District 65 Faces Financial Uncertainty as Business Manager and Chief Financial Officer Resign

District 65 spokesperson Hannah Dillow announced that Kathy Zalewski, the Evanston/Skokie District 65 business manager and chief school business official, will resign at the end of this school year. Zalewski has worked in the district’s business office for 23 years, starting in May 2001. Her last day on the job will be June 28. The district confirmed this information to the RoundTable and expressed their gratitude for Zalewski’s contributions over the years.

The district is now facing a challenge as they need to find a new chief financial officer and business manager. The CFO position has been vacant since August 2023, when Raphael Obafemi left to join Oswega District 308. The district is actively searching for a new CFO and business manager to fill this role.

Zalewski is not alone in leaving District 65 in recent times. Former Superintendent Devon Horton, Dean of Culture and Climate Elijah Palmer, Chief of Staff Markisha Mitchell, and others have also resigned or announced their plans to do so. During a public hearing about the potential closure of Dr. Bessie Rhodes School of Global Studies, former board member Rebeca Mendoza thanked Zalewski for her service and expressed concern about the district’s financial future.

Mendoza noted that many key figures involved in the Fifth Ward school plan are now gone, including Zalewski. In light of these changes, Dillow confirmed that the district is working with Dr. Robert Grossi and his firm Illuminate Inc., as an independent financial advisor to ensure a smooth transition into this new era at District 65.”