001It's 8:45 And I'm calling [clears throat] this meeting to order. >> 8:45. I'm calling the special board of education meeting to order. Roll call, please. >> Yes. Today is Thursday, January 22nd, 2026. This is a special board meeting. Roll call. Pinker >> here. >> Hernandez >> here. >> Optike >> here. >> Wymer >> here. >> Wilkins >> here. >> Anderson >> here. I move that the board of education approve the meeting agenda as presented. >> Second. >> Pinkard. >> Yes. >> Hernandez. >> Yes. >> Updike. >> Yes. >> Wymer. >> Yes. >> Wilkins. >> Yes. >> Anderson. >> Yes. >> There are no public comment. No. >> No one has signed up to make public comments for this portion. >> Read it. Still read it or not. No, >> there's no one. >> No one
002signed up. Okay. Uh we're going to move on to the action item of approval of the resolution. Okay. I'll read the resolution in the record. Resolution of the board of education of Evston Skoi Community Consolidated School District number 65 regarding the closure of Kingsley Elementary and reassignment of attendance area boundaries effective July 1st, 2026. Whereas the board is committed to ensuring that all students residing in the district have access to a highquality educational experience. And whereas the board acknowledges that the closing of a school is a difficult process creating a significant loss for the impacted school community and is empathetic to those concerns. The board must make decisions in the best interest of the district as a whole. And whereas the board of education has sole discretion to close school buildings within the district after
003holding three public hearings pursuant to the Illinois school code. Whereas the board after providing the statutoily required notice held three public hearings in accordance with the Illinois school code on January 21st, 2026 at 6 p.m. January 22nd, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. and January 22nd, 2026 at 7:15 p.m. where the board heard public comments regarding closing Kingsley Elementary School. And whereas after three public hearings, the board has determined that based on one, declining student enrollment across the district, two, the district's commitment to financial sustainability following several consecutive years of expenditures exceeding revenues. Three, significant capital and maintenance needs across the district school facilities. and four, the need to preserve and protect investments that support a highquality student experience for all students. The closure of Kingsley by July 1st, 2026, is necessary and in the best interest
004of the district as a whole. And whereas the Illinois School Code and Board Policy 7:30, Student Assignment and Intradist Transfer, recognizes the board's right to draw and change its attendance boundaries. And whereas on July 1st, 2026, when Kingsley is closed, its attendance boundaries must be reassigned. And whereas beginning with the 2026 2027 school year and continuing until modified by the board, Kingsley's current attendance area boundaries be reassigned as outlined in exhibit A. Whereas the board recognizes the impact of the Kingsley community's transition and to establish community and maintain a welcoming inclusive school climate, the board directs district administration to implement a thoughtful transition plan for all impacted students and school communities. Now, therefore, be it and it is hereby resolved by the board of education of Evans Skooki Community Consolidated School District number 65, Cook
005County, Illinois, as follows. Section one, recital. The recital set forth above are incorporated into and made a part of this resolution providing the reasoning for the board's decision. Section two, closing of Kingsley Elementary School. The board has held the required public hearings under the Illinois school code and based on the recital set forth above and further within its discretion has determined that by July 1st, 2026 that Kingsley Elementary School will be closed. It is therefore in the best interest of the district to close the Kingsley Elementary School building located at 2300 Green Bay Road, Evston, Illinois 60201 by July 1st, 2026. The board further directs the superintendent, the superintendent's design and attorneys to take all necessary actions to close the Kingsley Elementary School building by July 1st, 2026 for the purposes of student attendance. The
