. Ms. Carl works

071tireless hours to support the kids at Haven. I can't even begin to imagine how many kids would go without help if she were not there to guide them. I understand that the budget deficit needs to be solved. Please, find another way. Don't take away the very people who help children feel safe, included, and emotionally well in school. In our current world, I can't think of anything that's more important. The mission of Evanston District 65 states that we will inspire creativity and prepare each student to achieve academically, grow personally, and contribute positively to a global society. It states every child, every day, whatever it takes. I'm wondering how you think that mission will be achieved if we strip away most of the people who are professionally trained to help children accomplish all three of the aforementioned

072goals. It just doesn't feel like you're honoring every child, every day, whatever it takes. In conclusion, I urge you to rethink this decision for the innumerable kids who will be harmed by such a decision. Haven needs Ms. Carl. We all need the school counselors. Thank you for your time. >> [applause and cheering] [applause] >> Uh good evening. My name is Michelle Taylor. I'm the parent of a third grader at Lincoln Elementary and a sixth grader at Nichols Middle School. Uh Both of my children have 504s. My oldest is what I refer to as my more complicated case. Um His story is his own to tell. Uh but what I can share is that when he was in third grade, he was in crisis. We were lucky that we had a care team in place including

073psychiatrists and psychologists and I recognize that not all families have access to those. However, Sorry. The individuals that I will remain forever grateful toward are those who saw him and stepped in and supported him when he most needed He's in sixth grade now and he is great. >> [laughter] >> He is doing so much better at Nichols than I could have ever anticipated and I've seen so many of his team here tonight. Uh He is doing well because he was supported through his transition, but he was also welcomed into a strong built-in network of support which is available to every student without them having to seek it out. Obviously, I'm here tonight because I am deeply concerned about the decision to eliminate the school counselor positions. Um others have talked about the money. Um ironically,

074the same cost as the iPads. I understand that budget cuts are necessary and these decisions are nuanced, but eliminating school counselors is indefensible. The support that they provide our students, particularly during middle school, like the most awkward transitional time of their lives, um it's not only valuable, but it is literally life-saving. Uh This will affect every student, not just those like mine, but the neurotypicals, the straight A's, the perfect attendance. Uh meanwhile, uh you know, the District 65 staff directory list 16 staff members in the technology department, and additional 10 in human resources. Our district student to administration ratio is 21.4% higher than the state average. And this is nothing against any of those individuals, but they are nameless and faceless entities to me. Our teachers, our counselors, social workers, paraprofessionals, interventionist specialists, nurses, custodians,

075lunchroom supervisors, these are the people who have an impact on our children every single day. They're the people who are know our kids by name and what their interests are. They're the individuals who check in with our kids and know them well enough know them well enough to recognize when they need support. No one wants to see another school closure, but you are stripping away one by one individuals who are integral to our school communities. Without them, our schools are just buildings. >> [music] >> And if buildings are all that you're salvaging, then what is the point? And I'm looking to you, those of you who we have entrusted with the care and safety and well-being of all of our students, and I'm asking you to put ego aside, examine your priorities, and determine what

076is truly best for our students. >> [applause] [applause] >> Um you've heard from a lot of people tonight, so I'll be very brief. My name is Sharon Watson, and I'm the parent of two students at Haven. Um I've never been to a school board meeting before, but I felt I had to come here tonight to tell you how important the counselors have been to my children. Um as everybody said tonight, I think you can remember middle school and how difficult it can be not just academically, but socially and emotionally. My child was struggling with the stress and um social challenges of middle school and had been dealing with it in a harmful way. Uh the counselors have been crucial to helping her feel secure and supported. They worked with me to make sure that she

077was okay and could focus on her academics. To be honest, I don't know how we'll make it through the rest of middle school without the counselors. I've spent my career as a financial executive at nonprofit organizations and I know the very difficult decisions that you have to make. And I appreciate and thank you for making them. But I strongly believe this is not the right decision to make. These counselors are essential to our kids' mental health and their ability to be successful academically. I respectfully ask you to reconsider this decision. Thank you. >> [applause] [applause] >> I want to thank, on behalf of the school board and the District 65 administration, I want to thank everybody for their comments. At this time, I move to conclude today's public hearing at 6:14 p.m. >> Second. >>

078Hernandez? >> Yes. >> Holtwick? >> Yes. >> Van Nieuwstradt? >> Yes. >> Weimer? >> Yes. >> Wilkins? >> Yes. >> Pinkert? >> Yes. >> Anderson? >> Yes. >> At this time, we're going to move forward with public comment for the Committee of the Whole meeting. Members of the public are welcome and invited to address the board during open public meetings. Speakers are discouraged from using the public comment period to air specific concerns about staff members, being mindful that the public comment period is not a suitable forum for fact-finding or resolution of disputes. While rather we encourage members of the public who have concerns about specific district employees to follow district communication guidelines found in the student handbook. Please remember to state your name and that you have 3 minutes to address the board. Speakers may

079not yield their time to someone else. Please refrain from applause between speakers so we may respectfully allow all speakers an opportunity to be heard. Also note that it is not customary for the board to respond to public comments. The best way to correspond with members of the board is by emailing [email protected]. >> We'll start with Megan Thomas. Maureen Monticello. Tracy Hubbard. Michelle Mills. Christy Norick. >> Good evening. Um hello school board members. Thank you so much for taking this time. Um Lauren and I are here with you today to share the wonderful things that are happening at Lincolnwood Elementary. Totally shifting gears from previous comments. Um we stand before you as the deck representatives at Lincolnwood. Uh first we'd like to highlight some of our staff members. Our interventionist Carrie Kohler just hosted another successful

080community day with a focus on cooperation where students made pantry kits that were donated to the 611 free store in Evanston. Our amazing instructional coach Lauren Monacello has been supporting educators on strengthening tier one instruction and leading professional development related to formative assessment in math. Speaking of math, many even members including myself have partnered with researchers and former Lincolnwood parent and Northwestern professor, Jen Munson, to design and deliver a play-based after-school math program. The weekly program has been so successful that there is a waitlist for those wanting to join. We are also thrilled to note that next year there are three sections of our structured teach education program, or STEP, and they're projected to be filled to capacity because of the strong staff and dedicated teachers led by Emma Roby, Mary Schwarz, and Diana Arreguin.

081Next, we would like to share what our superstar students are up to. Our kindergarten classrooms will soon be headed to Wagner Farm to learn about real farm animals and further the knowledge they built during module two of Wit & Wisdom. Our third and fourth grade Project Excite students took a field trip to ETHS on March 25th and today, April 13th, to experience what an actual science lab looks like. They had so much fun at the science lab at ETHS. They built their own plant growth systems and foggers and also added seeds to these systems so they can grow real food. And soon our fifth graders will be rehearsing and filming the fifth grade music video next week with some serious choreography. Furthermore, our families and parents continue to astound us. This week we have our

082annual Lincolnwood rummage sale with all proceeds going back to our school community. In May, our PTA is spearheading the spring fling, which is a carnival-themed afternoon of fun for student Oh, for students and we will have a student-led talent show. Currently, parent Mike Dice is hosting Readers Theater before school as a fun and creative way for a group to present a book or story with no set costumes or props. It truly takes a village and we thank you, parents. Lastly, we are very much looking forward to welcoming students from Kingsley next week for our first shadow visit where Kingsley students get to see Lincolnwood in action. We have already begun to plan for this special day and look forward to building relationships and welcoming these students into our community. Thank you very much. >> [applause]

083>> Hello, my name is Kristy Nordick and I wanted to make a big picture comment. You know, we've been talking for several months about how we need to have a goal and a strategic vision for what we want our district to be so that then we're able to make decisions that will help us reach that goal. As of yet, I don't know that any progress has been made on that. If there are things happening behind the scenes, I beg you to let the community in on it. Put them on the stage so that we can participate, so that we know what's going on. I feel like at each of these meetings, we are presented with information and that there's not adequate time to dig deeper and really take the feedback that we're hearing or the

084questions that the board has before a decision has to be made. So, I'm I'm really hoping that we can change the process and the pattern that I've noticed where any idea is brought too late. Because I think there are so many of us here who want to see um some some different solutions really being fully explored so that we don't have what feel like very snap judgment cuts. Again, we've been asking for months and months and months for there to be more transparency about what the possible cuts are so that we as a community can decide what do we value most, you know, what are the pros and cons of different options. Um, so I I'm I'm really just asking for for more transparency, more engagement, do things further in advance so that we really

085have time to um adequately help. Again, there are so many of us here who want to help. We want to use our skills and time and energy to make the district better. So, please let us in. Let us help. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Hey. Uh, good evening. Um, I'm Tracy Hubbard and for the last 18 years I've been the librarian at Dr. Bessie Rhodes School of Global Studies. I also serve as the chair for the library department and I am a 34-year resident of Evanston and my three sons are graduates of District 65. Um, I'm excited to share with you that next week is National Library Week with the theme find your joy highlighting the essential role libraries play in fostering community, creativity, and lifelong learning. It starts with a story. Una historia. The

086libraries in District 65 have always been an integral part of our schools even before school libraries were widely implemented in the 1960s. Well, in 1929 Superintendent Nichols built a library worthy of an Italian prince. In the 1930s Haven Middle School librarian Mildred Batchelder promoted literature to reflect the experiences of all students so much so that the ALA has an award in her name to recognize diverse children's literature. Today, District 65 librarians have been chosen to present at regional conferences, university classes on our curriculum, and how it is integral to our students' education. Our libraries, librarians curate a living, breathing collection of diverse titles by authors that represent all identities. It allows our students to see themselves in the pages or build empathy for other perspectives. The collection is over 130,000 books with an estimated value

087of over $2 million. As librarians, we develop a collection, manage a communal space, and most importantly, we are teachers. Our standards are digital literacy, media literacy, and information literacy. Students learn how to find facts and differentiate facts from opinion, use online and physical resources. And in the last 30 years, social media has reshaped our lives, and students in the library learn ways to interact responsibly. Librarians push students to think critically and provide opportunities for them to practice the reading and math that they do in the classroom through STEAM and maker opportunities. We collaborate with classroom teachers to support their work. We work with the larger community, Northwestern, Evanston Public Library, Skokie Public Library, local bookstores and Foundation 65. We receive grants from the state based on our district's commitment to the libraries. We're proud of

088Evanston and its support of libraries. Thank you for your commitment to school libraries and our students' future as they learn to navigate this world complicated but enriched by new technologies. Our work is grounded in the story but not just one story but many because as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie so clearly points out, there's a danger in a single story. >> [applause] [applause] >> Next we have Lindsey White, Kelly McCabe, Kelly Farley, Richard Lowe. >> Hi, my name is Lindsey White. You've heard from many parents tonight who are disappointed and frustrated with this decision to eliminate middle school counselors. I too am extremely disappointed in the decision. However, there were many of us who saw this decision coming. When Dr. Harkin presented to this school board at the November 20th special board meeting just this last fall

089in the midst of SDRP, she said if we did not close the recommended two schools, that's in addition to Bessie, it would be up to this board to cut this additional money from what she said was programming and staffing. There was some confusion and one board member then asked to give an example of what this would look like and she confirmed that it was staff that would be cut. Staff positions that would be eliminated if we wanted to keep open buildings. Buildings that at that time were enrolled at 34% at Willard, 39% at Kingsley, 42% at Lincolnwood. And that's after we as a district said we were going for a 90% occupancy rate. Dr. Harkins specifically told this board at that meeting in November that with no schools closed we'd be at $3.67 million. I

090said that number a lot. It that would be in lost staff jobs. With one school closed it would be just over 2 million, which is where we sit now. And with her recommendation of two schools closed that number goes down to $350,000. Think about that. $2 million of elementary and middle school educator jobs versus $350,000. Actually, $350,000 in cuts could have been accomplished with less than the nine school counselor positions that we're eliminating right now for $580,000, right? I'm all but certain these cuts are not done and it's going to hurt all of our kids. I fear that our elementary counselors, social workers, support staff are next. Actual people within our kids' schools that they rely on in order to be successful day-to-day. We need to reckon with the SDRP decisions that have already been

