Community stakeholders suggested various solutions for the future of the imminently-closing Kingsley Elementary School at an event led by Evanston/Skokie School District 65 administrators Wednesday.
The event drew current and former Kingsley parents, as well as other residents of Evanston’s north side. Stakeholders somewhat coalesced into one group advocating for the building to be converted to an affordable housing development and another that preferred the site to remain public property. But without concrete plans, most provided big-picture ideas on what the board should prioritize in deciding the building’s future.
The District 65 Board of Education unanimously voted to close Kingsley following the close of the 2025-26 school year. The decision was part of Phase 3 of the district’s Structural Deficit Reduction Plan, which aims to cut $16 million to $18 million from the district’s budget by fiscal year 2030. Dr. Bessie Rhodes School of Global Studies and Willard Elementary School’s Two-Way Immersion program will also shutter at the end of the school year.
Stacy Beardsley, the district’s assistant superintendent of performance management and accountability, said at the meeting that the district can retain, repurpose, lease or sell the property. Planning for the site’s future could be tough for a community still processing the school’s closure, she added.
“We’re trying to celebrate the end of the year, build traditions and smooth transitions to other schools,” she said. “At the same time, it’s an opportunity to get a voice from the Kingsley community before the Kingsley community has moved to other spaces.”
After presenting the potential implications of each option, Beardsley asked groups of attendees to list up to five criteria, such as fiscal responsibility, equity and educational stewardship, for the board to consider when evaluating its options. She then asked attendees to brainstorm future uses for the property.
City Council has expressed interest in converting the Kingsley property into administrative offices for the city’s police and fire departments, Beardsley said.
The board and community members alike have speculated that selling the property may help the district address its cost-cutting goals. The estimated value of the Kingsley property is $4.5 million to $5.5 million, according to a memo sent to the board before its May 18 meeting.
Seventh Ward resident Frank Hill said selling to the city would be a lengthy process requiring several public hearings.
“I just don’t think there can be a rush to get that money,” he said.
Hill is also a co-founder of Rezoning for a Better Evanston, a not-for-profit organization that advocates for more multi-unit housing in the city. He was one of five attendees who said they would like to see the site converted into affordable housing during the event’s discussion portion.
Construction on what would eventually become the Haven Middle School and Kingsley site displaced a significant part of the city’s Black community, former Kingsley parent and 7th Ward resident Meleah Geertsma said. Around 130 Black residents lived on the site in 1930, according to federal census records accessible through the Evanston Public Library’s website.
By the time the elementary school was built in the mid-to-late 1960s, all the residents and their homes were gone, Geertsma said. Choosing the affordable housing route would correct that legacy, Geertsma said.
Other attendees did not dispute the merits of an affordable housing project, but some said Kingsley has other benefits as a community gathering space. A Kingsley parent who lives one block from the school said his children often have baseball and softball practice at the school’s playground. He said he would like the property to remain accessible to the public.
Beardsley said the district could move the Park School, a therapeutic day program serving students with disabilities, to the Kingsley site. The school would only use two-thirds of the Kingsley building, she said, but it would have to be renovated to meet accessibility standards under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
During the meeting, another Kingsley parent suggested moving the Park School to the Kingsley site and exploring whether the current Park School site is better suited for redevelopment.
“In five years and 10 years, what are the facilities that are going to exist across our city that are going to serve it in a really strategic and smart way?” he asked.
Community members can provide their input on the Kingsley and Bessie Rhodes buildings through an electronic form on the district’s website, which is set to close on Monday. The district will hold a similar event for Bessie Rhodes in the school’s cafeteria on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
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