001Roll call. >> Yes. Okay. Uh, today's Monday, December 1st, 2025. The time is 5:00 pm. Roll call. Hernandez, >> here. >> Wymer, >> here. Hard >> here. >> Anderson here. Approval of the meeting agenda. [clears throat] >> Second. >> Oh, yeah. I move that the board approved tonight's meeting agenda as presented. I'm seconding my own motion. Sorry. >> Second. >> Hernandez. >> Yes. >> Wymer. >> Yes. >> Wilkins. >> Yes. >> Pinker. >> Yes. >> Anderson. >> Yes. Uh we will now move to uh public comment. 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 factf finding or resolution
002of disputes. Rather, we encourage members of the public who have concerns about specific district employees to follow district communication guidelines found in the student handbook. We have 37 uh signatures for public comment. So, we are going to allow one minute and 30 seconds per person. Please remember to state your name and that and and to address the board. Speakers may not yield their time to someone else. Please refrain from applause between speakers so that we may respectfully allow all speakers the 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 the schoolboard at district65.net. >> Okay. Um, so our first few speakers are Kelly Post, Steven Vic, Sandra Panda, Robin Brown, Beth Brady,
003Anna Lebron, [clears throat] >> [clears throat] >> Good evening. My name is Kelly Post and I am the president of Deck. Tonight's decisions will bring significant change. Changes to buildings, boundary lines, schools, and classrooms. But amid all of this, one constant remains. The dedicated educators who will be there in August, ready to welcome your child or children with open arms. For educators, this change carries a profound weight. Many are facing the loss of positions they have lovingly held or the task of packing up 1 to 30 plus years of classroom materials, pieces of their professional lives collected and built with care. Others will transition to new buildings, new colleagues, and new school communities, rebuilding the collaborative relationships that form the foundation of meaningful teaching and learning. This is not easy work and it reflects both
004the emotional labor and deep commitment our educators bring every single day. Change is never easy and this transition will be challenging for all of us. Yet, we stand united with one another and with our community to lessen the impact on our learners. Our commitment to supporting students, nurturing relationships, and ensuring continuity will not waver. Together, we will navigate this change and keep our focus where it belongs, on the children we serve. Thank you. >> Good evening. My name is Steven Vic. I'm the executive director of the Infant Welfare Society of Evston. We've been an early head start subreient for district 65, operating 55 early head start slots at teen baby nursery and baby toddler for the last 11 years. We did not receive our anticipated a payment on November 18th for our August billing. Uh
005we noticed it was not on the agenda. We called immediately the EHS compliance office and we're told that we were being uh told to wait until we hear back from the uh district finance office. On Friday the 21st, we received an email at 6:30 p.m. stating there was an internal error on District 65's part. Though we made the billing October 16th, it did not arrive in time and thus we wouldn't get our payment until December. After discussion over the weekend with the IWC board, we reached out via email to senior leadership including Dr. McCoy, Dr. Turner, board chair Pat Anderson on the 24th of November. Um, we expressed our concerns that not getting this payment would have detrimental impact on our organization. If we had to wait until the next payment cycle of December 16th,
006we would not make our payroll on December 11th. Our board chair, Mr. Robert Jones, and finance chair Sandra Punda from Bine Bank, requested that our payment be placed on the December 1st board agenda. At this moment, we have not heard back anything and assume it is not on the agenda tonight. In addition, we are aware that there is a December 8th District 65 meeting and would respectfully request that if you cannot vote on this matter today that it be placed on a December 8th meeting. >> Please understand this is 25% of our budget and it impacts 55 staff members and we deserve to be paid for our work. >> Thank you. Hello. Um, nice to see you all again. I just want to say thank you for being here. You know, watching people come in
007from your day jobs just makes me just want to say thank you for this volunteer position and you're in a a tough spot. And uh there is still time to choose all district 65 students. Even though this is the 11th hour, we all keep showing up to implore you to make the difficult decision to choose one of the scenarios that closes two schools. It is painful but clear. Without doing so, the depth of service cuts across the district will be devastating. This has said been said many times, and I'm here one more time to beg you to do the harder thing now to ensure a more stable future for all students. I can clearly see many ways for students to survive changing school buildings. It's been done before and we can do it again. We
008have the capacity to weather that storm. But I fail to see a way that our community can weather the storm of continued indecision, draconian cuts to services, or a takeover by the state. Please listen to your consultants, listen to your principles, and listen to this painful reality. Please prioritize people over buildings. It's not too late. Thank you. [applause] Hi, I'm Beth Brady, District 65 teacher and parent. It's becoming increasingly clear that saving spaces will cost us the programs and staff that bring those spaces to life. Delaying closures costs us staff now and every possible way forward will be impacted by the strain that that places on our schools. We invest in a sustainable way forward by investing in the people and the programs that will support our kids through this and other challenges. While our
009buildings are underutilized, our staff are not. To make cuts to staffing has immediate, profound implications for students and learning, particularly those who we are not yet adequately meeting their needs. The years ahead will require deep sustained labor to get through this. And we must resource the people who will carry the weight of that shift in our buildings. Our neighbors are advocating to keep open schools as they are now. And we all wish we could, but none of our schools will remain as they are now. Every building will be impacted. every child's experience altered. This is not a choice between change and no change. It is a decision about how we hold that change so we can get through this together. We need you to make the hard decision that will allow us to get through
010this. Thank you. My name is Anna and I have been here many times to support the twe program at Wheeler. Not just as a Spanish speaker, I am originally from Spain, but I am also an Evansstone residents deeply committed to growing our bilingual community across the city. Wheeler Twe currently serves the Spanish speaking families in WS five, six, and seven. After Foster opens, WS six and seven will still have approximately 80 current two-year students, including 32 Spanish speaking students reliant on this program. Furthermore, a large number of fif families have expressed a desire to remain at Wheeler Twe. Removing these options breaks the promise made to these families that their children could finish twe where they started. The administration claims Twi is underenrolled, but Twi classes at willer are currently at capacity. Members of the
011board, please. We are deeply concerned that reducing the number of strands and closing Wheeler twe will severely stunt the program's growth. We are already engaged in grassroots efforts alongside with Miss Amy Korea and the multilingual department to transform the currently and use BPAC into a parent-driven body that can meaningfully engage our community and attract more families, Spanish speaking families to district 65. TWI must be treated as an asset, not a liability. It benefits our school and attracts family to Evansstone. The district must find way to grow it, not drink it. Gracias. >> Next we have Emily Garcia, Mark Sarfski, Patrick Motherway, Alex Bonner, Maria Galando, Heather Bruner, Kristen Kenny. >> Hi, good evening. My name is Emily Garcia. Following up from the last meeting, it was clear that the board was like us unsure of
012why the closure of Willard Twe was included in the SDP process. The administration affirmed that the decision was not financial, but rather was about utilization of the program. Last year, we were pushed to enroll our bilingual daughter at Bessie Roads for kindergarten. Even though Willard is our home school, several of her classmates had this experience, too. It felt like they didn't want her to go to Willard. Let me be clear, the utilization numbers can only be as high as the number of families the district allows to be assigned to the school. The need for TWE at Willard is there, and the desire is too. Any decision about the fate of the program, which has existed since 2001, needs to be made after a robust discussion based on accurate data. And I think we all can
