Evanston/Skokie District 65 Business Manager and Chief School Business Official Kathy Zalewski will resign at the end of this school year, after working in the district’s business office for 23 years. Zalewski started in May 2001 and her last day on the job will be June 28. The district has expressed its gratitude for her contributions over the years.
District 65 spokesperson Hannah Dillow stated that they will miss Zalewski’s invaluable work with their District 65 Business Team for the past 23 years. They wish her all the best in her future endeavors and have plans in place to ensure a smooth transition. With Zalewski leaving, District 65 now needs 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 Oswego District 308.
Zalewski is not the only administrator who has left District 65 in the past year. 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 the 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. Dillow confirmed that District 65 is actively searching for a new CFO and business manager. In the meantime, they are working with Dr. Robert Grossi and his firm Illuminate Inc., as an independent financial advisor to help them navigate through their current financial challenges
