Evanston/Skokie School District 65 granted permissive transfers to 100 current students originally assigned to the new Foster School, according to data shared with The Daily by a district spokesperson Wednesday.
Permissive transfers allow families to request that the district assign their children to schools outside of their designated attendance boundaries.
Excluding incoming kindergartners, 416 students were originally slated to attend Foster, which is scheduled to open for the 2026-27 school year. Nearly 25% of those students opted out of attending the new school.
The district has spent about $50 million on Foster’s construction, and the building will have the capacity to serve about 600 K-5 students.
The District 65 Board of Education’s January resolution authorizing the closure of Kingsley Elementary School established new attendance boundaries, impacting school assignments for about 800 students.
In addition to Kingsley, Dr. Bessie Rhodes School of Global Studies and Willard Elementary School’s Two-Way Immersion program are also scheduled to close following this school year. The cuts are part of District 65’s multiphase Structural Deficit Reduction Plan, which aims to help the district reach financial sustainability.
Among the 100 students granted permissive transfers, 11 are current Bessie Rhodes students, and 24 are current Willard TWI students. Both groups were assigned to Foster unless parents or guardians filed permissive transfer or return to home school requests.
Superintendent Angel Turner wrote that District 65 planned to “approve the vast majority of permissive transfer requests” in a March 20 letter to families.
“Our goal is to provide families with as much flexibility as possible while still ensuring responsible enrollment planning across the district,” Turner wrote.
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Related Stories:
— D65 board assesses childcare program, alternative deficit reduction options
— As school assignment confirmations loom, Kingsley parents reflect on permissive transfers
— ‘We’re making history’: Families express excitement, raise questions at Foster family meeting