006board will at a later date determine how best to address the use of the building and the surrounding property which may include without limitation leasing, selling or converting it to another use as determined by the board to be in the best interest of the district. Section three, reassignment of attendance area boundaries. that the board approve the reassignment of attendance area boundaries recommended by the superintendent insubstantially the form attached to this resolution as exhibit A section four relation to other board resolutions. If any conflict arises between this resolution and any other resolution adopted prior to this resolution then this resolution shall control section five effective date. This resolution shall be in force and effective after its adoption if shall it be adopted today. >> Thank you Adilo. At this time I move that the board of
007education approve the resolution to close Kingsley Elementary [clears throat and cough] and reassignment of attendance area boundaries as presented. >> I'd like to just say a few words before we vote if that's okay. Um So, I just want to say that this is not a vote or decision that I think anyone up here takes lightly. Um, and I truly understand how difficult it is for students, for parents, for the community when a school is closed. Um, this is something that I'm voting on, um, not because it gives me any joy, but because I realize that it is something that's necessary in order for our district to be sustainable in the future. Um, and I recognize that this has been a difficult process where we all haven't always had as much certainty or direction as we
008wanted when we wanted. um both from a board member perspective and from a community perspective, just know that moving forward, I am truly thinking about what is best for students and how we can be flexible, how we can make this transition as easy as possible. Um, I do recognize that there are some things that we won't be able to do because we have constraints, but know at the end of the day as a board member, I am committed to doing as much as possible to ease this transition and I know everyone up here, administration and board members are as well. Um, so just wanted to say that because um, you know, we are we are thinking about you and this is not something that we take lightly. comments. >> Um, I just want to recognize
009uh the impact on the Kingsley community. Um, we've heard about loss, concern, fears, anxiety, and heard a lot of grace and strength as well. Um, I also want to say thank you to um, you know, this is the culmination of SDRP3 or at least a major step and I there were again thousands of hours of volunteer time put into this process. Um, you know, scores of community members involved in this process just to say thank you. I also want to say thank you to the admin. Um, um, we have our cabinet here and our superintendent. Um, and I want to own as one of the six members of this board that uh we were supposed to make the decision to do this on November 17th. That was our deadline. We ended up making that decision
010that would get us to this point on January 9th. um we've put the Kingsley community and the admin in a difficult uh place here where we're two months down the road and I just think that's important just for us to name as a board again one of six members of this board um that we've put crunch we're we're this is a crunch time um and so it's our job now to be alongside the Kingsley community and um our admin and cabinet our superintendent and to do our best to ensure that this goes as smoothly as possible. Um so just want um my colleagues on the board as well as our superintendent, our cabinet uh to hear that gratitude as well as commit and and our Kingsley community uh to hear that commitment um that we
011were going to do our best to get this right. [clears throat] >> Excuse me. I think the only thing um to both of those statements were um just to add to those uh heard clarity, empathy and engagement was the request from us as a board um to make sure we move forward with such that um as we move forward with closure, we're actually move forward with next steps where we're going to be and how this is going to make us better. So um hear that and and look forward to working with the cabinet, the board, the PTAs, the families um not just of the of um Kingsley but of the receiving schools um and definitely to the Haven feeder pattern as we you know all schools in essence in Haven are being one is being
012closed um but all are being touched um as one is opening back up. And so we use this as an opportunity to imagine and bring forth um a connected um feeder pattern that works for all kids. So look forward to doing that. >> And I would like to say that this has this has been a heavy lift for all of us. Uh we have lots of new board members. you have a new board president and we've done the work along the way to get to where we are now. I am looking forward to getting out into the community from behind my laptop and behind my phone and back into the schools. So, um, and I'm excited about all of the comments from the community, about the wealth of ideas that are coming from the community.
