DEC Signal
DEC Signal is the weekly podcast for District 65 educators. In under five minutes, get what you need to know—and what you need to thrive. We cover what's happening in our district: staffing, budgets, school board decisions, and the issues affecting your classroom. But we also cover what helps you build a career: TRS pension and retirement planning, continuing education and endorsements, professional development opportunities, and how to advance in the profession. DEC Signal is about more than news. It's about why your union matters—how DEC and IEA fight for your salary, your benefits, your working conditions, and your voic...
June 1 Recap: Gender Support Team, Kingsley and Rhodes Next Steps, October Ahead — and Thank You
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 their responsibilities: use students' names and pronouns, maintain confidentiality, and reach out to your building coordinator with questions. Second, Kingsley Elementary and Bessie Rhodes both close Friday, June 5th. The board discussed four options for...
End of Year Recap: New Board Leadership, Kingsley and Rhodes Next Steps, Thank You
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 an appraised value of $4.7 million, proceeds needed to close out Foster School construction. The City of Evanston is considering Kingsley for a new police and fire administrative headquarters, assessed at $3.5 to $4.5 million. No decisions were made. Community feed...
May 4 Recap: DEC Stands for SACC Colleagues and Budget Gap Closed
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 the School Age Child Care program, whose before and after-school work is essential to working families. The board voted to keep SACC intact for 2026-27, not initiate closure, and renegotiate the Right at School contract fe...
April 20 Recap: Librarians Fight Continues, Board Closes $635K Budget Gap — Here's How
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 board cannot reverse it. The savings: $387,631. The library programs end. The board committed to continuing the conversation. On the budget: the board reached consensus on how to close the remaining $635,000 gap — retracting two hazardous bus routes ($160K), reducing...
The Community Saved Seven Counselors — Here's What Happened at Monday's Board Meeting
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 this fall, Haven, Nichols, and Chute will each have two counselors; King Arts will have one. Seven counselors will be there for students in September because the community spoke together. The honest context: keeping seven in...
March 23 Board Recap: iPads Approved 5-2, DEC Advocates for Closing School Educators, Facility Plan Released
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 year. DEC President Kelly Post addressed the board on behalf of educators at closing schools — Kingsley, Bessie Rhodes, and the Willard TWI strand — who are now facing the task of packing entire teaching spaces without doing so in front of students. DEC is actively advocating for pe...
Special Edition: Vote Tuesday March 17 — and What IEA Is Fighting for in Springfield
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, Notice to Remedy parameters, special education workload limits, and student growth in evaluations. On that last one — District 65 has already agreed to remove student growth from evaluations starting next year. SB2913 would extend that same protection to educators across Illinois. Know your ballot. Cast your...
March 9 Board Recap: iPad Vote Expected March 23, April 10 Purchase Deadline, SpEd Reaffirmed
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 is expected at the March 23rd board meeting — though not confirmed. Also Monday: the district announced an April 10th purchase order cutoff — educators need to get supply and materials requests in before that date. And following significant public...
What Is the IEA Representative Assembly — And Why It Matters for You
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 and five business sessions, what professional development and open hearings are available, and how the decisions made in that room shape your contract, your benefits, and your working conditions right here in District 65. DEC delegates will be...
Feb. 23 Board Recap: DEC President Speaks Up, Administrator Dismissed, SpEd Audit, Rep Board March 3
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 district has confirmed no District 65 students were involved. The special education audit is in — a three-year improvement plan starts this year, and if you work with IEP students, changes are coming. And crossing guard cuts...
