Evanston/Skokie School District 65 held the first of a series of community cafes Monday in hopes of promoting unstructured open discussion between board members and parents about school issues.
A handful of Evanston residents attended the morning session at the Gibbs-Morrison Cultural Center. Board President Sunith Kartha was joined by board member Joey Hailpern and School board secretary Adeela Qureshi and ETHS District 202 Member Gretchen Livingston.
Joey Hailpern, Suni Kartha and Adeela Qureshi.
The TWI Spanish English immersion program was the first topic out of the gate. One parent suggested the lottery system for choosing children to participate in the program isn’t the best process.
Kartha acknowledged changes to the program need to be made especially in light of the planned TWI expansion this fall. Another parent complained the Spanish teaching elements is sub par with a lack of good Spanish books especially for the older students.
Another group of parents spoke out hoping to get a sustainability committee started. They said some District 65 schools do not even have a recycling program in place. They were directed to speak with the District CFO.
Sylvia Wooller and Becky Brodsky said the district needs to encourage at least basic level of environmental sustainability at all its schools.
The next community cafe will be held from 7 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 16, at the Levy Center. Superintendent Paul Goren is scheduled to attend.