After the Evanston/Skokie School District 65 board unanimously voted to begin the process to close Kingsley Elementary School at a special meeting Friday, the district seems to have finally made headway to reach fiscal sustainability. 

The vote comes after a series of impasses that defined Phase 3 of the district’s Structural Deficit Reduction Plan, which aims to cut $10.9 to $14.85 million from its budget before fiscal year 2030. In the fall, the board failed to pass a single school closure scenario, leaving the future of cost-cutting measures uncertain. 

Now, some community members are taking the board’s decision as a sign of progress.

“It’s forward progress for the district,” Katie Armistead, Lincolnwood parent and co-founder of D65: Invest in Neighborhood Schools, a coalition of over 600 district families, said. “I don’t think we love every word in the resolution, but I think the fact that tonight’s meeting happened is progress. We’re looking forward to 2026.”

During Friday’s meeting, the board noted that closing Kingsley may not be enough for District 65 to reach its goal of “financial sustainability,” which, according to the resolution passed by the board, requires maintaining a balanced budget, having 90 days of cash on hand and setting aside at least $2.7 million for expenditures related to building maintenance. Additionally, the overall utilization rate for K-5 buildings throughout the district must be above 75%.

If the board fails to meet these requirements by October 2026, it will consider beginning the process to close Lincolnwood. Notably, both Kingsley and Lincolnwood are part of Haven Middle School’s feeder pattern. 

To some parents, a Lincolnwood closure would be extremely shortsighted. 

Kingsley parent Julia Emfinger said she has supported a Kingsley closure with the condition that no other schools in the Haven feeder pattern are shuttered. With a Lincolnwood closure potentially on the table, she said there seems to be no attention paid to the “bigger picture” and the impact of closing two schools in such proximity to each other.

“Equity does not stop at the schoolhouse gate,” Emfinger said. “Equity is reflected in the neighborhood that students live in. Equity is seen in the homes they live in, what their streets look like and what those communities look like.”

Community members also emphasized the importance of properly transitioning students as District 65 undergoes several changes throughout the 2026-27 school year, including the potential closure of Kingsley, the closure of Dr. Bessie Rhodes School of Global Studies, the opening of the Foster School and the end of Willard’s Two-Way Immersion program.

Emfinger, who has two children who both benefit from specialized services provided by District 65’s Individualized Education Program, hopes the board will help facilitate a smooth transition for all members of the Kingsley community, including teachers.

“If there’s a way to have some continuity of staff (where) some of the Kingsley teachers get reassigned to Lincolnwood so that there are at least some familiar faces in the building, I think that would help,” Emfinger said.

However, school closures and program cuts may not be the district’s only strategy for deficit reduction. At the Dec. 15 board meeting, district staff laid out alternative cost-cutting measures, including laying off up to 78 staff positions. 

At Friday’s meeting, Board President Patricia S. Anderson said she would like to recommend Vice President Nichole Pinkard and Board member Maria Opdycke as leaders of the board’s effort to identify alternative options for deficit reduction.

While the Kingsley closure vote was a source of some optimism for community members, others expressed frustration over the board’s plans for Willard TWI. During public comment, some criticized the board’s lack of engagement with the Willard community before making the final decision to cut the program.

“We want someone to hear our ideas and take them seriously,” Willard TWI parent Emily Garcia said. “I have not had meaningful engagement with the administration about a decision that greatly impacts my daughter’s education and community.”

District 65 will host two community engagement events for Willard TWI families on Jan.15 and Jan. 22.

In accordance with Illinois School Code, the board’s next step to close Kingsley is to hold three public hearings scheduled for Jan. 21 and Jan. 22. 

The board will hold its first regular meeting of the year on Jan. 12.

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Related Stories: 

— D65 board unanimously approves Kingsley Elementary School closure process

— D65 board to reconsider closing Kingsley Elementary School  

— D65 board fails to pass additional school closures before 2026-27 school year