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Haven, Nichols District 65 feedback meetings focus on walkable schools, questions about cost savings
More than 120 community members gathered at meetings Wednesday and Thursday to discuss the Evanston/Skokie School District 65 preliminary proposal to cut $20 million from its budget and close two more schools. An official plan outlining this proposition will be presented by…
Letter: Losing schools means losing walkability
District 65 is talking about closing two more schools (that will be four total). This will eliminate a walkable elementary school in some sections of the city. This concept is a significant positive of the current schools. At this time the city is trying to increase walkability…
Mya Wilkins will not seek reelection to District 65 board
Evanston/Skokie District 65 board member Mya Wilkins will not run for reelection, she confirmed to the RoundTable Thursday. “I feel that I’ve done my duty and it is time to give someone else a chance to serve,” Wilkins wrote in an email to the RoundTable. Wilkins, who’s the…
NU adjuncts and faculty without tenure eligibility move to unionize
Nontenure-eligible and adjunct faculty held a rally and took steps Wednesday to establish a union, United Academics of Northwestern University (UANU), through the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT). Stephanie Knezz, an associate professor of instruction in the chemistry…
Community members urge District 65 to ‘do the hard thing’ at Chute meeting
More than 50 people gathered Tuesday at Chute Middle School for the first of three community engagement sessions hosted by Evanston/Skokie District 65 this week. The meetings are part of a public input process to prepare for another round of school closures and budget cuts. The…
District 65 forensic audit to be completed this week
The forensic audit ordered by the Evanston/Skokie District 65 school board back in January will be finished this week before being first shared with board members and later with the public at large, according to a district spokesperson. The board hired accounting firm Crowe LLP…
Guest essay: Questions for school administrators as cuts loom
District 65 leadership has announced it intends to present a plan to the Board of Education on Oct. 13 to recommend cutting $20 million (10% of the budget) and closing at least two schools in the coming year. The administration is hosting three public engagement sessions this…
Warm temps make for happy reptiles in the Eco Center nature classroom
It’s likely that Mango is the happiest bearded dragon in Evanston. With long stretches of warm weather this summer, this charming reptile, who is native to Australia, has been basking in his toasty habitat in the nature classroom at the Evanston Ecology Center, wearing a…
Group of parents continues to advocate for less iPad time in District 65, will push to ban generative AI
Parent group Screen Sense Evanston plans to continue its push against what it deems unnecessary classroom technology in Evanston/Skokie School District 65 this year. Last year, the group presented a petition to the district that garnered more than 1,000 signatures with asks…
NU, football coach Braun agree to extension through 2031 season
Northwestern University and head football coach David Braun have agreed to a contract extension through the 2031 season, Vice President for Athletics and Recreation Mark Jackson announced on Thursday. In his fourth season leading the Wildcats, Braun has guided Northwestern to 20…
Retired District 65 social worker Dan Coyne is running for school board
Dan Coyne, who served as a social worker in Evanston/Skokie School District 65 for 10 years, has started the process to run for District 65 school board, he confirmed to the RoundTable Thursday. In his 10 years with the district, Coyne said he worked at Dawes Elementary, Lincoln…
Community members react as District 65 prepares to close more schools
Following the news Monday that Evanston/Skokie District 65 administrators will formally present plans next month to slash $20 million from the budget and close at least two more school buildings, community members expressed shock — but not necessarily surprise — at the news.…