013agree that this hasn't happened yet. Please exclude the closure of Willard from decisions made tonight. Thank you. [applause] Good evening. My name is Mark Zurfski. Last board meeting, we heard uh data for closing Willard's tweet program, but that data is not telling the full story. The part that's missing was actually discussed eight years ago by Dr. Beardsley, who stood right here and told that board, quote, if we have a strong sense of school community responsibility, we have an opportunity to embrace Twe. Building community within and around schools takes time. It takes effort and it takes responsibility from all involved. That community exists at Willard. In fact, it's thriving and nearly at capacity. We want to see Twe flourish across the district, particularly at Foster. And Willard parents have already talked with Amy Korea about helping
014transform the bilingual parent advisory committee and raising awareness about twe across Evston. Closing twe at Willard and reducing the number of strands will stunt the program's potential and tear apart a vibrant community, but that doesn't have to happen. Please remove closing Willard Twe from any of tonight's school closure scenarios and let a further conversation be had about the future of Twi. As Dr. Beardsley said, we have a strong sense of school community responsibility. We have an opportunity to embrace Twi. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Hi, my name is Patrick Motherway. I'm a Willard parent and coach to many of the D65 kids uh throughout D65. You guys have a tough decision on your hands today to write the wrongs and embarrassment brought on to us by a previous board. And although many of you guys
015weren't here when that board was here, the fact that one of you was is an embarrassment. in its own right. The fact that some of you are considering drastic actions against a school and just closing schools is equally an embarrassment. Do I want to be here next year having the same conversation? No, not at all. But I'd rather be here fighting for my schools than close with unclear data and unclear direction on what we're even going to do. Move forward closing one additional school. Start putting your heads together. use the smart minds not only in this room up here but over here and at home all these D65 parents who are showing that they're willing to come out and support the schools. Let's do the work. Cutting two schools is just the coward's way out.
016Thank you. Oh, and also Willard's tweet programs. Awesome. [applause] I'm Heather Bruner, a step parent from Lincoln and a veteran special ed teacher. I need to speak honestly about what the school pleasure school closure process has shown a lack of respect and consideration for both STEP students and their teachers. The district had through this process has now shifted linguist program from Willard to Oregon to Dwey to Lincoln moves driven by logistics and buildings not by children's needs. One justification for moving them to Dwey was that manyu step students currently live within that boundary. But the step numbers would shift yearly and the rationale really felt created after the fact. What's missing is understanding what step students truly need like in-classroom toilet facilities, safety considerations, foropers, and the stability to maintain the friendships they've built with
017their gened peers. That might not sound as important as walkability to a scenario scorecard, but to an autistic individual and autism parent, this is everything. Even if Lincolnwood stays open, step students are now moved in every two school scenario. Maybe Lincoln, maybe Dewey, who knows? Signaling though that they're not seen as part of the Lincolnwood community. It took my own child three years to transition into Lincoln and not cry off at drop off every single day trying to escape the school. three years to be regulated enough at school to really learn and moving these students will take all of that away from them. It will rec create these regressions. Moving kids like him just to make room for others is deeply concerning and quite frankly insulting. Thank you. [applause] My name is Maria Gallardo and
018I'm the mother of a Wheeler Twe student. All the school closures scenarios include the closure of the Wheeler Twe program. However, the district has presented no savings by removing Wheeler Twe. Twi should be treated as an asset by the district. D65 should find ways to grow the program and market it as a unique Fisher to D65. We are a Spanish-speaking six-word family from Puerto Rico and Twi was one of the reasons why our family moved here to Evston. Keeping twin the neighborhood school, it's important to maintain our heritage and language. Warts six and seven have seen over 30% growth in Latino families in the last decade. Removing Twe from Wheelard while the population it serve is steadily rising contradicts demographic trends and long-term planning. These are emerging, not declining, Spanishspeaking communities. Please honor your previous
019commitment by allowing Fif Wheeler twist students to remain at Wheeler due to the community we have built and the program value. Gracias. [applause] Hello, my name is Alex Bonner. I'm a dad of a Willard Twe student. Members of the board, I'm here tonight to urge you not to close the Willard Twe strand. Willard's Twe program is well attended and serves a growing Spanish-sp speakaking population. Families actively choose it and students stay in it. It's one of the most successful examples of what D65 can offer. When we commit to bilingual, bicultural education, eliminating a successful program does not move us toward equity. The decline in tweet enrollment at Bessie Roads has been used as justification, but that drop happened after the school was slated for closure. Families left because of uncertainty, not because interest in twe
020faded. And if this really is about numbers, the plan still doesn't work. You're trying to move three TW strands into two at Foster. That doesn't create class sizes of 19. It creates overcrowded classrooms. The district has told us their data shows fewer Spanish-sp speakaking families at Willard. Even if that's true, it does not justify cutting a strong strand. It simply reduces access and concentrates opportunity in fewer neighborhoods. There is also no significant financial benefit of closing Willard Tweed. Please keep it open. It's working. Families want it and our district benefits from it. Thank you. [applause] Good evening. My name is Kristen Jigettz Kenny and I am a parent of a Lincolnwood third grader. Lincolnwood is a thriving lively community. I want to name that a school community is not just a building but the people
021who also work in that building. From Miss Andrea at the front desk who welcomes everyone with genuine kindness to Miss Maul who is a living legend and can get second graders in line like nothing I've ever seen before. Miss Alexander and Mr. Tertullian who create book tastings to get students excited to study. Miss Nicola who on the first day of kindergarten was sunshine and love personified in a person. Miss Thomas who taught my son to love reading. And Miss Schneider who taught him to be passionate about civil rights. Miss Wildman who has taught my son self- advocacy skills. And Miss Marvin who makes speech fun. Mr. Man who has to put up with the antics that I hear about in his music class and the recorders. God bless him. Mr. Salgado who takes care of
022the building. and Miss Pinsoff who runs the building with love and inclusion, Miss Best who teaches the students to love drama, and Miss Shanker who has inspired a love of books, and Miss Gilbert, who dresses as Starry, our star mascot. I understand finances are the reason for the decision that needs to be made tonight, but I plead with you to consider how the entire community, teachers, educators, support staff included, will all be affected by this decision. Of course, we want Lincolnwood to stay open. In addition, this district cannot afford to lose educators and staff to dysfunction and upheaval. From the bottom of my heart, I'd like to thank Lincolnwood for being a school we trust, a school that we love, and most importantly, a school filled with the most beautiful people that believe in our
023children. [applause] Next we have Hannah Jones Lewis, Lauren McNarmer, Julia Mfiger, Kate Morris, Kate Nansen, Matt Hovahan, David Howser. Hi, my name is Hannah Jones Lewis and I'm a District 65 parent. I've spoken several times in these meetings advocating for clear, financially sound decisions based on recommendations from your consultants, and I still stand behind that. My message tonight, though, is asking us to shift a bit and talk more explicitly about next year's budget and the $3.67 million that need to be cut if we don't make a decision tonight. Closing two schools was a compromise from the originally proposed three to four. And these cuts will realistically still have to happen even if we close two schools next year. I believe the community and I need clarity about what that means for all of our kids.
