I asked several members of the school board if they verified or even challenged Horton and Kelgati’s claims about financing being cost neutral. There’s scant record of scrutiny, so it would seem that they are either derelict in their duty to the voters or violating the open meetings law.
More great reporting from you Tom. Another issue D65 hasn’t yet addressed is how will they cover the cost overruns for the new school that are a certainty at this point. The district said that inflation has driven up the proposed costs of repairs and maintenance on existing buildings, yet this school is still going to be built for $40 million?
Aren't the proceeds from the sale of Bessie Rhodes supposed to be used to help pay for the new school too? I think I remembered hearing that awhile back.
Are the Board members responding to any inquiries about this? Are the obligated to respond? Is there any recourse other than voting for someone else? When is the next election? And the bigger question is, why isn’t any other media outlet picking this up and running with it? It seems like this Board presided over one financial screw up after another. I think the broad public should know as we move into the selection phase. Can you moonlight for the Roundtable?
“The system we happen to live in has been built on stripping black and brown people of their identities SO THAT they can experience our white normed world. The 5th ward school is a great local example. It was closed SO THAT the white schools could be integrated. …We currently, at a 4.3 million dollar expense bus black and brown students (not all, my white kids ride a bus) all over town as a result of that school closure which was stripped from the residents of the 5th ward. This is the only ward in Evanston without a neighborhood school.
Discipline policy punishes blakc and brown students at least three times more than white students. We changed that policy for the better
Dress codes police black and brown bodies more than white students to a similar degree. We changed that policy for the better.
Middle School Math Acceleration after a decade or more resulted in classes being taught by level with regular classes being black and brown students and accelerated being predominantly white. The textbooks were the same, the syllabus were the same. The teachers came to a board meeting asking for us to help them integrate the classes because the only difference was what they were called. We changed the policy for the better.
Bullying policies are in place and I would recommend your friend write a note asking for a bullying investigation if this is truly happening. Be careful, they are big and uncover a lot, but when bullying is happening the school must do something. Again, we have policy for this (7:180).”
See also the interesting exchange between Mr. Hailpern and Mr. Obafemi reported in https://evanstonroundtable.com/2023/06/12/d65-school-board-approves-two-busing-contracts-last-act-of-fy23/
You are doing God’s work. Thank you.
I asked several members of the school board if they verified or even challenged Horton and Kelgati’s claims about financing being cost neutral. There’s scant record of scrutiny, so it would seem that they are either derelict in their duty to the voters or violating the open meetings law.
More great reporting from you Tom. Another issue D65 hasn’t yet addressed is how will they cover the cost overruns for the new school that are a certainty at this point. The district said that inflation has driven up the proposed costs of repairs and maintenance on existing buildings, yet this school is still going to be built for $40 million?
Aren't the proceeds from the sale of Bessie Rhodes supposed to be used to help pay for the new school too? I think I remembered hearing that awhile back.
Are the Board members responding to any inquiries about this? Are the obligated to respond? Is there any recourse other than voting for someone else? When is the next election? And the bigger question is, why isn’t any other media outlet picking this up and running with it? It seems like this Board presided over one financial screw up after another. I think the broad public should know as we move into the selection phase. Can you moonlight for the Roundtable?
They never focused on anything except race, and don’t care if it costs a billion. Here’s what a board member emailed on sept 20,2021 (foia it if need proof). The bullying incident referenced was about a foreign family who’s 2nd grader was repeatedly being chocked unconscious on playground. It is interesting some of the most vocal board members (including the one who sent the below) were absent the groundbreaking build a statue to yourself event. https://evanstonroundtable.com/2023/06/20/evanston-d65-dedicates-fifth-ward-school-site/?utm_content=buffer865eb&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
“The system we happen to live in has been built on stripping black and brown people of their identities SO THAT they can experience our white normed world. The 5th ward school is a great local example. It was closed SO THAT the white schools could be integrated. …We currently, at a 4.3 million dollar expense bus black and brown students (not all, my white kids ride a bus) all over town as a result of that school closure which was stripped from the residents of the 5th ward. This is the only ward in Evanston without a neighborhood school.
Discipline policy punishes blakc and brown students at least three times more than white students. We changed that policy for the better
Dress codes police black and brown bodies more than white students to a similar degree. We changed that policy for the better.
Middle School Math Acceleration after a decade or more resulted in classes being taught by level with regular classes being black and brown students and accelerated being predominantly white. The textbooks were the same, the syllabus were the same. The teachers came to a board meeting asking for us to help them integrate the classes because the only difference was what they were called. We changed the policy for the better.
Bullying policies are in place and I would recommend your friend write a note asking for a bullying investigation if this is truly happening. Be careful, they are big and uncover a lot, but when bullying is happening the school must do something. Again, we have policy for this (7:180).”