091made and that this board will make moving forward. What are we willing to sacrifice in order to keep open half-empty buildings? What are we willing to have taken away from all of our children in order to subsidize decisions that while hard are things that you all campaigned on being able to do? In this last election cycle every single one of you, Pat, Maria, Nicole and Andrew, you said that if you were up to the task of closing schools if that was indeed what we needed to do. You all said it. And yet here we sit making cuts that no one in this community wants. You've heard from them. They don't want it. All the while our racial opportunity gap continues to grow. You have to know that these cuts will disproportionately harm students of color,

092those who come from low-income households, emerging English learners, students with IEPs. In so many cases they don't have the extra funds to seek and pay for these services outside of school, meaning that they go without. We just we need to do better. Thank you. >> [applause] [applause] >> Good evening, school board. My name is Kelly McCabe, and I have two kids attending Washington at Twe. And I'm here to ask this board tonight, when will you recognize that the path forward must be built on transparency? At the last meeting, the board voted to spend $500,000 on iPads that parents do not need or want. Since then, just over $500,000 in vital school counselor positions have been cut. Positions that directly support students and that we desperately need. With all that is going on across the district,

093including but not limited to, a former superintendent facing multiple federal indictments, recent staff sexual abuse scandals that families learned of not through transparent district communication, rather through the media. Years of precipitously declining student enrollment with bloated administrative staffing, woefully inequitable academic scores. We must ask ourselves, is this current system working? Is it working well for Evanston students? Or is it continuing to erode what little trust is left? Does the system actually improve student achievement? Or is it continuing to widen disparities and fail Evanston families? Do you all as board members, accountable to Evanston residents, truly believe that the Mendez scandal was handled appropriately? Do you all agree with getting rid of all school counselors? Why has this not ever been discussed in a public forum with transparent reporting and ample opportunity for feedback from the

094families affected? Why are we as parents left guessing as to what kind of accountability even occurs? To quote another parent, why is a culture of defend and dismiss allowed to persist? I would argue things are not working well and we need a complete overhaul of this system. We need a transparent system-wide accountability framework including transparency in evaluations, superintendent specific evaluations, administrative staffing and hiring decisions. We need leadership oversight tied to clear, measurable standards with public reporting and independent review. Leaders need to justify their decisions and face real consequences when standards are not met and the responsibility of this board is to ensure that this happens. Thank you. >> [applause] [cheering] >> Hi, Kelly Farley. I'm a parent of two Oakton children and another one in a couple of years. Uh last year I was proud

095to see the governor signing a bill for optional mental health screenings at no cost to school districts for all kids uh in 3rd through 12th grade at Shoot, my children's future middle school. The same school where 3 months later I saw the students looking out the school windows after the aftermath of a brutal ice encounter. Traumatic. Right, I was proud that our district was chosen for the honor of Governor Pritzker's visit because we care about our students' well-being. It made me feel so hopeful for the young people in our community that even if your home was not familiar with the benefits of mental health care or able to access it due to various barriers, that you would have a chance to not slip through the the cracks. Then we cut all the middle school counselors

096to save as much as our recent iPad purchase. Now, I'm a a leader of nonprofit finance. I understand the difference between a one-time amortized asset purchase versus rep replicable staff costs, but this was not the right choice. The thing I keep going back to is what we heard throughout the SDRP process, that if we don't right-size the ship, it will directly impact the student-facing staff. I agree we need more administrative efficiency to share the burden of the reductions needed to authentically right-size this district. We have to put students over structures. I'll wrap with a quote from The 74, a news site that explores issues impacting the education of our 74 million school children in this country. It's about under-enrolled schools. Quote, "Smaller schools are neither entirely good or all bad. Budgeting is a trade-off. When

097enrollments decline, the district can spread its staff across a large number of buildings and let each school operate with a skeleton crew, or it can close some schools so more students can attend schools that offer a full suite of services. Of all the decisions school district leaders must make, whether or not to close a school can be particularly fraught. But deciding not to shutter under-enrolled schools is also a policy choice. It means that students will get fewer services in the short term, and it raises the risk of the chance of a potentially harmful massive school closure down the road. That risk is particularly high right now." End quote. Sounds pretty familiar. I truly hope we reconsider the impact to all D65 students with this choice about school counselors, and I hope we all think harder

098about what that can we're kicking is going to knock over along the way. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Richard Lowe. Anna Coster. And Anna Vogelsang. Round two. Thank you. >> Um I'm Anna Vogelsang. I'm speaking on behalf of 128 now parents and counting who are in strong opposition of, as you'll understand, the forcible reduction of Willard's assistant principal position. You understand my confusion from before. We understand that this cut is tied to enrollment and population stats. We've been told that the change is based on the standardized district staffing structures. We know that structure wasn't followed last year in regards to the APFS E. Rhodes and we're curious. We really just want to know what exactly is the structure and what is the threshold number for an AP in an elementary school and how far away

099is Willard's current and projected enrollment from that threshold? Uh it is our understanding that the gap is very very small. I urge you to please have this discussion tonight and look at our numbers because kindergarten registration is still underway. I personally know five families including myself who have yet to register our kindergarten children and future closings remain possible obviously. Eliminating this position now while we are in such flux only to rebuild it from the ground up next year once our numbers hit whatever that target is would be a huge and disruptive mistake. What if we hit the threshold with kinder registration alone in the summer? We have seen firsthand what Willard looks like without an AP and the difference this year has been palpable. This is in no way a criticism of our beloved and

100exceptional principal Battle. We she's the backbone of our school truly. It is simply a recognition that a a principal team functions as a team. Asking one person to carry the weight of two is not sustainable and our students will be the ones who suffer. Our community and the D65 community is in such a period of significant transition. AP Ernwall has been central to that transitional work at Willard ensuring every family feels both welcomed and honored. Removing her at this precise moment would be detrimental to our community's stability. This transition demands more support and not less. AP Ernwall has helped to create a huge cultural shift at Willard in just one year. She knows every child by name. She is on the playground every single day. She welcomes the most vulnerable students into her office with

101open arms. I cannot imagine a more student-facing position at Willard. She is the living definition of a rising tide lifts all boats, and she has ensured that all of our students are living up to their full potential at Willard. We urge you to retain her position. Our students, our staff, and our community are counting on it. And as I said before, I sent you all the document earlier this today, and we're now up to 128 families, and we appreciate you taking this into consideration. Thank you guys so much. >> [applause] >> Hi, my name is Hannah Keister. I am a D65 parent. One topic on tonight's meeting agenda is alternative approaches to reducing D65's structural deficit. So, here are two approaches for you to consider. Idea number one, parents get up here week after week,

102meeting after meeting, and ask you to reduce screen use in our kids' classrooms. In response, you said you would consider a shared cart iPad model instead of one-to-one iPads. And you considered it, and you said iPad carts are actually more expensive, and they create a bunch of headaches for teachers. Fine, I believe that. The problem is you seem to have completely missed the point. We are not asking you to maintain the status quo, but to do it with iPad carts instead. We are not asking you to keep doing what you're doing, but use carts instead of one-to-one iPads. To the extent this is not clear, we want our kids using iPads less in the classroom. So, instead of having a conversation about how to best and most efficiently deploy the iPads, let's have a different

103conversation. Let's have a conversation about how to decouple our curriculum from the ed tech companies who insist that we need iPads and apps to educate our kids. Let's take the iPad money and the app subscription money and let's spend it on reading specialist. Let's spend it on tutors. For God's sake, let's spend it on school counselors. >> [applause] >> Spend it on human beings in our classrooms supporting our kids. Idea number two, there are still too many administrators in this building. In 2019, the ratio In 2019, the ratio of administrators to students in this district was 170 to 1. Last year, it was 90 to 1. In 6 years, we have nearly doubled the number of administrators per student in this district. I know you've started making cuts. It's not enough. Keep going. Last, I

104just want to say that if I were in your shoes, there might be a temptation to view what happened tonight as a thorn in your side and to view opinionated parents as a problem that you have to deal with and to view the people who show up at these meetings as a constituency to be managed. I hope you thank your lucky stars every day to have a community that shows up and makes your job more difficult. I feel so lucky to be a parent in D65 and it's not because of the people up here, it's because of the people out there. Thank you. >> [applause] [applause] >> Um I'll just repeat two names, Michelle Mills and Richard Lowe. Okay, we're going to move into uh item number five, finance, personnel, and building and grounds led

105by uh Maria Updyke. >> Good evening. Uh thank you to everyone that spoke this evening. Um Does Tamara have a presentation? Is that what that means? Okay. Tamara, are you ready? Go ahead. Okay. >> Good evening. So, we're going to go ahead and kick it off. Tonight, we're going to um just really walk through uh the expenditure reduction plan of the proposed expenditure reductions for SDRP phase three. So, I will um turn it over to um Tamara Mitchell, who will kick off the presentation. >> All right. Thank you, Dr. Turner. Good evening, everyone. Um I will go ahead and get started. So, this first slide is a It should be a familiar-looking slide to you all. Um we have used this particular slide in many of our SDRP presentations. So, I will go through uh

106just a bit of this. So, as we know, the first phase of SDRP started in FY '24 with an identified $6.5 million worth of reductions, which went into effect for FY '25. Also, during FY '25, there were hiring freezes implemented, as well as some purchased services reductions, and that SDRP framework was developed, as well. For FY '26, or the result of FY '25 was the um in FY '25 was the identification of $13.2 million worth of reductions, which went into effect for this fiscal year for FY26. Included in that, across those two phases of SDRP, were about 100 FTE reductions. That also includes the implementation of school-based staffing model, transportation efficiencies, and some purchased services reductions. For FY27 through FY30, we have that as a range of time now because we are looking at phased-in

107reductions. So, for each fiscal year, there will be some required reductions to maintain balanced budgets, 90 days cash on hand, and uh transfers for CapEx into the capital projects fund. Um also included in phase three, which is sustainability, we have the closure of Bessie I'm not Bessie Rhodes, the closure of Kingsley Elementary. Closure of Bessie Rhodes will be happening next fiscal year as well. However, that was not part of SDRP. Bessie Rhodes was not closed as a result of SDRP. Um so, but that closure of Kingsley is noted there. The uh impacts for that come from SDRP phase three will go into effect July 1st of 2026, so just a few short months from now. Um And also, one other note there that's in yellow down there um on the screen, over the phases of

108SDRP, there has been a reduction of 50 central office positions. So, from 2024 through 2026, there has been a reduction of 50 central office positions. So, I will go into um just briefly talking about our financial outlook, and I'll start with some budgetary assumptions and budgetary pressures. So, for our projections for FY27 through FY30, we are assuming 2% annually or a 2% annual increases on revenue. That's taking into account CPI, which CPI impacts our largest source of revenue, our property tax revenue. We are assuming flat to declining revenue growth for state and also flat to declining revenue growth for federal funding. So, that is why we are holding that revenue projection at 2% for each of those years. We have already seen some some of the impacts of reduced federal funding for this fiscal year

109in particular, so we want to be sure that we are being conservative with our revenue projections. For salaries, we are anticipating 5% annual salary growth. That's mainly driven by bargained labor agreements. Factored into that 5% annual salary growth, there are some reductions as well for retirements that we know we have coming up. So, but the average salary growth we're looking at is about 5%. For benefits, next fiscal year, FY 27 in particular, we are expecting our benefits to increase in about 12%. That is a net increase that takes into account the personnel impacts that we will discuss later in this presentation. Our medical insurance increase actually came in at about 16%, but with those personnel impacts reducing the cost of that um that effect will be about a 12% increase over FY 26 amounts. For

110purchase services, we are assuming a 3% annual growth. That's based on inflationary pressures as well as contract cost increases. Our utilities forecast, while utilities do fall under purchase services, I wanted to pull those out because those rates are increasing far higher than 3%. In particular, electricity. Our electric is expected to increase between 15% to 17% next fiscal year. Our natural gas is expected to increase 8% for next fiscal year. For enrollment, we will see continuing declines um in our enrollment based on our demographic trends. And then for facilities, we know that we have our ongoing operating costs to maintain all of our facilities. And then the $2.7 million transfer annually for capital expenditures. This slide represents our baseline, our financial projections baseline. So, what is represented here is what would happen if we were to