024Can we talk through in concrete terms what that means about services and roles that will be reduced? What programs, supports, and staff positions are we prepared to cut in order to keep underenrolled buildings open? And how will these cuts show up in students daily experiences? Are we talking about social workers, librarians, interventionists, instructional coaches, assistant principles, par profofessionals, our PE staff? Let's ask our school leadership, many of whom are here tonight, how essential those roles are to their buildings and to keeping schools working well. Our community has said these roles are key. And I want to ask personally, if these roles are reduced, what does that mean for students like mine in terms of that they rely on those supports to feel safe and to grow and to be secure at school? At the end
025of the day, equity can't be just something we name. It has to be allocated in how we spend our resources. Thank you. My name is Lauren Magnamera and I am a Kingsley parent. Kingsley is a great school with phenomenal teachers. I really hate to get up here and say this, but closing one school, Kingsley, makes sense tonight. On November 17th, I had to go home and tell my third grader that the board did not vote to close Kingsley. As joy blossomed across her face, I had to crush it and say that I didn't think this was over. These are real kids and teachers behind these votes. Please be open to a one school closure if two don't pass. Kingsley's mascot is the Comet, and the school lives up to this image. Kingsley's school was open,
026then closed, then open again, like a comet on a long orbit around the solar system. It looks like Kingsley's time in the sun has come to an end. And it's time to swing away again. The students that make up the Kingsley Comet's beautiful, sparkly tail will find new planets to land on, and they'll be okay. But please keep the other north side schools open so they are not drifting in space and can find a nearby new place to call home. Go comments. [applause] Hi, my name is Julia Mfinger. I'm a Kingsley parent. I have two girls who both have IEPs. And I also want to encourage the board to close Kingsley in addition to Bessie Rhodess, but only Kingsley. At one recent public comment section, another parent called the Kingsley families gracious. I don't know
027that we're gracious or just practical, but unlike any other schools in the Haven feeder pattern, I haven't heard any Kingsley parents speaking up on behalf of Saving Kingsley. And we love Kingsley just as much as the Lincolnwood parents love Lincolnwood and the Orington parents love Orington and the Willard parents love Willard. And I don't begrudge any parents from those other schools from speaking out. But most of the Kingsley parents I have spoken to understand the need to make some changes. Leaving Kingsley is not going to be easy, but it's a sacrifice we and many other Kingsley families are ready to make. So, I hope that buys me some credibility when I say this next. Close Kingsley, but do not close two of the four schools that serve the sixth and seventh wards. We're not here
028emotionally advocating for the comfort and stability of our own school. We are here trying to demonstrate a reasonable approach to this process. The result of closing two schools in the Haven feeder pattern is going to be an impact that is greater than the sum of its parts, leaving a large portion of Evston without any walkable schools as opposed to a one school closure that would work with the challenges of the existing infrastructure and the limitations of the remaining school buildings to reach a reasonable compromise. [applause and cheering] Good evening. My name is Kate Morris. I am a Kingsley and Haven parent. So many of us have accepted the closure of Kingsley with sadness, with grace. With sadness, but with grace. Grace to ensure the financial health of our district. I want to urge the board
029to close only Kingsley and embrace the collaboration, creativity, and momentum of the grassroots efforts of this community such as the League of Data Nerds, the Washington Task Force, and the Invest in Neighborhood Schools to find a better financial path forward that only entails one school closure in addition to Bessie Roads. We hope the district will also work closely with the Kingsley community on boundary scenarios and transition plans. I also want to urge the board to ensure that all wards have representation on this board as you select a seventh board member, especially since those that are being the most impacted currently have no specific representation. Thank you so much for what you guys do for our children. [applause] [clears throat] My name is Katie Nonsson. I'm a Kingsley parent. For Kingsley families, it's never been our
030school versus yours. There were no Save Kingsley yard signs, no speakers asking to keep our school open. This wasn't out of apathy or lack of love. With the data in our location, we understood if a school was going to close in addition to Bessie Rose, it was most likely ours. We took action by prioritizing collaboration over division. Now, we ask that you vote for only one school closure and for your support. Support the kids. Work with families in a comprehensive transition and boundary plan. Welcome kids to their new school and make them feel like they belong. Focus on a successful opening of Foster. Support the teachers. Give them a voice where they go based on their strengths and preferences. Consider their expertise in our entire district thrives. Support each other. We need to see ourselves
031as one, not the north side versus southside, your school versus ours, or anything else that divides us. Prioritize. Prioritize what we can do now and all Evston succeeds in the long term. Implement the creative alternatives that have been presented and vote for only one more school closure. [applause] Hi there. My name is Matt Hollahan. I'm a Kingsley parent. Um, if you think back when you were like younger in life, I don't know if everyone here has ever been broken up with where the other person kind of strings it along and like can't get the words out and just you kind of sense it and then you get so frustrated that you end up breaking up with yourself for them. That's that's what it feels like to be a Kingsley parent right now. Um, you can
032break up with us. It's it's okay. I um I I say that for some levity, but really we really just want some finality and grace so that we can help move forward with our kids at the moment. Um there's a leadership framework that I like when making really hard decisions and it's debate, decide, declare, deliver. Um we've had a lot of impassioned debate. Um the time for debate is over, which is really what's bringing us to the decision in front of everyone tonight. And so as you make your decision, I hope there's we really see two things, which is one clarity on if the fate of the Willard Tweet program is part of tonight's vote or if there's more time and optionality to see how attendance projections, community feedback play into that decision. It's my
033understanding that's not part of school closure mandatory hearings for a program. And two, I really hope we see unity in your decision. Um that you're all aligned in our go forward path. I think that'll go a long way in rebuilding faith in our community that you all have come together into consensus. Which brings us to declare. Um declaring is not just the vote tally and a hammer of the gavl. Uh it's really the why behind your decision and sharing with the community why we landed on whichever option you vote for and why not another option. We're all going to disagree in some way, but we all need to be able to commit to moving forward and delivering on what a successful 2027 transition is because the sooner we move towards executing on the next school
