--- title: District 65 proposes closing Dewey and Lincolnwood url: https://evanstonvoterguide.com/updates/d65-proposes-closing-dewey-lincolnwood/ updated: 2026-10-16 source_policy: every fact carries a numbered source; [n] markers refer to the Sources list --- [Home](https://evanstonvoterguide.com/) / [Updates](https://evanstonvoterguide.com/updates/) / D65 proposes closing two schools Update · Published Fri Oct 16, 2026 # D65 proposes closing two schools More updates 1. [Acting mayor pick now expected Oct. 26, not Oct. 19](https://evanstonvoterguide.com/updates/acting-mayor-pick-oct-26/) 2. [What’s in Evanston’s proposed 2027 budget](https://evanstonvoterguide.com/updates/proposed-2027-city-budget/) 3. [Evanston is hiring a new ethics counsel](https://evanstonvoterguide.com/updates/city-hiring-ethics-counsel/) [All updates →](https://evanstonvoterguide.com/updates/) The news District 65 administrators have proposed closing Dewey and Lincolnwood elementary schools as part of about $20 million in budget cuts. It is a proposal, not a final decision. [1] ## What’s proposed - Closing the two schools would move 713 students, including 329 English learners, low-income students and students with IEPs. [1] - The district projects $2.9 million a year in savings, plus $58 million in maintenance savings over 20 years. [1] - Dewey’s two-way Spanish/English immersion program would move to Lincoln as a group, and Lincolnwood’s STEP program would move to Orrington. [1] - The plan would end the School Age Child Care program after the current school year. [1] - It would also give up the district’s Head Start and Early Head Start programs and restructure early childhood education, starting in fall 2028. [1] - Staff cuts would save more than $11 million; the district said no school-based role would be fully eliminated. [1] ## What happens next Administrators asked the board to vote on advancing the plan at its November 9 meeting. Three public hearings must then be held for each school proposed for closure, planned for December, before a final decision. [1] Three District 65 board seats are on the April 6, 2027 ballot. [2] Related - [District 65 board race](https://evanstonvoterguide.com/d65/) - [District 65 vs. District 202](https://evanstonvoterguide.com/explainers/d65-vs-d202/) ## Sources 1. Evanston RoundTable — District 65 budget cuts plan: school closures (Oct. 14, 2026) — https://evanstonroundtable.com/2026/10/14/district-65-budget-cuts-plan-school-closures/ 2. District 65 — Board of Education — https://www.district65.net/about/board-of-education