Letter: ISBE needs to look into District 65’s financial management
Kurt Wagner, a veteran sports journalist with over 12 years under his belt, graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He's covered Chicago's professional sports teams for outlets like ESPN Chicago and brings a critical eye to the Evanston sports scene.
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On Nov. 3, Christoper Grohman and I wrote to the Illinois State Board of Education to raise concerns about District 65 s financial management. Specifically, we asked the ISBE to look into the accuracy of District 65’s reporting of its administrative expenditures, as well as concerns regarding the timeliness of District 65’s financial reporting. The growth of District 65’s administrative expenses, as reported to the ISBE, outpaced the growth in spending on instruction and building maintenance. From 2015 to 2025, District 65’s administrative expenses have surged 112%, while its expenditure on instruction has grown only 42% and its spending on building maintenance has only grown 23%. Section 17-1.5 of the Illinois School Code provides for the limitation of administrative expenditures in order to maximize the proportion of school district resources available for the instructional program, building maintenance, and safety services for the students of each district.” Our letter asks