034year, this body is going to be able to move forward um into the hard decisions to come. Thank you. >> [applause] >> The next speakers are Kelly Farley, Maliah Gartsma, Bevon Sappherret, Golair Moerpa, David Hower again, Russ Shuan, Vic Filipini, and Ted Lauren. Hi, uh, Kelly Farley. Uh, many in this room, myself included, have supportive jobs and the resources to augment if our kids need something extra. Many in this community do not. 41% of our students are eligible for free or reduced lunch. Growing up, my single mom was over the threshold to be considered eligible for reduced lunch by less than $100 a year. She would not have been considered low-inccome, but it sure felt like it to me. My teachers made sure that I had food if my mom didn't send a lunch. One
035teacher even drove me to extracurriculars when my mom couldn't get out of work. Those teachers, social workers, and other staff empowered me to reach my potential. I've heard some ask why an Oakdton parent would be speaking at these meetings. Our school is in at immediate risk of closure. I speak because every dollar we need to cut, kids are going to be impacted. Kids and their families who don't just love their schools, they depend on their schools. Our teachers and other staff ensure the success of our students via the resources they have to educate and support our kids. Those staff and those resources will be cut. The question is by how much. I'm respectfully requesting that after school closure decisions have been made, the board immediately develop clear metrics with defined data sources it will use
036to determine when we have formally resolved this structural deficit. Set the goal goalpost and make it clear how long we have to get there without needing to do more closures. And what will it tell us if we do need to do more closures? Is it based on finances, occupancy rates, building costs, etc.? Keep it consistent and clear. Set the dates, define the dollars. Otherwise, the community is stuck in this period of unease, uncertainty, and untr distrust. >> Good evening. My name is Malia Gertzma and I'm a former Kingsley parent and current Haven parent. I submitted a letter to the board last week detailing the history on Lincolnwood's development in the deed language that I think shows that the attorney who is opposing uh the school scenarios um does not have a valid legal argument. I've
037also looked at the school compositions once Foster is up and running in presuming Kingsley shuts down. Um regarding headcount, these three schools would range from about 260 to 300 students. Regarding income, about 85 to 95% of these children would not qualify for free lunch compared to about 70% for the next school and dropping to 59% for the next two schools. Regarding race, these schools would be 65 to 80% white and just 3 to 9% black and 3 to 6% Hispanic or Latino. Other schools would have upwards of two to three times as many students from these non-racial uh non-white racial and ethnic backgrounds. To me, this these compositions raise the question of what equity looks like for the district going forward in general, as well as for these schools. And if it's not what they
038look like at the start of this next chapter that I just described, how do we get to that vision? And how long will it take to get there? Back in 1924, Foster School educated over 740 students. In that same year, we built Willard. Just before that, Orington only served 150 students. Who are we keeping these schools open for? Russ [clears throat] Willard, dad. Um, proud father of two. My son Theo, big fan of these, me being here at the board meetings, wanted me to say hello. So, hi Theo. Um, Bnee Brown, some of you may be familiar, has a marble theory of trust that teaches that trust is built through small, consistent choices over years. Every responsible decision adds a marble to the jar. Every careless one takes one out. A full jar represents complete
039trust. I believe this is where we are today with the community in district 65. The fact that there are marbles in here for me is a testament to the Willard staff and incredible students and the four board members who are not associated with Dr. Horton. Tonight, your choice will be to either strengthen or diminish the community's trust going forward. Should this board close two additional schools or one, I believe closing two is irresponsible. Closing one is responsible. Close two schools and I bet a year from now you'll be here saying, "Why aren't the savings here? Why are parents frustrated? And why is fosters opening rocky?" Close one school, build a real strategic plan, partner with this community, and start to build real trust. The legacy and our kids' futures are at stake. Thank you very
040much. [applause] Sorry, Dick. Good evening, Vic Filipini. I'm a D65 parent. During my first opportunity to address you, I acknowledge that yours is a thankless job, and it still is. But thank you anyway. From my perspective, your choice tonight is to find the most likely path to success. And the brass ring of success is the district's successful opening of foster school. Of course, that's not the only thing you need to do in order to achieve success. Due to the financial challenges facing the district, you face the un enviable task of closing not only Bessie Roads, but one other school. Note that I said one other school and not one or two. That is because should you try to open Foster and close three schools, I'm confident that you will fail. That is just the nature
041of things. I also remind you that if you seek to close Lincolnwood in furtherance of the SDRT SDRP property management report, you will face certain litigation. That is a fact and that will most certainly be a fail. I have written to you about this previously and I wrote to you again today. Finally, I have noted on multiple occasions that the underlying data in the SDRP process is fundamentally flawed because the district did not ascertain and assess the limitations on the properties. Recognizing this deficiency, the board should act cautiously and proceed with the only one school closure option that could lead to success, namely Kingsley. We all want you to succeed. I ask that you act prudently to achieve that success. >> Hello, my name is Dr. David Howser. I'm a psychologist serving the D65 community
042since 2006 and a father of two children in the fifth ward going to Willard. We talk a lot as an Evston community about valuing mental health. Why is there so little discussion of our children's mental health right now? These are not normal times. Think about your adult lived experience since 2016. That is the entirety of these children's lives in the world they've grown up in. The last thing these kids need is more volatility, disruption, and chaos. We're talking about school closures like that were corporate consultants. Real vibes of move fast and break things. It'll all be fine. Completely separating it from the actual lived experience of this current K through5 group. As mentioned at the last board meeting, all of the robust analysis is of buildings, which is important, yes, but not of human relational
043consequence. Certainly not children and their outcomes as a result of these seismic systemically disruptive changes, which has massive implications on children's development, trust, and healthy attachment. Thank you, Bnee Brown. As CL as a clinical psychologist and marriage and family therapist, it disappointments me to no end how little as a society we have broached processing how capital T traumatizing the COVID era was for all of us, much less how casually we look past how challenging and disruptive, confusing for young developing children it was to experience such extraordinary distance, lack of social [applause] Hi, good evening. My name is G Moserpa and I'm the father of one of the twe students uh one of the students at the tweet program at Willard and I'm also the father of a former student at the tweet program at Willard.
