Thanks for signing. In less than 24 hours, this petition has almost 100 signatures! Please forward the petition to anyone connected to Evanston and Northwestern. Folks don’t have to live here to want better for children and schools.

Where is all of this going?  Let’s see where it takes us! We are doing it for the children. 

Here’s another reminder that this is a petition, not a plan. Some questions have already come in about the purpose of such a petition (see below). I’m making a list of questions that we can't answer for now. In an ideal world, the powers at Northwestern would have been grappling with this all along.

The question ‘why now?’ I’ve received a few times that deserve an answer, though. That one kept me up last night, and here’s what I thought after the “Why not now?” response.

• Why not after the first billion hit the endowment?
• Why not before and during talks for Ryan’s field construction?
• Why not when the Northwestern police building (85 full-time employees including 41 sworn officers, 29 Residential Community Service Officers, ten dispatchers, and administrative staff) was built right in the center of the city?
• Why not when a brand new temporary stadium was put up in record time this summer?
• Why not when Kellogg/Northwestern launched a capital campaign for 600 million for a new building? 
  And so on…

Thanks!

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Questions:

Has there been outreach to President Schill and Northwestern?  Has there been communication with Northwestern leadership regarding this petition and potential collaboration with District 65?
What is Northwestern doing currently?

How has Northwestern historically engaged with District 65 and Evanston’s schools? What existing programs, if any, are already in place? 
Are those past challenges considered in this petition, and is there an effort to address or rebuild those bridges?

What kind of investment are we asking for?  Is the petition asking for a long-term commitment, like Northwestern supporting schools like Foster? Could this have been part of the stadium deal negotiations? Could it still be tucked in somewhere?

Are the superintendents involved?  Has there been outreach or coordination from the superintendents? How might their leadership and vision guide this effort?

Potential for division in the community: Considering the long-standing financial challenges D65 has faced, how can this petition avoid further dividing the community? What steps can be taken to ensure it fosters positive change?