111take no additional budgetary action, no additional budgetary reductions at this point. Factored into the expenditures, uh we are reducing two things that we know. We're reducing for retirements that we have in the pipeline, so those salaries have already been reduced by those retirement amounts. And then um replacement salaries put in to assume for lower salaries to replace those employees. Additionally, we have leases for technology um equipment. Those leases are retiring and expiring in FY27, 28, and 29. Those amounts have also been backed out of these expenditure baselines. So, um that's really what these are based on. Additional assumptions in this financial projection baseline is that we will need $5 million of working cash to complete the construction project at Foster School. As we get closer and closer to that project being wrapped up, we are

112now saying that it will be about $5 million worth of additional funding that we will need. If you recall, we have frequently said over the last couple of years that it would be about $6 million to complete that project above and beyond the lease proceeds. So, we now know that number is going to come in closer at $5 million. Also, this baseline projection takes into account $2.7 million worth of transfers to capital projects. So, again, what this slide is um illustrating is that with no further reductions, the district would essentially be insolvent by FY30. This is our financial projections model. Um there's a lot of numbers on the screen, so I'll talk about some of the highlights on this slide. First of all, the assumptions, balanced budget. This uh model assumes a balanced budget each

113fiscal year. Maintaining 90 days cash on hand each fiscal year. This assumes a $1 million transfer from working cash to complete Foster, and I'll explain the difference between that $5 million and $1 million in just a moment. And then that $2.7 million capital projects uh transfer each year. And these are multi-year reductions, as well. So, for um that kind of pale yellow, the $4 million amount at the top where it says Bessie Rhodes proceeds {slash} reduced Foster working cash. We are assuming that should we sell Bessie Rhodes, we would net $4 million worth of proceeds from the sale of Bessie Rhodes. So, that is where the working cash transfer of $1 million comes from. So, on the previous slide, said $5 million to complete that project. If we net $4 million worth of proceeds from

114the sale of Bessie Rhodes, then that would bring that required transfer down to $1 million. The first yellow box highlighted there that says $6.3 million. That is the amount that would be needed in reductions for FY27 to bring us to that balanced budget with 90 days cash on hand, and and us to transfer both $1 million in working cash to cover the Foster School project as well as $2.7 million for capital projects. We move across the slide looking at the additional fiscal years there for FY28, what we we would be looking at about 4.9 million in needed reductions. FY29, 2.9 million in needed reductions. And then FY30, 1.6 million in needed reductions. So, that's the details of the um financial model. Here is a summary of personnel and non-personnel impacts. We'll discuss the details behind

115this number these numbers as we move through the presentation, but we wanted to take a moment to share this summary early in the presentation. Uh so, the impacted personnel reductions are about $3.8 million worth of reductions that we have identified. And then for the non-personnel reductions, which would include things like purchase services, um out of district tuition costs, etc. Again, we'll get into the details behind these numbers, but that's about $2 million. And so, this comes up to just over $5.9 million between those two. >> Thanks, Tamara. So, uh this particular slide just goes into the financial sustainability, um and it highlights the board action that was taken on January 9th, 2026, and the phase three reduction plan that the district has enacted as a result of that. So, if you look in the green

116box, on January 9th, there was a board approved resolution that stated the expectation to achieve and maintain a balanced budget, maintain at least 90 days cash on hand through the course of a fiscal year, and maintain a minimum of $2.7 million that would be set aside for capital expenditures related to building maintenance. As a result of this these board actions, the district has uh made the district has taken the decision to close one additional school, which is Kingsley. Noting here on this slide, Betsy Ross, the determination to close that school was made in in school year 25-26. I'm sorry. The decision to close Betsy Ross will take place at the end of 25-26, but that was a decision that was made a while ago. Further [clears throat] reductions to purchase services is you will see

117and we'll talk about it in a little bit continuing to include the reductions of non-instructional consultants, technology licenses, the crossing guard expenditures, and we'll talk about that. In addition to continuing to consolidate um classrooms due to low enrollment, and then the expenditure reductions that should be considered in tandem with the creative revenue opportunities is what the direction that the district has been given. So, I'll turn it over to Tiffany at this particular time who will walk us through the SDRP phase three personnel impact reductions in more detail and where those impact position reductions will come from. Move your Move your Yeah, thank you. >> Can you hear me? >> Yeah. >> All right. I actually want to lead in by saying that on this slide, the school level reductions are reflective of declining student enrollment.

118So, the numbers that I'm getting ready to go over on this slide, their reduction of school level reductions are reflective of declining student enrollment and the closure of Kingsley. So, reductions continue to keep class sizes within the collective bargaining guidelines. So, within deck and I'll take the issues is the area of operations, but also the actual [clears throat] union affiliation. So, I'll go down and actually speak to what each of those are. Uh DEC is our educator union. There were a reduc- there was a reduction of position um 24 positions in this bargaining unit. So, this would be 16 were affiliated with a declining um student enrollment. And four were in the fape pool. So, that's 16 there I'm sorry, 12 FTEs from student enrollment and four from fape pool. And then the others were

119related to SDRP. And then we have reductions in our DESK union. That is our administrative assistant and nutrition services union. ECMA is related uh those are our custodians. We have ETAA. They had a reduction of 10 positions. EACCP, there were 4.5. And then we had a reduction of five in non-union. I do want to flag that the numbers that you see here may not not necessarily mean riffs. These are riffs would be a reduction of actual individuals. These are reduction of um positions. So, if we had like vacancies in the Let's speak to ETAA in particular. They had several vacancies that we still have been able to um be We have been unable to fill in the district. So, we were able to move those around in certain unions and um into other positions. And

120some of that happened also with DEC. All right. >> All right. So, we will um I'll now move into talking about the non-personnel reductions that uh are part of this plan. So, here at the top line there, you see other purchased services at just over $1.1 million. Um some of that is made up of crossing guards. So, about $165,000 worth of reductions for our crossing guards. Uh if you recall, the board um approved earlier this fiscal year reducing our budget for crossing guards to $500,000. So, for this year, our budget is $665,000. So, that's where the $165,000 reduction for crossing guards comes from. Uh for agency services, we have a 500 a little over um $540,000 for agency services worth of reductions. We believe that we can accomplish reducing that agency services spend and still

121maintaining our service to our students. Um also included in that number, non-instructional consultants, just under $92,000 for non-instructional consultants. For technology, the $203,000 listed there includes $150,000 for AppleCare, which will not be renewed moving into next fiscal year. And then, the additional $53,000 is for some licenses and subscription services. Um and also, as far as technology as I mentioned earlier, we have already backed the expiring technology leases off of the expenditure baseline. So, that is why those are not called out there. Um elimination of SACC, so school-age child care optional half-day and flex care program, it's just under $46,500. And then, out of district tuition and related transportation costs. This uh we have graduating eighth graders, so we are assuming some savings from some of those graduating eighth graders with the understanding that we will

122uh likely have additional students who will need out of district services. So, the net reduction there is $750,000. Uh all of this totals up to just under $2.1 million. All right, so I'm just going to recap Yeah, I'm going to recap just this slide to just highlight what both Tiffany just indicated with the position reductions for personnel and the non-personnel reductions that Tamara. So I want to just draw us back to the reductions that we were able to determine at this particular point is 5.9 million dollars and this is just a recap to bring it all together because we know we've given a lot of information. Click to the next slide for me. So when we talk about next steps as it relates to 2026 the 2026-2027 school year and beyond we want to just

123continue it it's going to be hugely important for us as a district to continue exploring and implementing alternative deficit reduction strategies. Regularly assessing the operations and roles with the focus on equity and return on investment continuing to identify creative revenue generation generator opportunities really being cognizant of the short and long-term decision-making that aligns projected expenditures to revenues and then the continued alignment of class staff to reflect student enrollment within the district guidelines. Per the board resolution by October 2026 evaluate the financial sustainability and 75% K-5 building utilization. If that's unmet we need to prepare to propose uh the closure of Lincolnwood Elementary but as you can see consideration of potentially some additional um school closures is going to have to be discussed among the school board to determine what the direction is they want to

124go. There's also going to have to be considered increasing capital investment to 1% of CRV which is approximately about 4.9 million dollars annually. Continue to execute the phase three operational reductions beginning as early as 26-27 school year, and that starts for us July 1st. And the future reductions based on the updated financial projections. And more importantly, I think we've heard it from public comment, it's going to be hugely important for this board to establish a vision for SDRP phase four and beyond that aligns to the financial sustainability and facility planning to support stable, high-quality learning environments for all of the students. That also should include some level of stakeholder engagement like we've modeled in SDRP phase two through ongoing transparent communication with administration and then responsible administration responsible for implementation. So, this really just highlights

125our next steps that need to really be considered beyond what we're proposing for 26-27 and really thinking out beyond all the way to 2030 as we've indicated in this presentation. Can you click the next slide? This slide just really is a reminder for the board. I I really wanted to lift this up. This was presented to the board when the majority of the board um took a position in May and the importance around just again reinforcing the establishment of goals and setting a vision, continuing to monitor the policies, hiring and evaluate the superintendent as you've also heard from public comment, and then just making decisions that allows us to really work collectively together as a team. It's going to be hugely important as we consider our path forward. And so, this pretty much concludes what

126we're proposing as the SDRP phase three reductions. >> Uh thank you. Uh I um um Obviously, reducing budgets is a difficult thing to do. Um, no one likes to spend less money. With inflation and um you know, increased needs, it's difficult to think about cutting uh cutting budgets. I encourage us to, you know, in the last committee of the whole meeting, I attempted to begin a conversation about the pieces that were important to each board member that we wanted to see. So, that we were not throwing darts at a board trying to find places to cut expenditures, but we were thinking about the needs of our students um and the ability for us to deliver the services that are both required um and also contribute to the academic success success of our buildings or of

127our students. I think when I when I listen to um when I listen to parent to the community members here tonight that talked about us not having a vision for District 65, you know, Andrew, you've spoken about a new strategic plan, but I think that we all are aligned that is the vision that we hold. Um, just as a North Star. Uh, and to think about budget reductions in the face of how do we lift up and support academic outcomes in the face of declining um or the need to to reduce expenditures. Um One question just to start. Um Dr. Turner, if you can kind of talk through um what were the What what were you sort of considering and thinking through as you put together these budget reductions and how do you um what

128were some of the other aspects that you had considered or were thinking about in your cabinet um for cuts of expenditures, but that didn't make the list here? >> Yeah, so I mean, the reality is is um when we initially thought about SERP phase three, um the plans that we presented to the board essentially included uh school reductions. And I think when the board made the decision that um closing multiple schools was not an option, our team had to go back to the table and then determine where would these potential cuts come from. Um we then followed up and had community uh had a board meeting that really talked about some additional uh opportunities uh in which very transparently um pre-K transportation was one. Um that was brought up in SERP phase two as a

129possible consideration for a reduction as well as in um SERP phase three essentially cuz we had those conversations a little while ago. Uh in the previous conversation that we had a few months ago, I I think where we landed on with the board, at least my understanding from the district side was reducing pre-K transportation was not of interest to not something that the board wanted to pursue um right away. Um and so which would have given a nice amount of it would have get given us some >> Do you know how much much approximately? >> Yeah, it was I don't >> to speak for her. >> amount offhand, Tamara? >> I don't remember it offhand. >> Yeah. >> 1.1 or 1.3, but there's a part of it that you you have to do because there

130are young people who have >> I thought it was 2. something, but then and then it was Okay. >> Yeah. >> So So, um and I think, you know, in just the you know, this is our third phase of a structural deficit. We have reduced in phase one and phase two um a lot of uh sent a lot of staff personnel because we also recognize and I think Tamara has said this about 85 to 90% of our budget is personnel. Um and so what we've tried to and we've been transparent about not making or or around making sure that no impacts have happened on the school and we were able to do that for the past 2 years. And I think the reduction of the staff that we've made so far, we have been able