044So I'm here to respectfully request you that you don't close Twe at Willard. Uh it's a real asset for the school. Uh some people think that the program actually is intended to remedy some linguistic f uh shortcomings of the students. But actually what the district has said in the past is that actually the goal of the program is to combine the linguistic abilities the strengths of the students to enhance their students abilities linguistic abilities and that's what the program is intended to do and that's an asset and moreover the program also enhances the overall school achievements. So this is an asset for the school. please keep it open and if nothing else just please try to keep it open it somewhere else instead of re removing it from the places where it already is. Um
045along with that I would like to mention a couple of u um misconceptions about the tree program at Willard. One is that uh apparently the program we've been told that the program doesn't have uh enough demand. That's completely false. Uh the program is quite desired at the school. Many parents that want their kids to go to the program uh three at Willard get turned away and that's just that's just just the proof that the program has uh great demand at the at Willard. So we really like the program. Please keep it open. And the the second misconception is that uh we Hispanics don't live in the northwest of Evston. I'm one of them. Please please Good evening. My name is Bevon Ciphford. I'm here as a parent of a bilingual third grader in the Willard
046Tweet program. Uh I'm also here as someone who served on the SAP 2 committee and a SAP 3 T twe committee. Um none of those committees recommended to close a twe strand. I would like to thank the board very much for discussing Willer Twe at the last meeting and Mr. Wymer for asking why the district wants to close Willard Twe when it will not save any money. Um talking about these are not normal times. My son was two when the pandemic hit and the playgrounds closed. He was climbing the walls at home. It was really challenging and that's probably true of every kid in this district who is that age. Um he's hitting his stride now in third grade, but we really just don't think it's going to make sense for his social emotional well-being
047and his academic journey to change schools. Um in other words, we'd keep him probably at Willard if Twe closes. And that's a real shame because that means his dual language journey ends again where he's a bilingual child. Um that means no middle school tweet, no high school tweet. Um Mr. Hernandez talked about those important programs that he championed and how important they are. And so it's it's a real shame to think that we're going to be forcing kids to make that tough choice to leave the program. Um you know, in supporting school closures, Mr. Dr. Hernandez, you said you were concerned about preserving resources for things like STEP and Tweet, but why do we always feel so vulnerable in this district? Uh, again, I want to say as to Miss Dr. Beardsley's comments, um, the
048double strands, you know, we talked about those are better, but it didn't mean close a strand. We talked about that only if a school was closed. Thank you. [applause] Next, we have Jessica Trail. Um, sorry. Ted Lockan, Christopher Dinardo, Lindseay White, Kelly McCabe, Scott Campbell, Jacob Carlin, Katie Armstead, Juan Espinosa, and Sharon Tam. Hi, my name is Ted Laa. I don't really have a concern as for the schools, but what I do have a concern is about the deed that is on Lincolnwood property. I wanted to let you know that the family as an heir, the family is aware of that and may be contacting you in the future. It may help you in your decisions tonight. That's all I have. All right. Uh, hello. My name is Christopher Dinardo. Uh, I've been a Bessie
049Rhodess parent since the 2022 2023 school year. That year, our community learned that the plan to incorporate Bessie Roads into the new foster school would not be taking place. Since then, our community has banded together, and I am truly proud of the work that we've done advocating for our children and our talented and resilient faculty and staff. Uh, I have also seen the consequences of trying to run a school in an aging outdated building. When a water mane break put the entire village of Skooki on a boil water notice due to a lack of pressure, our school was the only one to experience flooding throughout the entire first floor and we lost an entire day of instruction due the only school that I know in the affected area due to outdated plumbing. And this has
050been kind of the conflict that I've seen at the center of being a Bessie Rhodess parent these past few years. Fighting to keep a school open only to be reminded that keeping a school open is not a guarantee of stability or protection from trauma and chaos when the building itself can fail your students. And kind of as we enter the second half of what will be Bessie Rhodess's final year, I'm reflecting on what has always been a positive experience, but one that is filled with conflict that uh 3 seconds that I hope that uh we can c All right. All right. That was pretty close. Uh I'm sad that our school is closing. I'm proud that my kids will be in the first class at the new foster school. Thank you. Hi, my name is
051Jessica Trillo. I think there's a strong point here that tweet is important because my name's been mispronounced every time I've shown up here. Um, so I am a district 65 parent. I've been part of multiple communities. Oakton shoot, King Arts, now ETHS. Um, I'm showing up here with scattered notes. I've been working. I've got four kids. I'm a single parent. What I see is we have a huge deficit going before us and I'm here to ask you to close two schools if anything one but it looks like we need two schools. Let's consolidate our resources. Let's preserve as much staff as possible. Let's do what we need to do to cut the expenses. That's something that we have seen over the years. I think we need to stop beating this dead horse here is that
052we know twe is very important to the families here. How do we consolidate that into the schools that are left open? How do we preserve as much staffing that we need? We've already lost staff this last year. We've lost things that have helped students that are struggling with any type of transition because yes, COVID was terrible for everyone. What I have seen is that children are more resilient than all of us here with some of the emotions that have come up and that we should stand up as leaders, as adults, make the hard decisions, and then take all of the wonderful resources of the community here, all these parents that have spent all of their hours showing up with their creative ideas and move on to that next step. Let's keep as much staff as
053we possibly can though because the children need it. We all need it and they need their jobs. I think that's very serious. We should cut as few jobs as possible. And what I see is closing these buildings provides more financial resources and time to make the decisions that we need to make to move on. Thank you. >> Hi, I'm Lindsay White. Um, I'll start tonight by calling out a few hopeful moments that I took away from the last board meeting. I heard Nicole calling for unity on this board, trying to take a step toward the middle to reach some sort of consensus. Nicole suggested we could close one school this upcoming school year, then give these other revenue streams a chance to materialize by a certain date. We name the date, and only then would
054we have a second school named to close if the money didn't come through. Uh, I also heard Nicole and after her Pat both commit to not closing a title one school, which I don't believe had been said publicly by a board member other than Andrew in his op-ed. I see these as encouraging steps forward. Hopefully tonight we'll see the board continue to have discussions about the middle ground. Please try to find the middle ground. Is there an option to close one school and name the second but not slate it to close? to say that the second school will come from the Haven feeder pattern. It feels like a waste of this entire STRP process if we cannot at least agree on this. Also to the board, I don't want you to believe that there's consensus
055in the community about this decision tonight, there certainly is not. Just because the loudest voices can fill a boardroom and push for a different result than the SDRP process has shown us, it doesn't make it right. This was our first chance at an equity-driven school closure process and we've failed if we leave here tonight without a compromise that names the two schools that need to close. Thank you. Hello. Good evening. My name is Kelly McCabe. I'm here as a member of the Legion of Data Nerds. I'm also a tweom at Washington and I'm a concerned Evston community member. Over the past weeks, I've witnessed remarkable community involvement, and it's reinforced my belief that we all love Evans and we're all in this together. With major decisions still ahead, like appointing a seventh board member, implementing
056school changes, we must stay focused on the long-term health of our schools. Closing schools alone does not balance the budget, especially as the district's numbers continue to shift, raising important questions about accuracy and transparency. Everybody here wants to make good decisions. Yet, sometimes the smartest decision is acknowledging when we don't have all the answers. If nobody knows, you shouldn't close. Real progress comes from thoughtful collaborative inquiry, examining all data and all options. We're at a pivotal moment. We have an opportunity to build strong, lasting partnerships to lift up our schools and neighborhoods, especially with the opening of the new Foster School. Data integrity welcomes scrutiny and it becomes the foundation for trust, innovation, and a transformative vision. I urge you to lead us into a renewed era of academic excellence grounded in community imagination and
057possibility. We need to move beyond the despair of school closures and chart a visionary path forward. >> Hi, my name is Scott Campbell and I'm with uh the Legion of Data Nerds. Today, I'd like to highlight a few assumptions behind the district's forecast of revenues and expenditures. In past meetings, uh Dr. Harkin has projected a 2% increase annual increase in revenue and 5% annual increase in expenses. Uh the reality is that these values are are just very conservative. Um, and now I I completely understand the desire to be conservative in financial planning, but given the fact that savings from a school closure is less than a percent of our expenditures, we just need to be really careful in using this type of planning to drive decision-making. So for example, if instead of 2% we assume
