The Evanston/Skokie District 65 Board of Education discussed possibly closing the Dr. Bessie Rhodes School of Global Studies, a kindergarten through eighth-grade magnet school focused on dual language education.
“We are extremely sensitive that there is a desire among current families for the school to remain open and for the district to retain a wall-to-wall kindergarten to grade eight dual language school,” District 65 Superintendent Angel Turner said. “We have heard the emotional connection to Bessie Rhodes and there is nothing easy about potentially closing a beloved school.”
District 65’s inquiry comes as the district faces financial hardships in part due to declining enrollment, over staffing and inflation. These hardships put District 65 at a roughly $7 million deficit in 2023 alongside a projected $14.5 million deficit in 2029 if no changes are made.
Turner says the decision to close Bessie Rhodes is to best serve the entire district, saying it wouldn’t be feasible to fund 19 schools at once considering the new Fifth Ward school, expected to open for classes beginning with the 2026-27 academic year.
“We must consider our school district overall,” Turner said. “This requires us to make difficult decisions to ensure growth and future success for all students in the years to come. Given declining enrollment and the need to permanently improve our financial outlook, it is not prudent or fiscally responsible for our district to operate 19 schools.”
District 65 had a student population of 7,943 in 2018 versus 6,316 in 2023, according to a district report.
Turner told school board members Bessie Rhodes would remain open and fully-supported until its proposed closure at the end of the 2025-2026 academic year. She also said the district plans on expanding its dual language program to ensure students aren’t going without the education behind Bessie Rhode’s global education mission.
“We remain committed to expanding dual language programming in District 65 and offering a full continuum of services from kindergarten through eighth grade beyond the legal requirement,” Turner said.
Turner said district officials will present the Bessie Rhodes transition plan and an expansion of the middle school dual language program on April 8.
There will be three public hearings on closing the school taking place on April 22, May 6 and May 20 with the school board taking action on June 10, according to Turner’s presentation.
Corey Schmidt is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.