Procedural Error At District 65 Board Meeting Prompts Extra Vote

EVANSTON, IL — The Evanston/Skokie District 65 School Board will vote on a fourth school closure scenario on Thursday due to a procedural error caught late in the meeting.

At Monday's meeting, the board was set to vote on three different school closure scenarios. When it came to the vote, all six members decided not to go for the first option, which would start the process to close both Kinsgley and Willard Elementary Schools along with the Dr. Bessie Rhodes School of Global Studies.

The board came to an impasse with the other two options, voting 3-3 on the option that would close Kingsley and Lincolnwood Elementary Schools and the option that would close just Kingsley.

Before voting on the third option, board member Andrew Wymer asked how the option to close just Kingsley got on the agenda over the weekend when the board didn't vote to advance the scenario at its last meeting.

Superintendent Angel Turner clarified that the district's legal counsel advised adding the third option, but also recognized that an additional option to close just Lincolnwood should have been on the agenda.

"Technically, there should have been a D on this agenda that said action approval for the commencement of the required school-called public hearing to consider a one school closure scenario for Lincolnwood school," Turner said. "I recognize it was oversight on our end."

After all three closure scenarios failed to advance, the board recommended calling a special meeting on Thursday to vote on the fourth option.

The stalemate was made possible by the resignation of former board member Omar Salem earlier this month, taking the board from seven members to six.

In a statement, Salem said his family was offered a unique opportunity that would take him out of Evanston for several months, and he wouldn't be able to serve in his role remotely.

"Initially, I hoped to continue serving remotely, but after much reflection, I realized that wouldn’t be fair to the board or to the community. This role requires full presence and engagement, and I wouldn’t be able to meet that standard from afar," Salem said.

The board is set to vote on an additional scenario at a special meeting on Thursday at 5:15 p.m. at the Joseph E. Hill Education Center at 1500 McDaniel Ave. If the board again comes to a deadlock,it will be at an impasse until a seventh board member is elected to break the tie.

The district is set to deliberate on appointing a new member at closed sessions on Dec. 2 and 4.