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Parents and staff urge board to lower middle‑school class sizes, oppose referendum for ELDC
Summary
Teachers, administrators and ELDC staff urged the DeKalb CUSD 428 Board to repurpose 10 classrooms at Huntley Middle School and to proceed without a referendum for a new Early Learning and Development Center (ELDC), arguing class sizes at middle schools already exceed district goals.
Public comment at the DeKalb CUSD 428 Board of Education meeting focused on middle‑school class sizes and a proposed referendum on a new Early Learning and Development Center building.
Brent McIntosh, a teacher and parent, told the board: “We urgently ask you for your support in addressing the reality of our middle school class sizes.” He said reuse of “those 10 classrooms at Huntley Middle School” would allow the district to meet a middle‑school class size cap of 30 students. McIntosh said current class averages at parts of the district “hover between 32 and 35 students per classroom,” and called repurposing the Huntley rooms “a game changer.”
Ben Erickson, assistant principal at Lincoln Elementary, described observed benefits from the district’s recent elementary class‑size reduction and urged the board to take similar action at the middle‑school level. “Smaller class sizes really do help move the needle in almost every important category,” Erickson said, citing improved academic outcomes, more personalized instruction and better social‑emotional supports.
ELDC staff and supporters spoke against taking the ELDC building question to referendum. Catherine Norris and Sarah Mac, who identified themselves as ELDC‑affiliated, said state monitoring, ISBE data and staff experience show inadequate pre‑K space, that funds are available, and that placing the decision before voters risks denial even if the project would not increase taxes. “There is evidence that funds are available and it will have no financial impact on the taxpayers,” Sarah Mac said. “Are you OK with taking that 50/50 chance of it not passing and how will [that] impact the lives of all the students you took an oath to help?”
Board discussion during correspondence and separate agenda items indicated the board and administration plan further work on funding and facility options. A board member said district staff were “working on if I’m not mistaken, we should be soon going through the process of allocating a part of our budget to be directed towards funding for ELDC,” but that the board would later decide how to proceed.
No formal vote on ELDC construction or classroom repurposing occurred at the meeting; board members directed staff to continue developing options and to include ELDC funding and facilities in upcoming budget and levy discussions.
The public comments also included context about past referenda turnout: one commenter said the district’s population is about 40,000 and that past referendum turnout had been under 25 percent, arguing that low participation complicates treating a referendum as a proxy for community consent.
The board did not adopt a final decision on ELDC construction or the Huntley Middle School classroom reuse at this meeting; staff were asked to return with budget and timeline information in future meetings.