131to figure out how to readjust roles and responsibilities um so that that so that it's not a overtaxing burden on on staff. And now we're at a place right now where we have to consider um touching at the school level. It's not what our goal was, but it's it's where we were. We came up with the decision of really being thoughtful about how to still look at the things that were brought in and purchased specifically with ESSER money during the during the pandemic that there was never a plan in place to sustain long term. What ended up happening was when that funding expired, we then moved over and we we picked up that the cost of that in our operational budget. So really that's really really where the decision to make those level of reductions

132and really shift to uh what we've proposed in the reductions here as where we need to move forward with that. >> I just I just want to jump on. So again, the extra money, the COVID money that we received, right? Um and all over the country, right? We during COVID and to deal with the impacts of COVID, our country, our society was able to demonstrate that the money is there to support counselors, to support social emotional development, to support one-on-one academic tutoring tutoring during the day. Like those are things that again, as part of previous boards, you know, I was able to make a decision on and and it's like, okay, these are things that really provide these wrap-arounds that the community has been clamoring about, right? Cuz what I heard, we want academic success

133for our students. No doubt about it. But that can't happen if socially emotionally, they're not present in the classroom. So that is is so critical. So I like to talk about root causes and and and and the root causes is that this society in general is sick and we are not prioritizing school districts and school level needs and we're not prioritizing children. We're not prioritizing at the national level with our tax dollars. Is bombing schools and universities in other countries that have not done nothing to us. So one thing that So folks are asking, so what are some alternatives? As a community, we need to call our state senators, our federal senators, and reps and make sure that they're utilizing our tax dollars and reinvesting in our communities and disinvesting in bombing and war in

134other countries, that's the that that's the first step as a as as a community that we need to do. Because that that that I think that that that that's the that's a root cause. That's number one. Um we're bombing schools, we're bombing universities with our tax dollars which could be utilized to maintain positions and provide the wrap-around services that ultimately lead us to better academic outcomes, right? European countries begin drop so much money in their schools and in the professionalism of school and preparing their school districts and and and teachers and educators. Uh they get doctorates. I mean, it's you know, it's night and day. So, that's that's that that that's so so so now we're starting talking about alternatives. So, as a as as a community that that that's an alternative that we need

135to consider. Um but overall, I think again it it it's we we we we as a community are facing and and and I've been saying this for the past couple of years. We are either going to pri As if you're a parent or caretaker in this community, are you going to prioritize half-empty buildings and skeleton staff? Or are we going to prioritize right-sized buildings where your children can thrive socially, emotionally, and academically? And that's the vision I have. And I've always had and I've been very clear from my time here is how do we provide these wrap-around services which again the community is clamoring for. And this is something that we've have fought for in previous because the social the social emotional supports were not available prior to uh you know, they were very limited.

136A as as our veteran teacher here shared a couple years back. And it makes a world of a difference and again I've been a classroom teacher at the elementary level at all levels. Trust me, if you have a counselor, it makes a world of a difference. Uh but I've worked in a lot of situations where that's not been the case. And I've been the psychologist, I've been the, you know, foster parent, I've been the I mean, the social worker. I mean, I've been in positions like that. Because well, I've worked in the communities that I want to support the most marginalized communities and that's what public education is about, right? So, and again, I think as we think about alternatives, right? Always center ensuring that again, we really have our priorities straight as a community.

137And and again, I think Evanston has always had those priorities, right? Have we fallen short at times? Yes. Did we try to invest in some of these things? So, people ask, "Yo, so what did you do with all the COVID money?" I know we invested that COVID money was invested in the wraparound services that people are screaming for us to keep and maintain in order for their children to have social emotional development as well as academic excellence. And I think when as we think about visioning, we have to have those two. You can't decouple those two. They they need they need to be part of how we converse about the vision, how this school district and this community moves forward. >> Yeah. I I agree with that. Um, I you know, wholeheartedly. When we talk

138about academic excellence, I don't think you can get there without social emotional support. Like when you think about what helps students, what helps them succeed, it is what happens in the classroom, but when you don't have those wraparound services and supports, it's that much harder. And I'll say like, you know, I I I think I've been talking about this for like 3 years now. We've been doing so much to try to get this budget under control and it is hard. It is extremely difficult. The answers aren't easy. There are lots of constraints that we have to work um, within. There are lots of rules and regulations that we have to work within and so, it's going to mean making some very tough decisions. Um, and I know I've said this over and over again sitting

139here, but I really feel like we need to look at what the options are and figure out where we are going to put our priorities. When you talk about school closings, it sounds really, really bad, but then when you look at school closings and put that up against some of the other cuts that we will have to make because we're not in a position where we can run out of money. We have to make payroll. We have to keep the lights on. Um then it becomes a uh a much different conversation. So, I agree. I think we need to look at what our priorities are and look at what our options are and we've got to make those tough decisions. There's no other way. >> And I think uh a part of that um so,

140you know, I wrote down something um someone said students over structures. And to me, that's where the vision starts. I know we've made we've had to make some very hard choices. Um and I can say as board member, I am learning the lessons along the way. So, I'm ready to make the students the priority. We also have a >> [applause] >> We also have um new information that's that came to us in terms of our master's facilities plan. And I'm discussion with everybody that's a that that creates a whole new picture for what our conversation in October may look like because it's it's a pretty impactful plan with the demands of how we're going to look at how we use our buildings and and build our buildings and grow our buildings. Um so, I you

141know, I'm ready and we are going to I just want the community to know that among the board the word vision has been elevated to a very high level. We know. And we and I know from conversation with members one-on-one that we are going to give this some serious thoughtful consideration because we can't move forward without it. And we will commit to engaging community conversations as we do this. I know that one of the things that has been happening recently is that all of the board members have been out in the community at their at their liaison schools gathering information, talking to teachers, talking to staff. So, that that has been very helpful. But, I you know, I'm also ready to lift up and revisit some things that we previously thought might not be an

142option. So, the pre-pre-K transportation I think is something that we're going to have to seriously bring back to the table um to look at parents' abilities to participate in that adventure. Um and there may be some other programs that we can take a look at um that we may not have thought in the past were viable, but that we we can take a second look at in terms of um is there a possibility there for some additional savings for that so that we can protect our student-facing um resources. So, that's that I think that's I think that's something that all of the board members are interested in. >> I am Can I jump in? Uh so I just uh I think I sort of had a high-level point and then wanted to re-anchor us to

143the uh specific proposal. Um you know, when we got the the master's facility report, I thought what an amazing opportunity because I know it it seems daunting, but what the report tells us is that we have the opportunity to think really big uh about what we want the future to be. Uh I think it I think that the scope of that project reveals to us that we can be really creative and imaginative uh about what comes next. Um I think in terms of this proposal um You know, the way I look at I look at it is that um the budget proposal tonight has almost $6 million in reductions. Um and I think that's a really fantastic step that the administration has taken uh with regards to identifying numbers that will get us closer to

144sustainability. Um I think that of that 5.9 um less than kind of 10% is is the where we're a little bit hung up uh because of the fact that those are critical student-facing roles. So, how I'm thinking about this is uh other other other options that we could consider uh other than those student-facing roles to make up that remaining 10% uh in what holistically I think is a pretty solid proposal. >> So, to um to step >> in um So, I think it's important. Can you go to uh slide six? Cuz I think it's been said, but I want to really acknowledge um this. I think it's yeah, slide six. Six, yeah. Keep going back. >> That's 10. >> Keep Yeah, keep going one more one more. There you go. Um that the six, you

145know, we've been talking about five point I think it was 5.5, um then a 6.3, but we all understand that the 6.3 includes a 1.4 million because of the our our cook our county's inability to get our taxes right. So, technically, the it's important to acknowledge the work cuz you actually came in under under where we were trying to go, but we had to add. So, but the reality is we have to deal with um with this. So, as we think about dealing with this, it's really important to acknowledge part of this 1.4 isn't what we were thinking we were going to have to deal with when we did some of us made the decision to um to vote to not to close Lincolnwood, but um we have to own the reality of that. So,

146if we um can we go to So, also in here though, we're at 3.7 million, which is the fund balance transfer, which I think we have agreed to do 2.7 as a regular as a ongoing minimum commitment to fix our schools, and then we're adding the one the 1 million, so 3.7. Um, so but we are committed and we have no choice based on the master the we all know that document in October to have a real decision, not just about one building, but about our whole entire um district, and that is both um a set of conversations about buildings, what we fix, what we sell, how we do that, and also I think coming with that is a definition of excellence in education. So, to the point, how do we deal with this moment

147of of addressing the um the deficit that we have without with still holding forward that we're going to get together to uh to a vision. So, I the as I understand the the um counselors are 800 approximately 800 uh thousand dollars. Um 549,000 >> 5, mean, so 500 >> No, it's the the actual number is it's about $796,000, so close to 800. That's the actual >> for the salaries and benefits, yes. Okay. >> Is there a reason why the gallery thinks that it's five? >> I have no idea. >> Okay. So, I don't know where they got where they uh camera's telling us it's 800. >> And I just want to be clear that I'm looking at actual salary numbers for this hearing and I heard a lot that and that's not the case. >>

148Yes. >> So, I heard that I'm not sure if that was misreported somewhere. >> It could have been. It's possible that that could have been misreported, but I'm looking at actual salary and benefits numbers for our employees and that total is a little over $796,000, so yes, it's close to $800,000. >> Thank you for clarifying that. >> So, I believe we're creative enough and and y'all had to put something on the table to force us to react to. Um so, I think we're creative enough to explore um how to reduce the number, how to reduce having to cut um all of the um counselors. I think we're all in agreement of that and really the question is how do we take that 800k or 500k if we decide to still cut some and spread it

149across other areas. So, one might be, particularly since we know we're going to have to come to an agreement on our buildings next year, can we reduce by a million or 700,000 the money that we're putting towards our buildings? So, instead of 3.7 million, we put 3 million. That's 700 or something that could for next year go to allow us to keep the counselors, so we then go into next year with clarity of what is going to happen with our building. So, that's a suggestion of an alternative model. >> The question and and can we just clarify the budget the Bessie Road proceeds and reduce Foster of $4 million. Can you separate those two out? >> 3.7 would be $5 million more. >> million row above the 6.3. Can you just It says best proceeds

150{slash} reduced Foster working cash. Is that what that is? >> Will we? >> Yes. So that what that's essentially saying is that that $4 million will reduce the amount of the working cash transfer needed. So but for that $4 million, it would be a $5 million transfer needed. >> Yeah, so we don't sell the school, right? >> Correct. So if we don't sell the school or we don't net $4 million in proceeds, then that working cash transfer would be different. >> And the 3.7 would go up to seven. Would go up into 7.7, right? So >> wondering I was just curious because we haven't Have we seen a final um I mean, we haven't seen a reconciliation of the Foster School budget recently. >> million. >> No, I know, but we were kind of tracking

151towards two. And so I I just >> What are you What are you referring to? >> So of the $6 million that we thought we were going to have to outlay to finish Foster School, we were past tense tracking towards needing $4 million to finish Foster School. And so I'm wondering if that $5 million is an estimate or if we have a final number. >> The $5 million is an estimate down from $6 million. >> Right. >> know. I don't recall a $4 million amount. We have since I've been here, I've consistently said $6 million. So where we are right now, we're just about done with paying bills. So taking all of the the interest income that we've earned on the lease certificate proceeds, we've been able to push most of that interest Well, some

152of that interest income towards the project. There is a portion that has to be set aside because of what's called arbitrage rebate. But the estimate at this point is about $5 million above and beyond the lease certificate proceeds that will need. >> Okay. And so I'm just want to clarify the sale the Bessie Roads proceeds is based on a potential sale at what price? >> $4 million. Okay. So the $4 million is solely Bessie Roads. The $1 million falls to the fund balance transfer. Um okay. Andrew. >> Yeah, just jumping in and give my initial reactions like everyone else here. And I really appreciate the I feel like there's some transparency we're having with each other in this moment and so I'm just going to use we language um as much as I can. Also