058a 2.5% increase in annual revenue uh limited by what the district can actually take and a 5% decrease in annual expense growth. The savings are roughly the same as a single school closure and this compounds every year. So that'd be a school closure next year and the year after and the year after that you know the same value. So a decision to close three schools including Bessie Rose does not make financial sense given what we know now. Uh it is not going to address the fact the revenues and expenditures are growing in opposite paths. Uh it is just really an unnecessary distraction for the successful successful opening of Foster. uh what we need to do close two schools including Bessie Rose focused on foster and continue to evaluate the mechanisms to increase our revenue beyond
0592.5% per year. Thank you. >> Hi, my name is Jacob Carlin with the Legion of Nerds. The question for tonight, close one or two schools in addition to Bessie Roads. How much savings does closing a school generate? We still don't have firm data on this, but we'll have a much better idea after closing Bessie Roads. The district's projections show that closing one school would save rough roughly 1.7 million per year, and closing two would save roughly 3.3 million per year. Of that 3.3 million, 82% would come from staffing cuts. Most of these cuts wouldn't come from redundant staff, but from studentf facing teachers. Can we accomplish the same savings by reducing strands? Closing multiple schools isn't the clear-cut costs lever that some think it is. I've analyzed the walkability impact of the four scenarios being
060considered tonight and it's available on the nerds website. In scenario 1A, the haven feeder pattern pattern walkability [clears throat] percentage is 74.7%. In scenario 2D is 55.8%. Is a 19% drop in walkability worthwhile? We need to find other revenue streams to put our district on a sustainable path. You have an engaged community who are ready to try new ideas and shape a vision for the district that could be extraordinary. Please don't abandon them. [applause] Hi, my name is Katie Armistad from Invest in Neighborhood Schools. Um, I hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend. Um, I'm asking you tonight to take this community and step us back from the fictional ledge that's been created here. Everyone wants the same thing, and I think we definitely disagree about how we get there, but everyone wants an equitable
061and high performing school district. And I'm sure it's very challenging to reach consensus with different viewpoints. But please try tonight. People are just scared. I come from a big family and my mom used to tell us growing up that everything you want is just on the other side of fear. Move us past this conversation. Vote tonight. vote to close one school in addition to Bessie Roads. Let us stop talking about what we might lose and start talking about the future because it's really bright and there's space for everyone. This is barely the beginning. Let's build the exceptional school district that all our children deserve and is a model for other public school districts in this country. Let's start investing in our schools. Thank you. [applause] Hi, good evening. Uh, my name is Juan Spinoza. I'm
062a Willard parent, a first generation immigrant, a native Spanish speaker. Uh, and I wanted to come to advocate to you about the tweet program. It's not just a program for my family. It's how our children stay connected to our language, to our culture, and to a richer academic future. Um, it's also one of the reasons why we chose Evston and the six ward in particular when we relocated from Los Angeles three years ago. Um, I'm asking you not to close the tweet strand at Willard. Tonight, uh, first, the data that we've seen on Twe enrollment doesn't match either our lived experience or even just how we count. As uh, many of the Twe families have been organizing over the past several weeks, our numbers don't match the numbers that are currently available on the data
063hub. Um, it also doesn't account for siblings or for the many families who chose not to enroll in twe over the last few years rather than send their children to Bessie Roads knowing that Bessie Roads was going to close. Um, and from your own discussion at the previous meeting, it's clear that it's not entirely clear to the board why the TWE program at Willard is being closed. Um, second, there's no projected financial benefit tied to closing TWE at Willard in a plan that's driven by structural deficit reduction. It doesn't make sense to cause this much disruption without a clear saving or educational improvement. Uh and finally, the plan's already extraordinarily complex. You're preparing to reop to open foster, close a school, redraw boundaries, redesign transportation. That's a huge implementation burden. Um removing a successful and
064beloved twe at Willard at this time adds risk that's unnecessary. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Hi, good evening. Uh, my name is Sharon. I'm a Willer Twe parent to two girls who are native Spanish speakers. Um, I'm here again urging the board to please remove closing Willer Tweet as part of the current scenarios. Um, I think you already heard that the low enrollment site does not reflect actual Willer tweet numbers or demands. Three classes that will alert have been at capacity with ratio of Spanish to English speakers well within the accepted ratio for successful tweet program. And you have heard as well many families were only offer seat at Betsy Row and decline knowing that the school um will be closing. We cannot use this data to accurately project North Everston tweet demand. And finally,
065there's no immediate financial gain from closing the tweet as many has alluded to. Um and there is the potential increase in cost of transportation um that has not really been fully accounted for. So please um remove will tweet from your closure scenarios um base the tweet decisions on stable representative data before prematurely eliminating a successful tweet program and jeopardizing long-term growth of the program. Thank you. [applause] That concludes public comments. >> So I would like to make a comment at this time. [clears throat] First I would like to honor the work that Dr. Turner, the district 65 administrative team, and the consultants have completed during the various phases of the SDRP. The recognition of and response to the financial standing of district 65 is the foundation for the choice the board must make to move
066forward today. As board president, I have worked tirelessly to build consensus needed for an equitable and successful resolution to the SDP3 plan. As a member of the board, I have evaluated and questioned the data. Communication to and from the community has informed my thinking around the common interests for the district 65 schools. The shity of my position is based on knowledge gained from being a district 65 educator. My Bessie Rhodess experience, my focus on the successful opening of the new foster school, and being a lifelong community member. Although I accepted the board leadership during this turbulent process, my commitment has not wavered. The board's vote on this issue has been significantly impacted by a six vote body. I am committed to filling the board vac board vacancy as soon as possible. As we continue to
067negotiate the school closure process, I want us all to focus on the effective ends development, student learning, and the organization of district 65. My hope is that the board can come to a decision so that the children of dist district 65 can all benefit from the outcome. Thank you. Any [applause] other comments? >> Got a comment. We're at a crossroads tonight after more than a year and hundreds of hours of work administration. Dedicated community members and a wellrespected consultant who spent her career working in education whose and whose expertise is in education and finances have put in as a part of the SDRP process. We started this process knowing that it was urgent to get our finances back on track. We knew at the beginning of this that urgent action was needed now. Doing nothing
068means that we go below 90 days cash on hand next year and that will have multiple negative financial consequences for our district. The experts who have spent decades leading and managing preK through 8 schools, including administration, consultants, principles, tell us that the choice is clear. The choice is keeping one underutilized school open at the expense of the entire district. keeping one underutilized school open versus keeping programs and staff that support students across the district. At a time when we need those resources more than ever to support teaching and learning for all students. At a time when we have an increasing need for support for special education students. At a time when we continue to have an embarrassing and persistent opportunity gap among black students in the district. At a time when lowincome students face more
069and more financial strain, making it even more difficult to learn, I know that there is a better way to use our district's limited resources to support all students across the district than to keep half empty schools open. I know that some might may say that there are better ideas to fix our budget. And I really sincerely wish that that were true. Unfortunately, those ideas are wishful thinking at best. and no credible school financial experts have offered a perspective that any of those ideas will come close to solving our budget structural deficit. Some may say, why not close one school now and figure out if and what other schools to close in the future? However, that doesn't take into account how disruptive it will be to close a neighborhood school with no clear plan to actually
