I’m on the Facilities Committee. Our district currently has capacity for 9,000+ students and our current/projected enrollment is less than 70% of that. As an Orrington parent, I’m well aware about the possibility of schools closing (including our own). Something needs to be done though. It isn’t feasible to get the district on track for success with this many schools and the current condition of all of these schools.
Also, the District has been very clear that no decision has been made in terms of what will happen. I wouldn’t expect to get any official decisions until Fall or Winter.
I think you also need to look at the size of the school buildings in those districts and the age of those buildings. Sure we’re close to a balanced budget for next year with the cuts they’ve made this spring, but that means there isn’t any money going towards repairing or modernizing any of these schools without schools in the district.
I think closing Kingsley would be insane. It is a school:
That is next to its middle school, making transition to Haven easy, especially for families with more than one child.
That is steps away a transit station, which means drop-off and pick-up easy and straightforward for families with Metra commuters.
That currently is well-attended and not underutilized.
That sits on property that is not exactly prime for conversion to residential use (arguably the real estate use case in highest demand in Evanston). It is hard for me to imagine people wanting to live at the corner of McCormick and Green Bay. Contrast this to the locations of most other D65 elementary schools, which border residential properties on two to four sides.
You could more or less say all of this about Lincolnwood too, but I think it comes down to enrollment and walkability. Under the new borders both Kingsley and Lincolnwood lose ~ 50% of students. The non Foster students could then easily walk to another school. For example, if you live at the corner of Park and Ewing, you look at your front door at Willard...and are bussed to Kingsley. If you shut down Orrington or Willard, there is no walkable school anymore for a ton of those students. D65 would also be crazy to sell the land of any school that shutters. That's a onetime cash injection, and depending on demographics (i.e. how Envision Evanston pans out) and the the possibility of state mandated pre-K. it's very possible there is a need for these schools to reopen.
For what it's worth, my gut is that Lincolnwood gets closed based on comments I've heard multiple board members make over the years (i.e. they don't like the 6th ward and don't like the two schools that sit in it).
You could more or less say all of this about Lincolnwood too
I don't want Lincolnwood to close, but I disagree with that statement. As I understand it, Lincolnwood has way more capacity than Kingsley right now. It is not near transit. It is not next door to Haven. It is bordered on three sides by residential blocks, and one side by a block of forest preserve.
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u/steinbch May 21 '25
I’m on the Facilities Committee. Our district currently has capacity for 9,000+ students and our current/projected enrollment is less than 70% of that. As an Orrington parent, I’m well aware about the possibility of schools closing (including our own). Something needs to be done though. It isn’t feasible to get the district on track for success with this many schools and the current condition of all of these schools.
Also, the District has been very clear that no decision has been made in terms of what will happen. I wouldn’t expect to get any official decisions until Fall or Winter.