153speak of kind of where I see our sell us in this flow of setting things right. Um so the reality is you know we we are still in a financial crisis. Um and like and I know I use this as a rationale for my vote um is it could get worse and we're seeing here it did get worse. We were originally projecting $12 to $15 million in reductions and now we're at $16 to $18 million. That doesn't even consider the money necessary to up our cap backs to the appropriate amount of roughly you know it come down as we close building but roughly 4.5 to 4.8 million. Um and I'm struggling here because you know um I the way I voted in our process of SDRP was that that I did see this coming of

154direct impacts and we know that whenever there's direct impacts on students those will always have out sized impacts on our most marginalized kids. Um so I I don't absolutely do not want to get rid of school counselors. Um I was um but we wouldn't have had to if we'd followed the former recommendation of SDRP 3. Um And and so um we are where we are. This is we've got to find a way forward. Um we need to continue to rebuild trust. I just want to flag that we do have an HR audit, external audit of of central office staff that's going to be forthcoming. I think Dr. Turner is that coming or is that coming at the end of the month or next month? The upcoming months, but that's going to be an important step

155to rebuild trust as well as to make sure we're calibrating our our vision of where we can make additional cuts. Um I'm concerned though. It is now April. Uh we are well behind the pace of the SDRP 3 schedule. Uh SDRP 3 launched, I believe, in January or February of the year and then over time came to fruition in in intense community engagement. Well, it was really intense community engagement through I think from like May of the year. Um and then came to our meetings around the end of September. So, we're already in April. Um I'm I'm concerned cuz I don't think we can wait until October to make some hard decisions. Um I'm concerned because we're having to do this dance between deficit reduction and we we haven't figured the dance out yet. You

156all have told us that and we know. Um the dance between deficit reduction and forward vision. Those are two very hard things to do. To do forward visioning while you're closing schools in the community and people are going through heck. That's really impossible to do. And so that's just a challenge I want to name for us as a board of of I would just hope that we can get this deficit reduction down so that we can start positioning towards what do we need to do to achieve equitable academic excellence in our community? Um and so I'm open to all alternatives. Uh we already have um immediate data on hand from SDRP 3. We have community members who have who I may still be willing to keep working with the process. Um what does it mean

157to move forward with that with urgency, quickly, while also shifting to thinking then what comes after that and casting a vision. So those are some questions I have of I I just don't think we can wait till October to to make these decisions. >> I would um I I would agree obviously that we have some some urgency to make some decisions. Um I I think that what would be most helpful at this phase is if we could see some of those remaining options collectively. Because it's so hard to make trade-offs if you're not looking at the information at the same time. Um so decisions look different if we're looking at option A versus option B. Uh so I would like to request that that's something that potentially could come up at the next meeting is

158uh revisiting uh all of the cost-cutting ideas that have come up over the last 12 months uh and putting those into a single comprehensive menu so we can really think about the implications uh and again the trade-offs between any of those decisions. >> Do we I guess from a in some sense we we have to make a decision today in some in some sense, right? Around some of these cuts. Right? So is it possible to um So we're having to decide if we're going to cut the counselor positions, which in some sense that means are we coming up with another way to balance out that particular cut. So I know there's decisions in October or what but there's decisions today that we have to decide. And so, question is do we have um um We

159have to balance it with something. And to the point of the impact I don't I believe you judge We're going to have to judge our decisions as we get not just on decisions that were one-off decisions, but the collective decisions that we're going to make today, what we may in closing, and what's going to happen in October. The combination of them are going to create what our district is. So, I do not want to quarterback any or critique any individual decision that any of us have made. I'm going to own my decisions. I'm going to own what happened what I made previously, and I believe that I have a perspective of how these decisions come together to end us help us be in a better place. So, for this particular situation we find ourselves today

160we have we do have resources that we can choose to reallocate for year towards counselors. As we then get to the point next year where we have to make a clear decision around our buildings. Sticking with the STRP data, but I think we all acknowledge that that master facilities plan means we have to do some rethinking. It's just that I take what came out of STRP 3 and say do X. We have to do some new analysis cuz that's 500 million, 600 million versus 220. I think we have the board to do it. I love looking forward working with you. I think you're very creative. You have great ideas. I think we can get this forward, but today can we figure out 800, whatever it is >> Yeah, I can >> or we couldn't counselors.

161>> of want to put a point on that cuz I think that's so important. Again, I think we have 5 million in cuts uh that that seem pretty pretty straightforward. Particularly, I don't think anyone's going to fight us on the technology ones. Um so, can we preserve, again, the I guess it's more like 85% of the package that we have in front of us and then come back and deal with that remaining uh number that we need to cut. Can we come back to that next meeting? >> I also want to point out that um 6.3 million is our number. Um and right now, we have been presented with 5.9 333,275 in cuts. And so, um we actually need to find 1.1 million 1,166,725 in order to meet that 6.3 million-dollar number. Um and so,

162if I'm if I'm thinking about well, I'm sorry. The 1.1 is the 800,000 for counselors and I'm just rounding up. Um plus the um the difference between the 400,000 that we're missing between 6.3 and 5.9. And so, that's 1.1 million. Um and so, you know, a couple things. When I think about um you know, other alternatives that aren't statutorily required um within our district to provide and I think about other things that um you know, we could potentially put on the table, right? We've got um you know, we have nine middle school counselors. We have six face liaisons who are brought on with us for money as well. Um we have the preschool bussing, which is you said 1.3. Um and then there were some purchased services things in here, the 200,000 in agency costs

163that you had identified, Tamara. Um that was in the 1.1 million in purchased services. Um and I also want to point out that we have we we just kind of made a guess at what we wanted to spend on crossing guards, but we could find um some there. Um I also want to I also want to just call out if you go forward in the um purchased services area, Tamara. Yep. So the 700 and these numbers had changed a little bit from when I saw them last Wednesday, so I'm just trying to catch up. Um did I think we have 18 um eighth graders that are graduating. >> 19. 19. >> Okay, so 19 that are graduating. And so if and it's about a hundred thousand dollars per student. So on a one-to-one basis we

164have 18 um we have about 1.8 million dollars. Now, that doesn't take into consideration additional spending that we will need to have and for people that are then entering an outplaced program, although I have a lot of confidence in Jenny's services and her ability to make um to to reduce that number, but that gives us um but I I don't know what that estimate comes from, if those are known students or if that's just an estimate. >> So that estimate comes from reducing for the 19 graduates then assuming um that we will receive an additional five students that need out of district placement, and increasing that tuition by 5% because the tuition is going to increase. So, that's where the $750,000 estimated reduction came from. Okay. >> Thank you. Um Uh so, anyway, 1.166 is

165the number that we're looking for. And that includes middle school counselors not being reduced, keeping all nine of them. Um and so, there is an opportunity to understand, you know, what is the ratio that's desired between students and counselors? I think the the ratio in the state, which I think is out of whack, is 500 to 1. Um the recommended is 250. I think we're at about 200. We have two face liaisons per building. That staff is not certified. They do address our most vulnerable students, but they um they are not certified in the same way that a counselor is. Um to be able to perform some of the statutory things that we need to be performed. Um So, is there an opportunity for us to look at the delivery of mental health services to

166our students more holistically? Um I'm I'm not in favor of having um providers share buildings. I think any movement in buildings from one to another reduces efficiencies to a point that isn't worth it. But, I I would rather look at places where we could reduce rather than eliminate. >> Yeah, I think I mean, all of these things have implications, right? I think, you know, whether you're looking at, you know, face liaisons who work with some of our most marginalized students and are helping us get to some of our goals around disproportionately and race and discipline, or you're looking at school counselors, like all of these things have impact. Even when we're looking at, you know, our maintenance costs. I know that there are a lot of things that we have to do because, you know,

167we can't have buildings that are a danger and not healthy for students. So, I think, like, a lot of this falls into things that the district would have a better understanding of the implications of some of these things. Um, and like I've been asking for, you know, like it as we've been having these conversations, I do think that we need um to look at them all together with the recommendation because, like, at this point, like, especially without, you know, closing Lincoln Wood next year, we know that we're going to have to make some cuts that we wouldn't have had to make otherwise that are going to be painful, but understanding like, just having the full view of what that pain is. So, every meeting isn't discussing one thing and then the next meeting is discussing

168something else. But, at the end of the day, you know, we're not looking at that impact all together. >> I think it's also important to say if we even had closed Lincoln Wood there would also be some additional cuts, right? There's people who would have been cut if we closed Lincoln Wood as well. Yeah, the 1.4 million dollars. >> Yeah, just not as deep. We wouldn't have had to >> Not as deep, yeah. >> Yeah, but, you know, like that is what it is and we know what what doing next year at least. But, with that being said, I think we need to to be able to look at this and give the administration the opportunity. Like, I don't want to do it here on the fly because I think that we need the administration

169to guide us and help us understand some of those implications because it's really, you know, it's not wise to make these difficult decisions when we don't understand the implications all at once. >> Can I also flag that there are six face liaisons in total, so not two per building. There are six servicing the full district. There are nine middle school counselors, so there are three at each middle school. So, I want to clarify, not two face liaisons. >> I got you. I got you. Thanks, Tiffany. >> Six in total face liaisons. >> Nine total. The middle schools and King Arts. >> So, as I received this >> The middle school counselors are at middle schools and King Arts. That's where they are. >> So, can we can we when we're talking about the middle school

170counselors and the face liaisons, one of the um things that I was considering and and contemplating is how those providers interact and move seamlessly across what the face liaisons initiate and then what happens at the middle school. Um >> [clears throat] >> also, I'm I'm thinking about um with the loss of school counselors, um some of the activities and responsibilities that they were completing may be shifted to administrators in the building in some way. Let me finish. I'm These are considerations. These are I'm thinking out loud. And my my hope is that to a completely eliminate all of the middle school counselors would be a drastic shift in school climate and student services. And is there some way that we could preserve a counselor for each building and look at having them continue to provide

171the student have their focus be on the student-facing services that the community and the and the school climate so richly need in order to just provide education. So, that's that's my That would be my hope. And is that is that possible? >> But one thing I want to point This is This is I think this is for you all to decide. >> Yeah. I I think I think one of the things we have to consider is is I would like for us to have a a framework for decision-making. And so, when I think about staff resources, and I'm sure obviously we think about it in the classroom setting, we have a deck-mandated you know, classroom size, right? So, that's designated for us. Um, you know, there's also guidelines and recommendations for student to counselor ratios.

172Um, and I think that what I've heard here and in discussions in the community that I've had, you know, the investment in counselors may be saving us down the line in additional social workers or even, you know, attendance issues and and other administrative costs. So, um, when I think about, you know, obviously it's for the it's it's I mean, maybe this I guess this is a question. Like, how do we understand the tradeoffs? So, how do we as a board understand the elimination of counselors and then who's going to do that work and what's the longer-term implication of them not being in the building? I I don't I don't know how to do that. >> So, I I I mean, I assume I'm curious if we take a Can we say the will of the

173board? I don't know if the conversation is about getting rid of all nine. I think we're beyond having the conversation of getting rid of all nine counselors. And now I think we're having the conversation around what Yeah, what the number, what are we comfortable with? You know, you have You can say we want two per school, we want one per school. How do we We came in The conversation coming in was zero counselors. What are we How we What are we willing to go with and how we willing to pay for it? It's the it's the it's what we need to uh make a decision around. >> I think it depends on, again, what other proposals we see next time. So, um I think that's why we're uh posing these as questions to the administration

174because um ultimately uh you have access to that data and like Maya said, you'll be able to advise us on uh what the implications of any one of those uh cuts in any different area would be. Um so again, I think we've had various meetings in the past had different proposals to cut different services and we've voted one way or another. Uh but I think what we're looking for from the administration now is let's put those all on the table and let's talk about if we uh you know if we uh cut another area altogether, uh how much does that does that save us? And then that can help inform how many counselors we keep. >> The clarifying I just need a clarifying of a process here. I Chris, I feel like what you're saying

175is we could we can punt on having to have a decision financially today, but can we do that and still vote on a resolution? Or can we Does the voting on the resolution signal that we've come up with how we're going to fund it? That's just a you know >> A process question. >> A process here. That's a process. So >> A timing. >> Are we voting >> I'm set. >> The voting of the resolution meets the Illinois state statute, which requires us to have to notify any impacted reduction in force of educators by April 15th. That is the decision you're making today. School counselors are educators. They are part of the deck bargaining unit. They follow that April 15th timeline. So if you say today that you don't want the district to move forward

