Parents and teachers filled the Evanston/Skokie School District 65 board room on Monday night, urging the board to keep the district-run School Age Child Care (SACC) program alive. The long-standing after-school service has suddenly become a flashpoint in the district’s push to cut millions from its budget.
Board materials show six-figure shortfalls
District records in a recent board memo show the SACC program ran a deficit of more than $500,000 in 2025 and roughly $350,000 so far this school year. The program operates at 10 elementary schools and two magnet sites and employs more than 40 people, a detail that has been highlighted in local coverage. Those shortfalls have helped put SACC under the microscope as District 65 looks for more than $6 million in cuts, a figure reported by CBS Chicago. The administration’s own figures are laid out in a memo posted through BoardBook.
District posts site-level program changes
Even as the broader future of SACC is debated, District 65 has already posted concrete changes on its SACC webpage. Starting in summer 2026 and continuing into the 2026–27 school year, before-and-after care will no longer be offered at Washington Elementary, Kingsley Elementary and Dr. Bessie Rhodes School of Global Studies. Flex Care, Optional Care and the SACC summer program will also be discontinued, according to information on District 65.
Unions and families push back
A coalition of local unions issued a media advisory calling on educators and staff to deliver a letter opposing the elimination of SACC at the May 4 board meeting, warning that shutting the program down would displace more than 350 school-aged children, according to the Illinois Education Association. Union leaders argued that SACC is a vital, deeply integrated part of daily school life and urged the board to look for other ways to close the budget gap. Natalie Copper, president of the Evanston Association of Childcare Professionals, told CBS Chicago, “I hope the board sees that a child is more than a line item.”
Where this fits in the budget fight
Administrators have framed SACC as one piece of a multi-phase Structural Deficit Reduction Plan intended to stabilize the district’s long-term finances, a process that has already brought personnel and program cuts. Earlier this year, the board approved about $13.3 million in spending reductions, including trims to summer learning and daycare, according to reporting by The Daily Northwestern. The options still under consideration are spelled out in District 65’s plan, posted on District 65.
What’s next for families
For now, the long-term fate of the district-run SACC program is unresolved. Administrators and board members are still weighing options while families and staff organize to defend the program or at least soften the blow of any changes. Union leaders and parents say they plan to keep packing the board room and pressing for a solution that protects access to care and keeps costs predictable for working families. Documents from the Illinois Education Association and the district’s meeting materials on BoardBook show the SACC issue is slated for continued discussion and public comment at upcoming board meetings.
