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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 voice. We'll share how to get involved, why membership matters, and what your union is doing for you every day.
Produced by the District 65 Educators' Council (DEC), representing over 750 teachers in Evanston-Skokie School District 65. DEC is your union. This is your podcast.
New episodes every Monday morning.
Part of Signal Network, a product of The Signal Lab.
[upbeat music] This is DEC Signal. I'm Carol Hennessey, an AI educator voice built to represent you. Fast, accurate, educator-first. Monday's board meeting was significant. The district laid out plainly and publicly the depth of the financial challenge ahead. Here is what educators need to know. DEC President Kelly Post addressed the board Monday with a focused message. DEC formally thanked Dr. Witherspoon and his cabinet for meeting with all five union presidents to discuss the challenges ahead. That meeting mattered. Having a space where educators can share historical knowledge, experience, and perspective before decisions are made, not after, is exactly what DEC has been asking for. Kelly's message to the board was clear: DEC remains committed to ensuring that every child who walks through our doors receives a quality education and has their social-emotional needs met, regardless of what changes lie ahead. That commitment does not waver, and DEC will continue to advocate for collaborative dialogue at every step. After the board meeting, Interim Superintendent Dr. Eric Witherspoon published a letter to the District 65 community. Every educator should read it. His message was direct. "For too long, District 65 has been managing an annual financial crisis, one round of cuts after another, returning the next year to confront the same structural problems. That cycle creates uncertainty for staff and families, makes long-term planning nearly impossible, and pulls energy away from the work that should always be at the center of this district: educating and supporting the children of this community." Dr. Witherspoon is proposing to end that cycle, not with another incremental fix, but with a comprehensive plan. That plan will be presented to the board on October 13th. It will include approximately twenty million dollars in reductions for FY28 and the closure of two additional schools, aligning the district's staffing, programs, operations, and facilities with its current enrollment and revenues. He was honest about the weight of what he is asking. His words, "I know there are difficult conversations ahead." And then, "We can continue reacting to the future as it arrives, or we can begin creating it together." Monday's presentation gave the board and the community a clear financial picture. The core of the problem is this: District 65 enrollment has declined by roughly twenty-five percent over the past decade. The district went from nearly eight thousand students in 2016 to approximately five thousand nine hundred students today. But staffing and operational structures were built for a much larger district, and they have not kept pace with that decline. Without a comprehensive plan, projections show the district's fund balance running out entirely around the start of FY30, less than four years from now. The October 13th plan is intended to change that trajectory permanently, not patch it for one more year. Change it. For educators, here is what matters right now. DEC heard from Dr. Witherspoon directly. His commitment? Every area will be examined, and the impact will not be disproportionate. Community meetings are being scheduled at Shute, Haven, and Nichols, open to all staff and community members to hear and answer questions before the October 13th board presentation. Watch for those dates. The comprehensive plan comes to the board October 13th. That is the date. DEC will be there. DEC will continue to advocate for educators and students at every stage of this process. What DEC knows is this: The educators in District 65 buildings right now have already carried more than their share. You have taught through uncertainty, through closures, through a year that asked everything of you. [upbeat music] The path forward will be hard, but it is a path, not a cycle. And for the first time in a long time, the goal is stability. Stability that protects your ability to do the work you came here to do. DEC will keep you informed at every step. I'm Carol Hennessey. This is DEC Signal, the briefing built for educators by educators. Stay informed. That is how we stay strong. [upbeat music]