176in any reduction uh school counselors, you cannot come back later and say let's come up with the plan, let's eliminate four school counselors versus or whatever the decision is because the timeline to have communicated any reduction in force, which essentially that would cause that would that would be what would happen would be passed at this particular point. >> And we've already notified them. So really it's a going back to have conversations. We notify counselors as everyone shared last Thursday. So, we've made our notification. It would be us rolling back and figuring out like what that process would be. >> So, this is one of those hard decisions. Um and I am not in favor of reducing all of the school counselors. I'm not in favor of that. I think that is too the need is

177too great. The need is already there. Um my I'm going to go back to my thought of having instead of having the three have at least one school counselor at each middle school. So, that's that's what I'm putting on the table. So, um if someone else would like to make a recommendation, I would like to >> Yeah, I would I would um you know, I would um hearing from folks and I I believe that we could there's a recommendation of reducing our fund balance transfer to in order to give us a year. Now, um that's my that's a recommendation, but I also believe we can find some money in other areas. I also believe there's um other areas um thinking about some reduction, looking at numbers in um before and after school care. Um I

178think we have to look at all of these and say what is the closest to the to the kids. And And also, we're going to have the turnover in two two principals at the high school next year. Two new middle schools I'm sorry. Two middle schools next year. And so, I think making sure that there's counselors in those particular situations. >> I want to be crystal clear. I am not voting to support the cutting of any counselors when I learned about this on Thursday. >> Okay. >> We do not have enough information to make that kind of decision. >> [applause] >> These are critical resources. Um these are people's lives. We cannot decide We just can't do it tonight. We We do We have to had enough of a discussion to understand the full parameters.

179>> So then we are saying we have to find then we're we're saying then it's on someplace else. But we it's on us to give that direction, right? So we you know, as owning someone who didn't close the school that now creates the situation we have to say what we're willing to do. >> of things that led to this situation. It's not just the vote not to close Lincolnwood. Let's be crystal clear. There have been many decisions over the last 8 months that have led us to this point including spending an extra million dollars on transportation every year including $500,000 in iPads. So yes, we didn't vote to close Lincolnwood, but we are not choosing Lincolnwood versus counselors. >> No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,

180no, no, no, no, no, no. >> That's fine. >> Okay. So I want to be clear. I support a holistic approach to how we address budget deficits. So going back to we should have closed Lincolnwood for what may be $1.4 million. I just We got to stop that. We got to move forward on how are we going to do this as a group because continuing to go back and say I made the decision and you guys didn't and now we're in this situation is just a destruction of our ability as a board to come together and have a holistic situation have a holistic decision. So I just want us to just We are where we are. Here we are. You said that. Andrew, you said it. So let's do that now. >> Yeah, so I

181just want to reflect on A, again, I don't support getting rid of school counselors. I voted that way, right? I mean, we already took away that journey. Um and yet here we are um facing now are we going to go backwards on budget progress that we've just clawed out. It's been brutal and hard. And um essentially, are we going to be honest with ourselves about how we got here? That's why I would discourage us from from rating the 2.7 million CAPEX, and I'd say we need to find the cuts. Because guess what? We we might have to close two schools this fall, and we are still going to have to make programming and staffing cuts. And so we've got to do the hard work now. We can't punt on it. If we if we if

182we uh stop if we pull back from the CAPEX, guess what? We're just going to claw that again sometime. And so I would encourage us if this is where we're headed um we need to find true cuts. Um the other bit I just reflect on here too is it just um this is challenging situation because it was Dr. Turders' proposal and Tamara and Dr. Harkin who proposed and Dr. Beardsley working together um to make a proposal, and then now they are trying to do the best with where we are cuz it's where we are. Um and now here we are last minute in a board meeting trying to figure this out. So I this is not ideal ideal functioning um for our board. >> 100% not. >> Um >> It's also not ideal functioning to

183hear about these budget cuts four days before a board meeting and then have numbers that are absolutely different from what we saw what I saw five days ago reflected here. I still don't know what the job description of a counselor is. I don't know what the job description of a face liaison is. I don't know how many students any of those individuals serve because I just haven't had time to get that data and better understand what we're doing. And so, the timeline here is not good. >> So, the timeline is also a product of >> how long it took us here. >> How the whole how the the process has unfolded and we we I accept that responsibility for pushing the timeline to what it is. I accept that responsibility and I I want to

184move forward. >> Let's do that. >> Um but we have to make a decision tonight because the resolution had we have to come to some agreement about the resolution. It's It is a difficult decision. We part of the challenge is that our vision hasn't been specific and dictated up to this point specifically what those cuts have should be. We did have a laundry list of items that we were going to look at. Um I do understand the difficulty of processing all this information in a shorter period of time with this deadline pushing us towards making a decision. So, I want to call the will of the board to determine if it seems that the school counselor positions are the point of difficulty. So, I want to hear from each board member about what they are

185thinking of in in terms of moving forward with going to the next step of the resolution, whether the school counselors should be included or not. >> And do we have to have some way of if we say not how to how to how to balance the cost or right now is it just okay? >> Because that will influence that may influence some decision making. If we're not going to make a decision about reducing the deficit through reducing positions of school counselors, then we have to have an alternative or some direction to look to to cover that budget deficit. >> Okay. All right. You want to start here? >> Sure. Um I think we can I mean I know we can cover that 1.6 because we've >> 1.16 because we've seen proposals in prior months um

186that we passed on. Uh so I I think I think the money's there. Uh so I I am not in favor of cutting school counselors. >> So I am I'm also not in favor, but I'm also again it we we really this is this is a hard decision that we have to make. And I'm for keeping at least one counselor at every middle school. And I also want to see the again as as Andrew mentioned and it's been shared you know there's going to be an HR audit. Uh and this is something that might that's going to answer what Maria's asking. Like what what is it what are how what what are the what are the rules and responsibilities for each position so that we as board members understand how what what the specific tasks

187that folks do and um we're able to also learn how they interact with one another, right? Again, what I heard from folks who are sharing, you know, I learned a lot and you know, or they they they're part of the cares team and they all coordinate and they help with transitions. I love all of that. That that's exactly what we want to see in our schools. But unfortunately, we just do not have the money to have all nine school counselors at this point. Will Can we revisit it if we're able to maybe save some money in the future? Yes. Unfortunately, as folks have mentioned, you know, we can't hold you know, bring back some of these folks that we let go and that's that's the tough part. So, I'm for having at least one at

188least one counselor in every middle school. That way we don't totally disrupt the care coordination that's happening in our middle schools. And again, looking at CapEx, maybe a temporary reduction which I eventually as as Andrew says, we're going to have to claw back at some point. Then any other >> [cough] >> Um I am not in favor of reducing school counselors. I am interested in looking at potential areas in pre-K bussing, the reduction of capital expenditures, the reduction of face liaisons, the reduction of school-age child care, um the And I'd like to better understand the rest of our agency services expenditures that are on the budget for next year. I know we reduced it by 200,000 but I leave I believe we're running at least in the budget for this year about 2 million dollars.

189So, I'd like to understand that. >> Um it's actually I believe 547,000 that I have it reduced by. >> The agency services fee? >> Correct. Um for agency services, I have in those estimated projection reductions, 547,615. >> Oh. Okay, I still would like to understand uh the total amount. >> So, I've previously said that I am not in favor of eliminating all of the school counselors. I am in favor of retaining one school counselor at each middle school and paying for and covering the deficit with a revisit of pre-K transportation and revisiting the school-age after-school child care some of the after-school child care programs in terms of how we can take some savings from those areas. >> Um So, definitely not in um favor of I believe that we can keep all three counselors, but

190understand why we might need to do two. Um I I I believe we can take money out of the um the cap because next year we are going to have to make a definitive decision about a multitude of different spaces. Um and so, knowing that decision is coming is not I don't think it's necessarily kicking it down the uh road because we're going to make trans we're going to make have to make transformative changes to our to our um to our spaces. I also believe that there's um with and because of the closure and because of the new two new principals at two middle schools, that's really important to understand the supports that are needed uniquely in next year. Um So, I would like to keep the three counselors, but it's on us to vote

191yes on the reductions that have to come that have to come forward. It's not we have to we have to make those. And one to me is the cap because I think that's less addressing personnel. >> I think I could just say you know we Dr. Pink and I were just exchanging some comments. I'm just appreciative of transparency and the ability to have talk about some very hard things. I don't really care for that we're having to make a essentially a a non-data-driven decision right here on the the the spur of the moment. Um Thriving middle schools in D65 for the future will have school counselors. Um We need to to There's pressures on everything and I I This exact language I don't think has been used, but I know the sentiment shared. I'm not

192like claiming any sort of monopoly on this, but right we need to avoid disparate impacts on our most marginalized kids. And so that's where I'm concerned is that just we are so close to the ball. I mean, we're already looking at disparate impacts. We are looking from a menu of disparate impacts now as we move forward. That's how serious we have gotten as far as we're looking for cuts. So, I'm very deeply concerned and again, not the only person here concerned about that just to be clear. Um I just want to emphasize with pre-K transportation. I do think it's entirely reasonable to have a free reduced lunch dimension. I I do think that free pre-K transportation for our lowest income students and is really important. We know that JH is 80% racially minoritized plus 8

19340% low income plus 40% IEP plus 40% ELL, plus so this really really matters that for our our most marginalized kids that we keep access. That's a huge difference maker in a if we're going to achieve our equity goals, which is going to be part of our vision moving forward. Um I just also note that we we created an additional $400,000 of of hazard routes um at a recent vote when we also looked at at transportation and that may be something that we need to revisit. Um and I I want to be realistic though about pre-K transportation. If we already know that I've already said 40% low income. Um so that there's not money there's not a lot of money to be got there. Um and so that's not going to get us very far.

194Um I would just say um I oppose bringing down the 2.7 cap X. Or I think boards have gone wrong in the past and we have a chance to set a trajectory is let's make these hard decisions. Um let's not cover over. Um let's set the structures right and then envision from there. I again I I just like that we're I I I'm not the expert in how many school counselors we need. Um but I think that two in each building seems to me to be the very minimum of what I I I would hope for ideally looking into the future. Um and I think it no matter what we do, we are going to have to revisit the roles across the of we've mentioned face liaisons, we're going to revisit roles, we have mentioned

195counselors, we're going to revisit roles to make sure that there's as much high functioning and and efficiency as possible and so that our students are getting what they need. >> So you're saying two per building? >> I mean if if >> And what you think? Um I have mentioned the 400,000 additional hazard routes. Um I mentioned the 400 additional hazard routes that we designated. Um we do have some revenue potential um but we don't have any data on that and that's going to take a while to get that data. I think we have to be um fair to our admin um because we've never expected that or since we've instituted that. Um >> Yeah, I I think we're at a place where realistically, it is going to be almost impossible to cut all of any

196of these things. Like when you look at hazard routes, we're going to have to put some money towards that. If you look at capital expenditures, we're going to have to spend something in order to just keep our buildings in enough shape for next year. Um if you look at preschool bussing, again, pre-K is so important when it comes to setting a student up, especially our most marginalized students for the future. So I don't think that we can cut all of that. Yes, we might be able to do some um cost sharing. Um don't know how much that would bring in, but that's not something we could completely cut. Like same thing with child care, same thing with face liaisons who are serving some of our most marginalized students. So given how difficult this is and

197like how important school counselors are on top of that, I think we're in a scenario where we need to think about shaving some off of all of these areas instead of eliminating one area. I just don't see any other way to do it. Um so with that being said, you know, I'd be comfortable with, you know, one to two. I I would look for the admin to recommend what that would be um in each middle school because I just like we've had discussions about all of these topics and they're all incredibly hard. So, I think we have to be realistic about what we can really do. >> I just have a one clarifying question. We're saying middle schools, but we have three at Haven, three at Nichols, two at Shute, and then we have that

