If walkability is still a chief factor in their goals, there are very few options for closures that wouldn't impact walkability for a subset of their students. So why not just be clear about what schools they're targeting for closure. The only possibility I see is closing one of Kingsley or Lincolnwood and redistricting those kids to the 5th Ward school or Willard based on where they live closest to. Currently there are already students being bussed to Orrington who live in NE Evanston so they don't have to make the dangerous crossing on the street level tracks north of Central, and kids who are bussed to Dewey from the Noyes-Ridge area, what's their walkable school that doesn't involve crossing Green Bay? There are kids zoned for Willard who live west of Crawford, who aren't walkable to any other school.
IтАЩm not sure that walkability is still a chief factor тАФthatтАЩs the thing. It was part of their justification to get the new 5th Ward built тАФand I donтАЩt really think they care about it when it comes to the rest of the district. Just like I donтАЩt believe that they were ever serious about a тАЬschool within a school.тАЭ That was merely another ploy to quiet a community during a school board election and crucial moment in getting the new school across the proverbial finish line. Awful, just awful.
I agree with this assessment. New school as an asset replacement for Kingsley seems like a slam dunk. Lincolnwood is 4 blocks west and new school is 3 blocks South. Otherwise, any closure is a net negative to walkability.
I think walkability will still have to be at least somewhat of a factor for bussing savings, and they'll also consider which schools will lose the most 5th ward students. I don't think the farthest south elementary schools will close, and I don't think Washington will close because it already has two TWI streams and will likely absorb some of the Bessie Rhodes students who don't go to the 5th ward school. Once you start to look at it from that lens, it will more than likely be a north school and Kingsley would make the most sense for the reasons you said.
WeтАЩll see. Sadly, itтАЩs all about clear as mud.
Re school closures, I do think itтАЩs likely that 2-3 schools will be on the chopping block тАФand given this Board and Administration who knows if the ones chosen will make any logical sense. In fact, given past track records, that seems unlikely.
Austere times are coming тАФfor sure. Where is the $200M+ coming from to repair existing schools, for example?! There is no way you can justify this many schools with the declining d65 student population. And I think weтАЩre past the point of claiming that the families/kids that left will come back. Why should they?
They need to have a referendum on the 2025 ballot and should've had one on the 2023 ballot! Even if it fails miserably, they need to at least get the ask out there. The 2017 referendum was specifically designed only to last until 2024. I don't understand why they're not talking about this. Even if they fired everyone at 1500 McDaniel, they'd still be in rough shape. They need to at least lift up the per-pupil funding so it levels out with ETHS and the only way that will happen is via a 5% referendum.
At the listen and learn in April, someone asked Dr. Turner if they were planning on trying to get enrollment numbers up. The comms person spoke up and said they are not targeting families that left as they assume it's unlikely they'll come back at this point. Their goal was targeting new Kindergarten families...Seems like most new Kindergarten families would like some clarity on if their school is going to get shut down if they are on the fence of sending their kid to D65, but that's just me.
There's no real technical upside to increasing enrollment - like it doesn't really bring in any additional revenue but it increases the costs. We have such a broken system here in IL!
Sergio JIUST said in a recent board meeting that they are reaching out to families who left to find out why. Ha! Another lie. I am one of those families and have many friends who left and no one has been contacted because he made it up.
And they're not even telling us what the "grand plan" is!! What is it besides just handwavey claims about "equity"??
According to Sergio his grand plan is system level changes , at least that what he stated when he scolded us after the meeting
If walkability is still a chief factor in their goals, there are very few options for closures that wouldn't impact walkability for a subset of their students. So why not just be clear about what schools they're targeting for closure. The only possibility I see is closing one of Kingsley or Lincolnwood and redistricting those kids to the 5th Ward school or Willard based on where they live closest to. Currently there are already students being bussed to Orrington who live in NE Evanston so they don't have to make the dangerous crossing on the street level tracks north of Central, and kids who are bussed to Dewey from the Noyes-Ridge area, what's their walkable school that doesn't involve crossing Green Bay? There are kids zoned for Willard who live west of Crawford, who aren't walkable to any other school.
IтАЩm not sure that walkability is still a chief factor тАФthatтАЩs the thing. It was part of their justification to get the new 5th Ward built тАФand I donтАЩt really think they care about it when it comes to the rest of the district. Just like I donтАЩt believe that they were ever serious about a тАЬschool within a school.тАЭ That was merely another ploy to quiet a community during a school board election and crucial moment in getting the new school across the proverbial finish line. Awful, just awful.
I agree with this assessment. New school as an asset replacement for Kingsley seems like a slam dunk. Lincolnwood is 4 blocks west and new school is 3 blocks South. Otherwise, any closure is a net negative to walkability.
I think walkability will still have to be at least somewhat of a factor for bussing savings, and they'll also consider which schools will lose the most 5th ward students. I don't think the farthest south elementary schools will close, and I don't think Washington will close because it already has two TWI streams and will likely absorb some of the Bessie Rhodes students who don't go to the 5th ward school. Once you start to look at it from that lens, it will more than likely be a north school and Kingsley would make the most sense for the reasons you said.
WeтАЩll see. Sadly, itтАЩs all about clear as mud.
Re school closures, I do think itтАЩs likely that 2-3 schools will be on the chopping block тАФand given this Board and Administration who knows if the ones chosen will make any logical sense. In fact, given past track records, that seems unlikely.
Austere times are coming тАФfor sure. Where is the $200M+ coming from to repair existing schools, for example?! There is no way you can justify this many schools with the declining d65 student population. And I think weтАЩre past the point of claiming that the families/kids that left will come back. Why should they?
They need to have a referendum on the 2025 ballot and should've had one on the 2023 ballot! Even if it fails miserably, they need to at least get the ask out there. The 2017 referendum was specifically designed only to last until 2024. I don't understand why they're not talking about this. Even if they fired everyone at 1500 McDaniel, they'd still be in rough shape. They need to at least lift up the per-pupil funding so it levels out with ETHS and the only way that will happen is via a 5% referendum.
At the listen and learn in April, someone asked Dr. Turner if they were planning on trying to get enrollment numbers up. The comms person spoke up and said they are not targeting families that left as they assume it's unlikely they'll come back at this point. Their goal was targeting new Kindergarten families...Seems like most new Kindergarten families would like some clarity on if their school is going to get shut down if they are on the fence of sending their kid to D65, but that's just me.
There's no real technical upside to increasing enrollment - like it doesn't really bring in any additional revenue but it increases the costs. We have such a broken system here in IL!
Sergio JIUST said in a recent board meeting that they are reaching out to families who left to find out why. Ha! Another lie. I am one of those families and have many friends who left and no one has been contacted because he made it up.