To Consolidate Or Not

Districts 65 and 202 weigh merits of consolidation

Evanston school board members voted Tuesday to keep researching whether the city should condense its school districts. Evanston Districts 65 and 202 decided Tuesday to continue evaluating their possible consolidation as part of a statewide plan to reduce the number of school districts in Illinois. In his 2011 budget speech, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn proposed consolidating public school districts in the state, decreasing their number from about 850 to 300. The plan, Quinn said, would improve the effectiveness of state education and save the state $100 million annually.