198one at King Arts. Are we including King Arts when we say leaving one in a middle school cuz they have middle school students at K-8? Okay. >> And then, but if you add face >> just to connect it. So, you have three counselors, face can you do counselors, face liaison at each so we know what each school has? >> No, no, no. I'm saying that you're telling me the numbers so we know how many counselors. Tell me the numbers of face liaison for each. There's six in the district. Every school doesn't have two, so I'm just asking. Shute has You understand what I'm saying? So, how many individuals Yeah, so I can say each school Shute has two, two has So, I understand the resources that are per school, counselors and face liaisons. That's what

199I'm asking. Cuz it's different. Right. >> Katie can speak to um feeder pattern. Though, each face liaison has a feeder pattern, right? Okay. >> So, in summary >> Yes. Oh, sorry. Katie's pulling up the specifics about schools cuz um Dr. Pinker, that's what you're asking for? Yeah. Cuz for me in in the district, they're considered citywide staff. So, they have to pull it tell you the specific schools that they're supporting. >> And Haven has two. >> I won't give names but we have one face liaison that's a shared between Haven, Willard, and Bessie Rhodes. One that is shared between um she another person is also Haven, Walker, and Oakton. Um one with uh Nichols, Dewey, and Washington. Um one at King Arts and Dewey. And then one for Lincoln, Lincolnwood, and Orrington. And I think

200we have a vacancy, too. Okay, so then okay. >> So, I'm going to move to a summary of what I think I'm hearing the will of the board is. That we don't want to completely eliminate counselors at the middle school level, which includes King Arts. I'm hearing that we would like to have a range of one to two counselors at each school. And that the board is going to direct administration to guide and make that determination. Is that what I'm hearing? >> I Yeah, I was at one. >> I was at three. Three. How many were you? You were at one. >> So, it's I was at three and then two. So, we're really probably at two as the as the median. There's not a There's not a vote for three. There's not a vote,

201but there's a vote for at least two. >> There seems to be a vote for at least two. >> Tiffany, did you hear that? Two middle school counselors at every school. >> Except for well >> Except for um >> Right, King Arts currently only has one. >> and then Shu currently has two. So, are we >> Is really Haven and How many middle school students are there at King Arts? >> I don't I I can't tell middle school students. I'm like I'm HR. >> 171 >> Hold on, Stacy would she can I can you pull up students? Yeah. I'm like I I'm HR I deal with employees. >> Why don't you just pull the numbers for enrollment for each of the middle schools? So, we have that. >> If it's helpful, I'll give you the

202projected numbers for next year. >> And we have some quiet in the quiet so we can conduct this conversation. >> So, middle school projected for next year Shu is 672 Sorry, that's wrong. Let me get to my the correct column so for our audience. Um So, projected for next year for Shu is 591. Projected for Haven next year is 601. So, 601. And projected for Nichols is 569. >> What's the projection for King Arts? >> Um scroll down to the bottom of my spreadsheet and we'll have it momentarily. Projected for King Arts next year is 169. >> Okay. >> And King Arts currently has one counselor. Okay. So, we're Pardon me? >> That would be 722217. That would be seven total? >> I'm just saying if you're I'm saying that's what it mean if we

203say two at the middle schools and one is seven. >> So, the 169 in King Arts is for the middle school grades because these are middle school counselors. So, to the flag that's that's Okay. >> The numbers I provided were projections for middle school. >> Okay. >> So, just to just to kind of anchor us in ratios So, if we go to two that means that at Shue Haven and Nichols we will have respectively a ratio of 295, 300, and 284 students per counselor. And at King Arts it's 169. If we go to and right now the difference is at three we're about 200 per per counselor. So, we're effectively increasing that by 30% which makes a lot of sense if you reduce one. So if we do you want me to do it for

204one where it we are we are not doing >> I don't think I think that I think that I think for the larger middle schools the consensus is two. among the board >> So, one thing I just want to anchor us on >> Can we have can we please can you gavel us? >> Guys, this is really hard really hard and I know that you guys want to listen to you can't hear us. Okay, we'll talk louder. Thank you. Um we heard that each middle school counselor meets with students twice a year. Is that is that part of the law? >> If that's what you heard I don't I don't it's it's not part of the it's not part of the I don't know what you heard. >> The Sabers the >> Just Dr. Plaza,

205can you come up please? THANK YOU. >> [applause] >> CAN YOU GIVE US ACCURATE DATA? >> YES. SO, our counselors meet with all students at their assigned grade level twice a year. Just because that's what they do for many meetings. They do a quick check-in with them to gather data about at the beginning of the year, introduce how are you, what do you need for me to plan support for them. We do that again in the winter. They meet with all of the kids on their caseload again to track growth and progress for how they did from fall to winter, and then is there anything else that you've identified that you need support with. We use Sabre's data to help us identify kids who get additional intervention support from the counselors, but they meet with

206every single one of the kids at their grade level. >> Okay. Can you speak to the impact of reducing the number of counselors at the primary middle schools by one? >> I can speak to the experience of what it means to have two counselors because Shooters had that experience for the last, well, since counselors have been in existence. Our other middle schools have all Haven and Nichols have both had three. Um they have to split a grade level. So, right now they split seventh grade, and they each take half of the seventh grade population. It makes it difficult to be able to provide intervention and supports to kids who need it because they have more kids than the other student the other counselors do at Haven and Nichols. There is a system, and they have

207figured out a system, but there are definitely challenges. They're not able to see kids as often and as regularly. They're more often called into crisis situations and having to be more reactive than proactive because there's two in each space. And so, I would imagine that that would be the experience that would happen at Haven and Nichols as well because you would be reducing um at this point Schu actually has the highest enrollment and they are making it work with two but it's not the ideal situation. >> Can you Can you also speak to um the Like I wish that we had thought to bring you up here before. Thank you for coming. Um can you speak a little bit to sort of the preventative nature that counselors provide? So what I'm trying to understand is

208you take one away what happens? >> So our counselors do a multitude of things. One is the social emotional well-being. One of them is support with college and career readiness which includes transitions from fifth grade up to middle school but then also middle school over to the high school. Uh they also do support with >> Haven. >> Uh and then they do support with things like attendance, grades, um work completion, executive functioning. And so I Can you repeat your question? >> What do you anticipate being the impact uh going forward? So if if they're dealing with crisis situations. So they do a lot of things I think that relate to culture and climate and it sounds like >> Yeah. >> preventative that preventing the escalation. So >> I would say most almost all of their

209time is going to be focused on the social emotional well-being piece. There will not be time for them to be able to support in the same way with college and career readiness um which are required lessons in the state of Illinois. Um so there will be a reduction in time that they're able to do that. Um things like mini meetings may have to be reconfigured and redeveloped in order to be able for them to actually meet with every student and be able to form the relationships that they're able to form right now. Things like attendance and grades are probably something that they would like to be able to focus on and they may be able to for kids that have high needs that are really specifically on their caseload, but their more global approach that

210they're able to offer right now will be reduced. >> Thank you. >> You're welcome. >> So, where are we landing? >> She said two. >> Two. Two whatever. Two where where they needed. >> At every school and one at King Arts. And we and in light of this, we are also going to have to look at how we're going to close the gap of the rest of that deficit. In real time. >> So, essentially the decision is the elimination of two school counselors out of the nine versus um and retaining seven. That's what I'm saying. Retaining seven, so just so it goes on record. Retaining seven with the elimination of two school counselor positions. >> So, we're going to bring that discussion to a close? Because we have to move forward with um the action

211items. And with that board consensus, that will be considered within the resolution. Correct? Okay. So, I'm going to start with uh the the resolution for reduction in force of teachers as noted. Correct? I move that the board adopt and approve the resolution authorizing the reduction in force of teachers as noted. >> Second. >> Do you need a second? >> Yes. >> For all of these. Hernandez? >> Yes. >> Obtech? >> No. >> Teachers. >> And Newstrand? >> No. >> Weimer? >> Yes. >> Wilkins? >> Yes. >> Pinker? >> So, this is the counselor now, right? >> Yes. >> Anderson? >> Yes. >> Motion passes 5 to >> Second motion. I move that the board adopt and approve the resolution authorizing the non-renewal of non-tenure teachers other than final year probationary teachers. >> Second. Hernandez? >>

212Yes. >> Upthegrove? >> Yes. >> Van Nieuwenhuyzen? >> Yes. >> Weimer? >> Yes. >> Wilkins? >> Yes. >> Pinkerton? >> Yes. >> Anderson? >> Yes. >> Motion passes 7-0. >> Action is resolution for >> Yes. >> On this one over here. >> Yes. Well, this is the counselors >> Me, too. This one to decide. >> Resolution [clears throat] for reduction in force, honorable dismissal of educational support personnel as noted. I move that the board adopt and approve the resolution authorizing the reduction in force of educational support personnel as noted. >> This is the team. >> This is the This is the counselors now. >> No. This is support personnel. >> staff. >> This is the other bargaining units that we indicated. >> Second. >> Hernandez? >> Yes. >> Upthegrove? >> Yes. >> Van Nieuwenhuyzen? >>

213Yes. >> Weimer? >> Yes. >> Wilkins? >> Yes. >> Pinkerton? >> Yes. >> Anderson? >> Yes. >> Motion passes 7-0. Uh we are now going to move to the clarification and ratification of the February 23rd, board approval of resolution regarding the suspension and dismissal of of a tenured teacher administrator. In our February 23rd action to suspend and dismiss Mr. Carlos Mendez, the board's motion did not specifically name him. We have been advised by board legal counsel that the best practice is to name the individual that is subject of the termination for cause in the board's motion. By this action tonight, we are merely clarifying that prior that prior motion and correcting any oversight on our part. I move that the board clarify and ratify its prior motion and action taken at its February February 23rd,

2142026 board meeting that approved the resolution regarding the suspension and dismissal of a tenured teacher administrator in the school district by naming Carlos Mendez as the subject of such motion and resolution. >> I second. >> Hernandez? >> Yes. >> O'Keefe? >> Yes. >> Van Nieuwstadt? >> Yes. >> Weimer? >> Yes. >> Wilkins? >> Yes. >> Pinkard? >> Yes. >> Anderson? >> Yes. >> Motion passes 7-0. >> Okay, we are now going to move to discussion of the FY25 annual financial report audit presentation led by Pamela. >> All right, we have um Scott Dunser, principal from Wipfli LLP here this evening. So, he will um talk about the FY25 audit for District 65 as well as uh Park School, the joint agreement. >> I'll I'll it I'll give it a minute. Is this one off? Okay.