013I think we can use that as a starting point. Um, I have complete faith in the cabinet to do the work that needs to be done. And I think this is an opportunity now to rebuild the trust between the community, the cabinet, and the cabinet and the school board. So I'm I'm actually excited about next steps. >> Yeah. And you know, just to add on, um I think again this is a very very difficult vote. that um [clears throat] this is the second school closing that I'm voting on and it's it's very heartbreaking because again as folks have said you know schools are communities right um and particularly neighborhood schools and I think you know the the difficulty is we we're trying to do the best that we can to really create an optimal school
014system for all students. Right? This is systems level work and and what what makes it very hard is again if you're a a person who has a again this is part of a school community, right? You're going to do whatever you can to advocate for it and I get it and and and um and I really appreciate the graciousness of the Kingsley parents who come up to engage with us. Um and my apologies as part of a again for for for this change and the sudden change and the uncertainty. Um but I am also excited about us moving forward uh with community um to resolve uh the issues that are before us uh uh and resolve them in a way that really creates a system that functions for all students and all families that are
015part of this school system. Uh, and again, we live in Evston, uh, which is an incredible town with incredible talent. Um, and just looking forward to again getting to this other side where we get to have these conversations around how we continue to optimize the school experience, uh, for our current batch of students and future students and and in reality, uh, protecting public education, which is under attack. Um, and again, I'd be remiss, right? Um, you know, again, it literally is under attack. Our students are under attack. I mean, again, in Minneapolis, you just I just heard a fifth a fifth Yeah, a 5-year-old uh was kidnapped uh by a federal government. Um and uh again, just just so you know what we have to deal with. Um but again, we live in a very
016strong community and and there's strength in numbers and there's strength in the values that we have in this community. Um and uh um again, we have to fight together, not against each other. And I'm looking forward to fighting alongside as I always have uh for you know with with community members who want to ensure that we maintain our values uh as a community that is striving to be a beloved community uh where everybody belongs and everybody is cared for and loved. >> Um thank you for all of uh your comments up here and I I echo a lot of those sentiments. I think one of the things that stood out to me today uh and through this uh school closure process was the clarity of the asks of the Kingsley community. Um and they are
017there are only four of them. Uh and I would love to see us commit to uh granting those asks um and being committed going forward to doing a doing a great job at transitioning our various communities that are going to be transitioning over the next uh nine months and really be dedicated to that work. Um and I know the administration is up to that task. I'm glad that we are past the process of deciding so we can dedicate ourselves to to that work now. Um, and I also am uh I just I want to be very clear that we um we we do work for I think I don't think she's here anymore, but but but we do work for the the taxpayers and the students um in district 65 as board members. and I
018take that very seriously and I think that I am looking forward to the opportunity to build back better. Um, we need a a way to say that that's hasn't already been said, but uh we have a great opportunity here now. Uh, so I'm grateful that we were able to get through this process and get to where we are today. Um and I am looking forward to uh doing the work of engaging the community and also uh making sure that uh the students that we are displacing find a good home and the staff that is being displaced uh is communicated with uh and honored for their service. Thank you. I'll just close out by saying um our goal and um what we will strive to do here at the district level will be to ensure that
019we are uh empathetic and we demonstrate compassion to the students, the staff, and the families of Kingsley. We know that this has been a really rough ride the past eight eight weeks and and we don't take that lightly. Uh our goal is to make sure that we're as intentional and thoughtful about ensuring this transition uh in closing Kingsley is done and it's done with a level of uh fidelity and it's done with a level of compassion. I I want to publicly thank uh our cabinet and and district staff who are not here who have been on the grind weeks and weeks and months out just really trying to be thoughtful about this entire process. I I I have to say and and want to just thank the six school board members here tonight for getting
020to this point. It it took some time, but we we we got here. It it wasn't on the timeline. We recognized that we recommend it at the district, but we got here and now we can move forward in making sure that we continue to demonstrate care to the families in this district. And so I want to thank you all for your leadership and being able to get us to this point. We know it's not easy. We know it's a hard task. And so I just want to publicly just thank you all um for for getting us to this space so that we can move forward and do what's right for the children in this district. So, thank you. >> A second. Do we Do we need to Can I just say second? >> Let me
021Let me just >> do it over. >> I move that the board of education approve the resolution to close Kingsley Elementary and reassignment of attendance area boundaries as presented. >> A second. called take the vote. Pinker, >> yes. >> Hernandez, >> yes. >> Wymer, >> yes. >> Wilkins, >> yes. >> Anderson, >> yes. >> Motion passes 6. With no further business for tonight, I adjourn this meeting at 9:04