DEC Signal

The October 13th Committee of the Whole was the meeting the board had been building toward. DEC President Kelly Post opened public comment, acknowledged a traumatic year for educators, and pledged continued advocacy. Then Dr. Witherspoon, CFO Eric Miller, and Assistant Superintendent Maggie Gordon laid out the plan: $20.9 million in expense reductions plus additional revenue, landing at $14.2 mill...

Four things from the September 28th District 65 Regular Board Meeting. Rob Tejada's music students and Quinn's drama program took the stage before the board got to business — and it showed exactly why educators show up every day. The Accountability Report is in: District 65 students are showing growth, and that belongs to the educators who made it happen. The FY27 budget passed unanimously — $179....

Monday's Committee of the Whole was one of the most consequential meetings of this school year. Interim Superintendent Dr. Eric Witherspoon presented a case for change — a comprehensive plan to end District 65's cycle of annual financial crisis rather than patch it one more year. The plan, to be presented in full on October 13th, includes approximately $20 million in reductions for FY28 and the cl...

School is back in District 65 — and the first week was something worth celebrating. DEC President Kelly Post joined Interim Superintendent Dr. Eric Witherspoon and Jose Lema to visit all 17 District 65 schools during institute days, witnessing firsthand the pride educators bring to their work. On Monday night, all 17 principals came before the board to share first-week celebrations: 84 new student...

A new school year begins — and District 65 has an interim leader who is choosing optimism. DEC President Kelly Post has heard Dr. Eric Witherspoon speak four times since July 1st, and the tone has been consistent: uplifting, grounded, and genuinely respectful of the educators, administrators, and community who make this district work. Monday night, Dr. Witherspoon told the board that the work done...

Why does DEC membership matter?  In this episode of DEC Signal, Carol Hennessy looks at the power behind collective bargaining, contract enforcement, workplace representation, and having a collective voice. As District 65 educators begin a new school year following school closures, reassignments, and significant change across the district, we look at why a strong union—and strong membership—matter...

Monday's board meeting marked the biggest leadership transition District 65 has seen in years. Eric Miller — a graduate of Walker, Chute, and Evanston Township High School — was appointed Chief Financial Officer, effective July 1st, bringing nearly 20 years of school finance experience home to the community that raised him. Dr. Eric Witherspoon, the former longtime superintendent of Evanston Towns...

Monday's June 1st Committee of the Whole was the last board meeting of the school year — and this is the last DEC Signal episode before summer. Three things educators need to know. First, the board received an update on the Gender Advisory Team — District 65's Gender Support Plans for transgender and gender expansive students remain in effect. In the current national climate, educators should know...

Monday, May 18th, the board meeting was the last regular meeting of the school year. Nichole Pinkard was elected board president and Chris Van Nostrand vice president, each by a 4-3 vote. The board discussed the futures of Kingsley and Bessie Rhodes following their end-of-year closures. Six organizations have expressed interest in Bessie Rhodes — including ETHS for a therapeutic day school — with...

This week's DEC Signal opens with a genuine win: Superintendent Turner announced the reinstatement of middle school librarians before Monday's meeting even began. The formal vote is May 18th — placement notifications by May 22nd per the CBA. The community showed up four weeks in a row, and it made a difference. DEC President Kelly Post used Monday's meeting to stand alongside EACCP colleagues in t...

Monday's District 65 board meeting was the second consecutive week of community testimony — this time, over 60 people spoke in defense of middle school librarians. DEC President Kelly Post made clear: our students did not create this budget crisis and should not absorb its consequences. But unlike the counselor decision two weeks ago, this one is administrative — not a board vote — which means the...

Monday night, the District 65 community showed up — and changed an outcome. After all nine middle school counselors received RIF notices last Thursday, DEC, educators, parents, and students filled the boardroom and made their case. The board voted 5-2 to retain seven counselors and eliminate two, with the two no votes coming from board members who didn't want to cut any positions at all. Starting...

Monday's District 65 Regular Board Meeting delivered a resolution on three fronts educators have been watching. The board voted 5-2 to approve 1,231 iPads and keyboard cases totaling $528,279 — maintaining the one-to-one model with a smaller, enrollment-optimized purchase. The cart-sharing alternatives would have cost more, not less. Devices will be provisioned this spring for the 2026-27 school y...

Illinois General Primary is Tuesday, March 17th — and the legislators on your ballot are deciding the future of educator evaluations, pension protections, and workplace rights. This special edition of DEC Signal gives you five voter resources your Region 41 colleagues pulled together, plus four IEA Spring 2026 legislative initiatives every District 65 educator should know: AI in evaluations, Notic...

Monday's District 65 Committee of the Whole was dominated by a major technology discussion — and it has direct implications for educators. The board reviewed a $551,000 proposal to purchase 1,300 iPads for incoming first and fifth graders, debated the merits of a K-2 shared cart model, and asked the administration to return with a cost analysis and student outcomes data before any vote. That vote...

The 172nd IEA Representative Assembly convenes March 12-14 in Rosemont — and every DEC member should know what it is and why it matters. The RA is IEA's governing body: where elected delegates from across Illinois debate and vote on the budget, bylaws, legislative priorities, pension policy, and union leadership for the coming year. This episode breaks down what actually happens across three days...

Four things educators need to know from the February 23rd District 65 Regular Board Meeting. School start and end times were on the agenda but the board didn't take them up — so DEC President Kelly Post stepped in and addressed contractual concerns directly, and spoke to what exhausted educators need from board members right now. The board voted 7-0 to suspend and dismiss an administrator; the dis...