>> Evan, >> some parents are fighting back against the school district's plan to close 2 elementary schools at the end of the academic year, the school board announced the potential closures as well as other cuts to staff and early childhood programs.

Earlier this month.

Since then, parents and families have rallied together trying to persuade board members to change their minds ahead of a vote set for November.

9th.

Joining us now, our Robin tell under a parent at Lincoln would elementary school.

Peter Rios apparent Dewey Elementary School.

And Alex Miller also apparent at Dewey Elementary School.

We did invite school board members from Evanston Skokie District 65, but they declined our invitation for this evening.

We're hoping to receive a statement from them.

Finally, I should also mention that my kids go to school in Evanston Skokie School District.

65 thanks to all of you for joining us.

Who have so Peter, the announcement at Dewey could be closing, came as a shock to some families because that was not one of the ones that had been discussed in the last couple of years when district was talking about school closures.

What was your reaction when was brought up this year?

>> Are reaction.

My reaction frustrated.

Because we had no idea this would happen.

And the fact that the teachers and administrators got the information at the same time as the parents did.

It's just absolutely disrespectful to them to.

>> Robin Lincolnwood was part of the conversations surrounding potential school closures last year.

The board decided that would remain open.

Almost sort of a punch, though, because they're back at at the same conversation this year.

What do you think?

They're revisiting it, though?

Yeah, I mean, I think it's interesting.

My kids were actually at Kingsley, which closed last year and I in the end advocated for it because I knew we were in a financial crisis and >> I thought it was gonna make sense.

And now knowing like what is that capacity?

And that was their main issue with lincolnwood.

It doesn't make sense.

And what we're figuring out from the school closures as they projected 3 million and it's closer to 200,000 were saving.

Some school closures are just not the answer.

So you're saying Lincolnwood is at capacity because of the children that were transferred.

There Kingsley when Kingsley close last.

And of course, it's obvious that parents who experienced the closure of Kingsley last year >> are now experiencing another possible school closure asked my skeptical about 3 schools.

And for years of click on contests.

Okay.

I'm Alex, you and another Dewey parent.

You all found at the district meet a 17 million dollar financial projection error, which is more than what they had hoped save by closing these 2 schools.

Did you expect that revelation to change the board's mind about closing schools?

>> That was certainly the hope in a thought of mine.

I was not sure how the board was going plan to use that additional funding that was now identified or additional headroom cost.

They did not have to spend in the future and what I found and what ice very surprised by is that the board did not want back any of the cuts that are proposed to any program.

So not just a school closures, but the early childhood sack, all the other pieces.

We're not walk back as a result of that finding that extremely surprising to Yeah, well in the district is saying that the money that's being saved, that these are it's a capital savings versus the structural problem that the district still has can help us understand.

>> Absolutely.

So 2 things on that.

First, the idea that this is capital not operating as just a choice the board's, there's nothing restricting these funds to be either capital or payments to teachers and other things.

It's literally just a choice that they're making as to how to use that So I'd say that's sort of a false us The second thing I would say is that.

There's there's opportunities to choose how to use this funding again to not make cuts.

And so I think that they have a chance to, you know, make a different choice in what they were talking about last night.

>> So that said, I mean, do you believe the district's argument that they have a structural deficit, that this is going to be an ongoing problem?

I think that the current proposal actually doesn't address that at The current proposal, what it does is offer.

>> A certain amount of savings on a repeated basis.

But the things behind the structural deficit are salaries, benefits and purchase services that are going up faster than our property tax collections are.

And so until you actually fix that curve until you change the way that those items, that certain expenses that you're incurring and the revenue intersect.

There actually no fixes that structural gap.

And so this is really I think idea that this solves the crisis is incorrect.

>> Peter, if the board does move forward with this proposal, Spanish speaking students who are in will enrolled in the immersion or twee programs.

The be consolidated into one school.

You have any concerns that that would mean sort of isolating Evanston, Spanish speaking community.

>> Absolutely.

We have in the past suffer this from the administration.

And over the years, dad.

Plus, ICE has been some of the year so next, right for our community and now that we're finally good place with 2 E and where not to Spanish kids.

But actually we're kids.

They're proposing for us to move us a cohort to Lincoln.

And this school is not ready for us.

They don't have Spanish books that don't have Bill Ingle administration.

They don't have anything ready for our kids that are 55% of them are Spanish speaking families.

So Eagles just not their first language.

They're not ready for us and we're so could do right now.

But it's hard to fathom that this would happen.

>> District 65 not the only school district.

It seeks to close schools as a way to make up for funds.

Pierre Chicago, Public Schools has also struggled with conversations about possible school closures.

There's a moratorium still in place for that.

But you see closing schools is a viable way to restore district's budget.

And if not, then what should they be looking at?

I believe that that is not the only way you may be a way that the numbers might, you know, add up to it.

But we are a community that is so smart that is so accomplished that I know we can find ways to do this correctly into this transparently to do this with the right ideas and the right.

I want to say hard putting people first.

The numbers first.

Alex, a few things.

The district is also proposing to cut early childhood and after-school programs as well.

But I also wanted to mention that, you know, do the students they recorded well above average proficiency in math and language arts because we just heard Peter mentioned that they're going doing so well of.

But why do you think that that's not enough for the board to act to keep that school open?

>> You know, I'm just not sure.

I think it both hardening and very challenging for parents received the news on Monday that our district our school doing with going to be designated exemplary this year, which is a designation.

You're in the top 10% of all schools in Illinois.

You are doing really well at educating underrepresented groups.

And so with the district's focus on academic achievement as a priority, I just I don't see why this would be a school you would choose to close and we have achieved so well.

Some of the goals that they're laying out.

So I I honestly I don't know why end up being a priority.

>> Robin, a search for a new superintendent is underway currently Dr.

Eric Witherspoon is serving as the interim.

Are you hopeful that things will get better under new leadership there?

And there's been some bumps along the way even before Doctor Witherspoon.

Yeah, I have probably an insane amount of hope for our community.

I think the parents, the teachers, the kids are incredible and I really hope we can clear house and get rid of the people that are from the Devon important administration, our admin and our board members who are still involved.

I think we've lost trust.

>> And I think we need new vision.

And I also think we need to tap into Northwestern.

They just about 842 million Dollar Stadium and our kids are growing up in the shadows as their schools.

Are dismantling.

So I think that's an important person to tap into.

>> Okay.

Best of luck to the parents of the 65.

That's what