DeKalb board approves amendment adding 278 sick days to superintendents contract after public objections

The DeKalb Community Unit School District 428 Board of Education on Wednesday approved an amendment to Superintendent Maria Garcia Sanchezs 202426ndash;2026 employment contract to add 278 sick days to her allotment, a change critics at the meeting said can increase retirement service credit and financial liability for the pension system.

The vote followed public comments and board discussion about transparency and the timing of the amendment. The roll-call vote on the amendment recorded Steve Byers: "No," Ariel Owens: "Yes," Christopher Boyce: "Yes," Casey Ramirez: "Yes," Dante Bynum: "Yes," and Amanda Harness: "No," yielding an outcome recorded by the board as approved.

The topic drew public speakers before the board acted. Jose Jacquez, who identified himself as a newly elected board member speaking as a resident, said the amendment was listed on the consent agenda with four other items and questioned why three collective-bargaining agreements and a superintendent contract amendment with an approximately $7,376,750 aggregate fiscal impact were not presented for separate discussion. "The superintendent's contract currently allow allows for 15 days, granting her 276 days is a 1840% increase," Jacquez said. He cited the open meetings law to argue for public recital of material before final action.

Pete Vanderblieck, a parent, raised pension-system concerns and equity questions, saying the added sick days could convert to service credit under the Illinois Teachers' Retirement System and accelerate retirement eligibility. "This could be, it's easily tens of thousands of dollars in value and possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars in value," Vanderblieck said. He added: "It costs the state money, it costs other teachers in the system money...it makes a system that's already in a precarious situation more precarious."

Board members who spoke during the item offered procedural and substantive explanations. One board member said the dates had been requested during the original contract negotiations and that the board had approved a two-year contract last year without finalizing the sick-day allocation at that time. Another board member said the current board completed the superintendents evaluation and described adding the days as a decision made before the boards transition to the incoming membership; that speaker emphasized the action was not solely driven by the most recent annual review. Amanda Harness said she viewed the timing skeptically and voted against the amendment.

Superintendent Maria Garcia Sanchez responded to a direct question about intent to take the days: "Absolutely not," she said when asked if she intended to use the 278 days immediately for an extended leave; board members clarified that, under state law, once granted, sick days may be used in statutory ways and could affect retirement credit if used for certain purposes.

The board first removed the item from the consent agenda to allow separate discussion; after debate it returned to the amendment as an action item and carried it by roll call.

Why it matters: Sick days in Illinois public education can be banked and in some circumstances converted to service credit for TRS calculations. Public commenters argued the amendment merited explicit discussion because of its potential pension impact and because it was not accompanied by background materials on the posted consent packet.

What the board recorded: The board's minutes show the motion to amend the superintendent's contract was moved and seconded and then approved in a roll-call vote. The public record includes the on-the-record public comments urging the board to pull the item from consent and provide more information before action.

Next steps: The amendment takes effect as adopted by the board; questions about any fiscal impact to the district or TRS would follow further accounting and, if necessary, external guidance from TRS or legal counsel.