The City-School Liaison Committee discussed the Guaranteed Income Program, the November general election and grant opportunities Tuesday night at the Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center.
The committee facilitates conversations between city and local school board officials on matters of public interest. The nine-person committee has three city councilmembers, three Evanston Township High School District 202 board members and three Evanston/Skokie School District 65 board members.
The Guaranteed Income Program focuses on giving resources to people who make less than 184% of the federal poverty line, live in Census Tract 8092, are located in the 5th Ward or care for children in first grade or younger. Through the program, eligible residents get $500 a month on a preloaded debit card that they can spend on whatever they need.
Alison Leipsiger, Evanston’s policy and intergovernmental affairs manager, said the city is still enrolling eligible District 65 families into the program.
“It’s a really exciting way to think about economic development,” she said. “It’s a huge infusion of resources.”
Leipsigner added that this program — along with Pathway to Wellness, an initiative passed by City Council in September — aims to improve employment and health outcomes for Evanston residents. Pathway to Wellness provides health support to residents who live in the poorer census tracts in Evanston. According to city data, these residents can live up to 13 years less than residents in wealthier Evanston census tracts.
The committee also coordinated resources for the 10 District 65 schools that will act as polling stations for the Nov. 5 election. All schools, including ETHS, have the day off for the election.
City Manager Luke Stowe said there will be more police officers patrolling near the city’s polling places to ensure everything goes smoothly.
“(Evanston Police) will respond accordingly if something happens,” officer Nathaniel Basner said. “That’s the only time we’ll respond. Otherwise, we’ll just stay out of there and let people come in and vote.”
Later in the meeting, District 65 School Board President Sergio Hernandez emphasized that the city and its two school districts should work with legislators at the state and federal levels to secure funding for projects that may come up, such as school construction.
District 65 Superintendent Angel Turner said the district has been looking for grant opportunities “aggressively and diligently,” but has not received any yet.
Both school districts have partnered with Climate Action Evanston to apply for a nearly $20 million community change grant, according to Kendra Williams, District 202’s chief financial officer. She said the deadline for the grant is approaching soon.
The committee also heard an update on the work of Cradle to Career, a partnership between various Evanston organizations working toward equity.
Kimberly Holmes-Ross, the organization’s executive director, announced that Cradle to Career has $15,000 set aside to hire 10 interns for the year. The organization will pay 25% of each intern’s salary, and the other 75% will come from Northwestern, which will send 10 work-study students to Cradle to Career, she said.
Hernandez said it is important for both school districts and the city to work together to give Evanston the resources it needs, which includes finding various avenues of funding.
“(I’m) putting that out there for all the institutional partners as we continue to try to create a better community that’s affordable to folks and ensure all the resources are accessible to all folks as much as possible,” Hernandez said.
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Related Stories:
— Pathway to Wellness offers health support to Evanston’s low-income areas
— City-School Liaisons talk Guaranteed Income, Wraparound Evanston