215How do I How do I move it? >> Can you take your conversations out, please? Sorry, this lady said you were beautiful. >> Thank you, Ms. Stone. >> Adela? Which one? This one? Yeah. That's how he asked Adela. There's 1.7 million in the remaining allowances for foster. 1.7 million. In the remaining allowances for foster. So. Really cleared them out, sir. >> Good evening. Yeah, I can clear out a room faster than >> them out. >> Don't leave it. >> Hopefully you'll have a quiet one. >> Yeah, thank thank you for having me. This is my first time here our initial audit with you guys. As Stan was saying, my name is Scott Danzer. I'm a principal at uh at Whitely um and I'm the principal in charge of the the field work and the completion

216of the audit. I've had been doing government financial audit work for about 30 years now, specializing pretty much exclusively uh 12 months a year in in a the school district area. So, I hope everybody got a chance to look at the reports and sent over. I think we sent them over last month, so everybody should have a good time. So, if anybody has any questions, please shout them out, stop me, ask for clarification. That would be fine, but just wanted to go over, you know, the you know, the annual financial audit. Why do you need an audit? What's the objective of it? Well, you basically need an audit because it's in the Illinois Compiled Statute. IASB requires it. Uh so, that's where we come in. We're independent of the district in fact and appearance so,

217we're able to issue an opinion on the financial statements. So, the objective Basically, the objective of the audit is to uh provide reasonable assurance that the financial statements are fairly stated in all material respects. Uh an auditor cannot give absolute assurance. Something they can't do. If they give absolute assurance, we would require uh testing every transaction that ever happened in the district. So, but we use procedures and techniques to get to a level that we think that these base these financial statements and the related notes to the financial statements are fairly fairly stated. There is a three-step Basically, a three-step process that I break it down for the auditing. A planning, a testing, and then the financial reporting presentation mode. Planning um is basically sort of gaining an understanding of internal controls that the district

218has, how they operate, what they're doing. And we do that so we can develop uh the tests we want to perform. Uh we identify risk you know, potentially risky areas where we want to put more focus on and not so much risky areas that maybe there's a little bit less focus. So, that's conducted in the planning phase. The testing portion is where we spend probably the most of our time. Uh that's where we do um you know, check the numbers, make sure they're accurate. We can do that in a variety of ways. Um we do third-party verification or confirmation we could use uh for bank balances for instance. Uh analytic analytical review rely on heavily compared, you know, actual numbers of prior years, actual numbers of the the budget, look for the variances that don't

219make sense. Observation. The general, you know, what we see at the district, the transactions, the buildings, and re-performance. So, there's a variety of techniques that all come together that lead us to a to a to a level of confidence that we can issue an opinion on the financial statements. Last step is reporting. These financial statements that we report on are the district's financial statements. We help put the report together on behalf of the district, um but they are the district's. We also prepare the annual financial report for Illinois State Board of Education. It's a standardized report that every school district in in Illinois is required to submit to ISBE. That's where they take all the data from all the districts and can do all their ratios, figure out funding things, and all all things. So,

220it's a standardized report in addition to the bound financial statements, audited financial statements that they get. And there's a couple of other letters that I'll speak to over a minute that we have to that we're required to to submit for according to government auditing standards. Went backwards. Just want to talk a little bit about the opinion that we issue. The district, as in previous years, issues financial statements on a modified cash basis of accounting. generally accepted accounting principles, but it's an allowable reporting method by Illinois State Board of Education. I'm not sure to say that probably the majority of districts in Illinois use the modified cash or cash basis of of accounting. So, basically, our audit says our our opinion reports that we believe these financial statements are all are are fairly stated in all

221material respects on the modified cash basis of accounting and there's no other qualifications related to that. Briefly, I want to talk about some of the financial statements that are reported and then there's two sets basically and this is a a balance sheet of the government-wide financial statements. This is taking all the funds and everything in the district. All funds are just squeezing them down into one column. Also reports in here capital assets, long-term capital assets, the buildings, the equipment on on historical cost. Uh and also includes um your your your debt. General obligation debt, leases, long-term debt on that. Because it's on the modified cash basis of accounting, we're missing pay most most payables on here, accounts payable, accounts receivable, property tax receivables. And it's also excluding any liabilities related to uh the district's allocation

222of pension or OPEB debt, other post-employment debt of the you IMRF pension debt or TRS pension debt. So, that's excluded on the cash basis of accounting. So, the net position sort of shows that that's like equity that's left in the district. 77. A little over 77 million, up a little bit from last year. It's up a little bit because I think you paid down some debt. You paid down some debt. Net position goes up. Next set of financial statements and this is an income statement um related to the the fund you know, the fund financial statements and this is probably what most people are more familiar with because this is how you levy, this is where you're budgeting, this is where you're looking for looking for areas to basically save money. As we can see,

223the other the other statements are more focused on long-term financial health of the district moving forward. These are the ones that are the day-to-day operations. As a And this is as of June 30th, um 2025, and you know, it's sort of starting to see but in the there's a in the in the final column on the right there, we have a we have a a deficit of about 11 I think it's about 11.7 million dollars. And even if we take out the 10 million dollars of construction uh you know, let net net loss there, you still had in 2025 a net loss of about 1.4 million dollars or so, I believe. Um Excuse me. And your fund balance also shows here it's about a 35% fund balance to expenditure ratio. It's a little bit from

224you know, the districts that I deal with, a little bit on the lower side. You have to remember also this is as of June. June should be one of your highest months of the year. Uh you know, you get the yearly taxes in. Uh you know, these are you know, collect taxes that you're going to spend in the next year coming up. It's probably one of the highest water marks of the thing because property taxes don't come come in, you know, monthly at at the same amount. Uh there's a big, you know, it's the the spring distribution and then who knows when you're going to get your fall distribution. It's extremely It's extremely late, as you know, last year. So, um you know, it's a Like I said, a little bit comparative on on on

225the low side. There's a few other documents that I just want to speak to briefly that should have been in the board packet that you were on. One's an independent auditor's report on internal control. Um we're required to issue this report to uh the governing board. Uh and it states our responsibility as our internal control. We do not issue an opinion on internal controls. Like I mentioned before, we document them to design test of a thing. That being said, we don't have any significant deficiencies or material weaknesses to report related to internal control. So, we think the operations are are a are for for the amount of staff and the people the transactions that are running through the the business office have an appropriate level of controls related to them based on the staffing. That's

226an ongoing thing. Controls can always be improved on. Usually, in improving controls is a segregation of duties fund that takes that involves more people in a process. That's something, you know, that you have to weigh that every district I do has to weigh. And there's also a letter communication with those charged with governance. More of a boilerplate letter, but I the other board should read that and and and and take note of that, too. Part of the AFR I spoke to earlier, they calculate out a um annual financial report. But all the numbers sort of flow from the you know, in the audit report they're the they're they're reported for the funds in the in the AFR the same same way. And it calculates out one tab in the Excel workbook calculates out this annual

227financial report and profile score. This district came out with a 3.8 out of 4. And it's you know, it's at a recognition level as of June 30th. Might be a little misleading uh just based on you know, what's the current trends that I see in thing. But you know, the the two areas that that at the district didn't score a 4.0 is days cash on hand. Was 99.24 days calculated out. Again, this is as of June, so this should be the one of the best numbers you have as days cash on hand. And also percentage of long-term debt remaining. That's just basically bonded debt compared to your property tax EAV. So, the only way that can improve is if you paid on your debt or your EAV goes up. You know, I've been talking about

228this slide and things in a lot and pretty much all my districts that I've been to this past year. And it's you know, just looking back on the past 5 years. And what I'm going to say is nothing got nothing going to be new to you guys. But I I really do not envy you and the decisions that you have to make as a board. But you know, as you know, the moving forward comparatively the for and basically all my school districts, increases in revenues are not going to be like they were in the past 5 years. Uh obviously ESSER funds are eliminated. Any additional federal funding we flat if at all increased. Uh basically inflation might have came down the numbers that the rate, but the prices don't really come down. No, it's just

229the rate of increase that's come down. That also affects your property tax levy because they can't you're capped at the CPI now. So, you're not going to get the 5% anymore. So, that caps your property taxes. That was a different story for the past several years when you know, the CPI was high. It was you got the max 5% uh that you could. I don't think the state is in a very good you know, in in a position for excess discretionary funds out. They're sitting and they have uh extremely large pension liabilities, other post-employment benefit liabilities that they're that don't really reflect on your you know, your side and you're not obligated to pay them as of yet, but they're still an you know, initial thing that limits the amount of help, uh you know,

230you can get from there. If we look back, you know, 5 years ago, COVID time, the the money came in. The excess federal the federal funds came in. Expenses sometimes went down for a lot of districts, you know, so it's sort of the pendulum swung sort of the other way. And like I said, it's not you're not in a definitely not in a unique position. A lot of districts and boards are finding, you know, in the same boat looking at ways to balance the budget because it is it's something that you really need to look at right away. If you push it down the road, it just gets harder and compounds. You know, and it's not going to get easier. Right, so the you know, the the tough choices should be made sooner than later.

231That being said, I would could take >> Is that it? >> That's it. Do you want me to go longer? >> That's good. No, I just want to make sure you're done. You gave us a whole lot. >> Okay. Okay. >> Any questions for him? >> I just this whole lot. >> Yeah. Yeah. You did a great job summarizing. >> Yes. >> I I do have a question. I do have a question. Um thank you very much uh for this and uh well done Tam O'Shanter, clean audit. Um it's been a while. Um I think that we've been able to do that, so congratulations. Um in the past, our district has um you know, I would say taken advantage of the modified cash accounting method to push expenses and revenues around. And this is years

232back and when this administration came in they cleaned a lot of that up. Is my understanding. And so I just wanted to make sure I'm asking the question. Did you see any meaningful distribution of expenses from one year to the next or revenues from one year to the next that you might have noticed. Okay. >> Nothing and remember what we're reporting here and that's the that's sort of the the you know the disadvantage and that's why it's not generally accepted accounting principles of the modified cash basis of accounting. Because what essentially happens is what's reported in the books is what's spent. You know the checks cut during the fiscal year and the revenues that came in are reflected on a revenue. So it doesn't take into account the Let me let me state it this

233way. If you are on the modified accrual or generally accepted accounting principles we would be looking to identify expenses and put them in the right period. That would mean even if bill gets paid a month or two after the year end the expense would be brought back into the prior period and it would be reported as an accounts payable. The you know the credit part instead of hitting the cash the cash wouldn't be going to be accounts payable. Work the it would be the reverse in the in the um related to revenues. If there's a receivable coming in not that a districts usually don't have a lot of receivables they don't bill you know they don't send invoices out and uh a property tax rate receivable, but it's usually deferred. Um so, that would be

234a but it gives a better more accurate representation, and there's less you can't necessarily uh shift expenditures back, you know, and forth. Ultimately, the bills are going to be paid. It's a timing thing right now. And you can't even if you shifted things, you can it's going to catch up to you anyway. It's going to catch up to you in the end. Right? The when, you know, when that's done, and you'd be able to see that if no bills are getting paid in May, June, and all of a sudden July and August, like, you know, it's just off the you know, it's going to be off the charts or whatever. Uh you know, they're held back. It is what it is. You're you're cash-basis of accounting. Like I said, ultimately, everything's going to get paid

235sooner rather than later, so um a lot of times, the numbers are very similar if you're looking at the income statement, because remember, there's going to be accounts payable for 1 year, and then it's sort of going to be reversed, and they're going to pick them up in the next year. So, you know, the the the amounts are a lot of times on the expenditure side similar, uh based on unless there's big construction projects or you know, or that thing, but I don't have anything to say about any sh- any uh shifting, but that's not to mean that you know, it could be done. It And it could be reported correctly in these financial statements, because they're not generally accepted accounting principles. >> Thank you. I just want to say thank you to our finance

236team and to Tamara. Um one of the things that um was noted in the report is that the district is pos- positioned to receive a recognition financial profile rating from Um and that's commendable. And the fact that we have retired $8 million in debt is commendable. I mean, the first part of this meeting talking about all of those things was pretty negative, but this is definitely a very positive note. And I know because I was at some of the before I was on the board I was at some of the SDRP meetings and I know that know that that's we've come a long way from even that point. So, I just want to say thank you. >> I think that's yeah. >> Thank you. >> All right. Thank you, Scott. >> Have a good rest

237of your meeting. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. Um approval of the landscaping contract. I move that the Board of Education approve the Joe Ramirez landscaping bid, a 3-year contract for landscaping services in the total amount of $373,256. >> I second. >> Do we have we got a competitive bid for this? >> So, we went out to bid. The first bid didn't get any bids in. Second bid did. This is an annual cost that is less than what we paid this year. So, we're pretty confident and we had expanded the scope of work. >> Thank you. >> We will take the vote. Hernandez? >> Yes. >> Okay. >> Yes. >> Van Nieuwenhuyzen? >> Yes. >> Weimer? >> Yes. >> Wilkins? >> Yes. >> Pinkert? >> Yes. >> Anderson? >> Yes. >> Motion passes 7-0.

238Next is curriculum and policy. >> Okay. Um let's see how many things do I have on my agenda luckily just one all right >> [laughter] >> are there any questions about press 120 any questions or concerns related to the policy updates I know that will this the updates will be recommended for board approval at the April 20th board meeting last updates to language but I didn't see anything in there that caused me any concerns anybody else. >> I told you I know she always does a a quick brief again I just break down of the whole what is it how many pages press plus but again just super duper helpful in us helping us look at summary of all the policies. >> [laughter] >> All right that's it. With no further business I adjourn this

239meeting at 8:47. >> No. >> I adjourn this meeting at 8:47 p.m. All board members say I. >> I. I. >> Mhm.