070fix our budget deficit. It would mean more strain on limited district resources to move students and staff around while having to make substantial budget cuts at the same time. It would mean continuing the uncertainty among staff and community and having to go back and do it all over again in a year's time, forcing teachers, staff, and students who have started to make connections to have to reaclimate for a second time after a year. I can in good faith do that to the district. So the choice to me is clear. I don't have the luxury of thinking about my own kids or even advocating for the children in one particular neighborhood. I have to do what's right for 6,000 plus students and the district overall. I really hope that our board is able to face reality
071and find the courage to do what is right tonight and vote on closing or at least naming two additional schools that will close. If not, we will own the consequences for this decision and the fallout from what happens next. [applause] This is a I just want to acknowledge the difficulty for our community. Um again as Maya said this is we are at a crossroads uh not just in this community but across the country in regards to public education and we're having we have federal attacks against um our educational institutions. Um the plan for the federal government is to block grant some of the most some of the funding that that impacts our most vulnerable populations and that has not been figured into the calculations that we have been made. So this is the fear that
072I have in regards to just closing one school because it it we it it just does not give us the buffer to deal with another three and a half years of a federal government that is attacking public education by any means necessary. So that that that is what concerns me and keeps it wakes me up in the middle of the night. and for all of these things that we fought for in in the nine years that I've been here as a board member, advocating for social emotional supports, creating positions in our schools to ensure that our most vulnerable students through our face leaison have their needs met. And what's that resulted in? All right. We've reduced substantially suspension rates for black and brown students. Can we still use do more in academics? Absolutely. Absolutely. I
073mean, our children are progressing, specifically our two-way immersion students. Uh but in regards to two-way immersion, again, I believe our programs, our special programs should be where our students who have the most need are. And I think that's why I'm okay with the Will with Willard's Twi Closing and I know it's a Valley program. I have been to the CE cultural celebrations and it's it's an incredible community, but the priority is TWWS students. The priority is special education students. For me as a board member, the priority is the most marginalized students in our in our community who can't be here, whose parents can't be here to to advocate for that. For once, we are a community who are building a brand new school in a historically black neighborhood and now black and Latino neighborhood. Now,
074why is it that way? Right? We've lost about 20% of the back black population here in Evston in the past 40 years because we continue to raise property taxes in the city, in the school districts. When does it stop? So, we value diversity, but at the same time, we are shooting ourselves in the foot trying to maintain the diversity by suggesting that, okay, well, we're going to have to do again, there is no choice. are absolutely have to going to try to have a a a referendum at some point. But for me, closing two buildings, which resolves some of these recurring costs, is a step in the right direction. But it's not the only solution. I don't think that's ever been something that we've said, well, that that's the only thing we can do. That's
075not something that that that is just not we know it t it's going to take more than that. And I'm hoping that what the community is offering in whatever decision we make is is unconditional, right? Because if you have to love education, I'm an educator. I unconditionally love public education because it is the great equalizer in our society and it's on its hanging on by its fingernails in the society. But if we're going to if you really value education and if you really offer want to offer solutions, I hope whatever decision we make that you are there to utilize the your creativity and the talent that you have in this community to ensure that we have a a vision that moves us forward and moves our students forward. But we can't do that without the
076financial means and we can't do that with buildings that continue to be underutilized. We are going to come again if we decide one if we are going to be back here again in another year and it's going to probably have to be three schools and a referendum because costs aren't getting any cheaper. So that is my thought process in regards to my decision on why I'm deciding the way I decided to vote tonight and going forward. We may be a divided board and we may have starkly different views in this room but I do want to recognize the humanity. We are all human beings up here and have invested incredible time and labor and I'm pretty sure every one of us has had at least one sleepless night if not many more. I have tried
077to come around to an abstain on a vote for a one school closure, but I cannot do so while keeping my promise to protect the financial health of this district. A one school closure leaves significant financial liabilities for our community to the tune of $9.1 million of ne need needed revenue increases or expenditure reductions including staffing and programming over FY27 through FY30 without a clear plan for what would be cut, how we would determine the need for future closures and necessitating that we repeat the brutal process of STRP3 all over again. A one school closure also requires that we center a single building over people and programs. The immediate impact of a one school closure is over 2 million dollars of programming and staffing cuts in FY27. Five times this is with model D1 uh
078scenario 1A and scenario 2F. Five times what we would need to cut in a 2F two school closure. If we're able to identify similar revenue and expenditure levers for FY28 as we have for FY27, the two-year impact of 1A would be 4.5 million in programming and staffing cuts. If we didn't identify the same revenue levers and expenditure levers, it could grow to 6.3 million in programming and staffing cuts over two years for scenario 1A. A one school closure literally requires the entire district to purchase time for a building at the expense of district-wide programming and staff. I took an oath as a board member to pursue the common good and fiduciary health of this entire district. I'm voting tonight for a two school scenario because it is the only option before us that centers the
079long-term financial sustainability of our entire district. I'm voting tonight for a two school scenario mindful of so many ancestors in D65 who fought for equitable outcomes and whose lives would have been profoundly different had their communities been given a chance to follow the formal recommendation of an equitable district-wide school closure process. I cannot vote for one school closure because I would have to violate my oath to act in the best interest of the whole district, not just one neighborhood. I would have to break promises that I made six months ago to the people who voted for me that I was ready to fight for all students, especially our most marginalized students and to make the hard decisions to achieve financial sustainability for D65. A one school closure requires us to at the very least comparously
080close to repeating a historical pattern of centering the thriving of schools in highly resourced communities at the cost of all of our students, especially our most marginalized. I hope that we can find the courage to find the to follow the formal recommendation of SDRP3. Thank you. [applause] Um, I want to take a moment to speak to where I sit, not just a schoolboard member, but as someone who has spent my life working outside, uh, working alongside families, educators, and comm community partners to build systems that actually support young people. um closed schools, seen schools close, seen schools open, seen it done well, seen it done poorly. So, I just this is not about not being able to make a hard decision. I don't think anyone up here is afraid of making a hard decision. And
081it's not I just really want to push us back on it's not about one person's vision of equity versus another. I um reject the notion that anyone up here is not leading from their vision of equity or their vision of of experiences and particularly as a black woman who has dealt with school closure, my own attending a school that was closed because of um Brown versus Board. I just reject that out out loud. But when I look, I see a full picture. The operational demands, not just making the decisions, but the ability to carry it out, the closure of but three schools, the opening of one school and the transformation of two others. Willard norm will be the same as they were upon the close of of June. Those schools also need to be attended
082to. Lincoln. We've heard um we all received a letter from the STEP educators. Um and I remember looking out of the face last week when they heard that STEP was being moved to Lincoln and it was the first that they heard. So to me it's operational and it is equity for the for the families of Foster for the communities of Foster for the the Bessie Rose to make sure that we do this right not just let's get to the quickest decision. And I want to um spend a lot of time looking at the finances. I don't believe and I categorically reject that by spending one year closing one school. We've put forward to our colleagues that we're f I'm fine with saying next year at this time that Lincolnwood school would be on a conversation
083for closure. But I believe in this community, this board, the educators in the community that we can come up with a better solution that does not harm the marginalized population. Why is that? There are partnerships, so many folks in the community in civic in um community based organizations with ideas with ways of saving money that actually provide services. There's a lot of things we don't know about the special education audit. So, I just I don't want to go on because I've said most of this stuff before, but I think it's a it's not a it's not a close one school for one year means that we are cutting services from all the marginalized population. I reject that. I would do that. I reject that Pat would do that. Um reject that Maria would do that.
