As part of its ongoing effort to address spending issues and reduce the budget going forward, Evanston/Skokie District 65 is hosting three community meetings — branded as “Listen & Learn” sessions — over the next week and a half.
The times, dates and locations for those meetings are:
- 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. Monday, Dec. 9 in the Chute Middle School library, 1400 Oakton St.
- 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 12 in the Nichols Middle School library, 800 Greenleaf St.
- 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. Monday, Dec. 16 at Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center, 1655 Foster St.
“These sessions are a continued effort to engage the community in learning more about the district’s budget and financial outlook and to gather input to creatively address financial challenges,” Superintendent Angel Turner wrote in a letter to the community on Tuesday night, Dec. 3. “This helps ensure that the plan currently being developed remains aligned with our collective values and provides all children in our community with a high-quality education. We recognize it’s a busy time of year so if you are unable to attend in-person, you can respond electronically.”
In a news release shared on its website, the district said the meetings will center on the following three questions:
- “As difficult decisions lie ahead to balance the budget, what are the top three priorities that you believe must be protected?
- “What programs or services do you consider most essential to maintain the quality of our students’ education?
- “Please share any additional information that should be considered as we prioritize budget reductions.”
The district’s financial adviser, Robert Grossi, has warned that the administration and board need to cut next year’s budget by an estimated $13.2 million to avoid facing insolvency, which would mean the district could no longer pay its bills and would likely require a state takeover.
Earlier this fall, the board hired a firm called Student-Centered Services to help build a “structural deficit reduction plan,” parts of which will first be presented at the Jan. 13 board meeting at the Joseph E. Hill Early Childhood Center at 1500 McDaniel Ave.
More information about the process is available on a new web page recently launched by District 65. You can sign up to receive budget updates in English here and in Spanish here.
District 65 schedules community meetings on budget cuts is from Evanston RoundTable, Evanston's most trusted source for unbiased, in-depth journalism.