084And what we can't say right here is being on the dasis and understanding our role is not to can't tell you a litany of what those cuts would be right now that would be disrespectful and it's actually um not our role at this space to say it. But because we can't give you a list doesn't mean that that means that we don't have we haven't thought deeply about how to achieve a one school closure with the grace and space to allow the community to come up with a plan that can be supported and sustained to allow Foster to open well. And then if we can't do it, if Evston doesn't live up to who Evston we believe it is, that we will come back. I will come back and I would vote for the closing
085of Lincolnwood School because I do believe the long-term finances that Andrew has said. I agree with you on the long-term impact of that. And I would not say I'm going through all these years and just let's do that. But I just have experienced in my own life, experienced and seeing it, studying it and knowing it could happen and believing in the team here. I've done it. I know people here can do it. Believe in Dr. Turner. I believe in your ability to believe it. Do it. I believe in the in the um in the cabinet that we can achieve this goal um by coming up with a better plan that can work for all and that's not polyianish that's not just uh a belief and possibility that's facing the reality of knowing that it can
086>> [applause] [applause] >> Um, I I'd just have a couple quick comments. Um, I think I've said a lot about why I think one school closure at this time is the best choice for us in addition to to closing Bessie Roads and also opening Foster. I think I would just encourage us to really look at this decision not as a hard decision but as a smart decision because we are smart people. We have smart community members. And if we are positioning ourselves and making decisions based on hope instead of fear, we can accomplish more than we can see in front of us today. And I think, you know, I've been on this board for, you know, a very short period of time. Um, and in that time have seen tremendous movement um on our finances.
087And I've also dug very deeply into our budget and the doomsday scenarios that I hear on some sides, I would just say that math is not mathing. And for the amount that we purportedly will save in closing a school, and we'll see what that is, um we can we we have the ability to create efficiencies within our current budget to address those. Um and and the detrimental impact of closing two schools and the uncertainty around transportation, cost of transportation, moving kids around um will will potentially erase most of that most of that savings. And so I I want to see how that plays out. And I want us I really challenge us to be innovative and creative and hopeful because we have some tremendous assets uh not only in our administration on our board and
088in our community um that I hope that we can leverage to a brighter future. [applause] >> [applause] >> Thank you. I [applause] just I just want I just want to put on the table based on all of the comments we've heard that the ultimate failure of the plan would be to close no schools. That would be a travesty because that would put us in a financial position that would be beneath even a one school closure. So I just want to remind us of that we are at a disadvantage of having six board members. That is something that we are actively pursuing to complete. But at this moment, we only have six board members. And so we we have to make a decision tonight in doing that. But as I look across the scenarios and the
089options we have to me no school closures is not an option. So I'll let that sit for a moment and we will proceed with our vote. So, we're going to move on. Action item. Approve the commencement of required school school code public hearings to consider school closure scenario 2DR2. Kingsley Elementary School and Willard Elementary School. I move that the board of education approve holding three public hearings in accordance with section 10-22.13 of the Illinois School Code to consider school closure scenario 2D R2. Three public hearings will be held to consider the closure of Kingsley Elementary School and three public hearings will be held to consider the closure of Willard Elementary School for a total of six public hearings. The dates for these hearings will be determined by the superintendent and board president. The superintendent is
090directed to provide the required notice for these public hearings at least 10 days prior to the first public hearing by publication on the district's website. >> Take a vote. Hernandez, >> no. >> Wymer, >> no. >> Wilkins, >> no. >> Pinker, >> no. >> Henderson, >> no. >> The motion fails. Action. Approve the commencement of required school code public hearings to consider school closure scenario 2FR2 Kingsley Elementary School and Lincolnwood Elementary School. I move that the board of education approve holding three public hearings in accordance with section 1022-13 of the Illinois school code to consider school closure scenario 2FR2. Three public hearings will be held to consider the closure of Kingsley Elementary School and three public hearings will be held to consider the closure of Lincolnwood Elementary School for a total of six public hearings.
091The dates for these hearings will be determined by the superintendent and board president. The superintendent is directed to provide the required notice for these public hearings at least 10 days prior to the first public hearing by publication on the district's website. >> Second. >> Discussion. Call the vote. Hernandez, >> yes. >> Optek, >> no. >> Wymer, >> yes. >> Wilkins, >> yes. >> Pinker, >> no. >> Anderson, >> no. >> Vote is 33. >> Motion does not pass. Action. Approve the commencement of required school code public hearings to consider a one school closure scenario of Kingsley Elementary School. I move that the board of education approve holding three public hearings in accordance with section 1022-13 of the Illinois school code to consider the closure of Kingsley Elementary School. The dates for these hearings will be
092determined by the superintendent and board president. The superintendent is directed to provide the required notice for these public hearings at least 10 days prior to the first public hearing by publication on the district's website. >> Second. >> Any discussion? I just hope that we, you know, we're at this point now. We're at this point now. And I think our choice is now zero or one. Any other discussion? Call the vote. >> Hernandez, >> no. >> Yes. >> Wymer, >> no. >> Wilkins, >> no. >> Inkard, >> yes. >> Anderson, >> yes. >> 33. Action. Approve the commencement of required school code public hearings [clears throat] to consider a one school closure scenario of Lincolnwood Elementary School. >> Second. >> Oh, I'm Let me finish the Let me finish. Where is it? I apologize. Um, [clears
093throat] I will start over. Action approve the commencement of required school code public hearings to consider a one school closure scenario of Lincolnwood Elementary School. There's already been second. I move that the board of education approve holding three public hearings in accordance with section 1022.13 of the Illinois school code to consider the closure of Lincolnwood Elementary School. The dates for these hearings will be determined by the superintendent and board president. The superintendent is directed to provide the required notice for these public hearings at least 10 days prior to the first public hearing by publication on the district website. I apologize. >> Second want to call vote. >> Hernandez. >> No. >> Oak. >> Yes. >> Wymer. >> No. >> Wilkins. >> No. Pinker, >> yes. >> Anderson, >> no. >> Is 24 pass. That concludes
094our business for this meeting. So there will be zero school school closures. >> With no further business, I move that the board adjourn the meeting at 6:29.