DeKalb CUSD 428 committee urges continued development of 'Vision 4‑28' grade reconfiguration

A citizen‑staff committee that studied a proposed reconfiguration of DeKalb CUSD 428 schools on Monday recommended the board allow architects and subcommittees to continue planning the so‑called Vision 4‑28 proposal, which would reassign grade bands to create K‑4, 5‑6 and 7‑8 buildings and build an Early Learning Development Center (ELDC).

The committee, which included parents, teachers and district staff, “brought together 58 people” and after multiple meetings ranked the original Vision 4‑28 configuration highest, Amanda McCarthy, a parent and volunteer on the committee, told the board. “Ninety‑five percent of the committee agreed that continuing the development of the original Vision 4‑28 idea is the most student‑centered for the district,” she said.

Why it matters: District leaders said the reconfiguration aims to reduce overcrowding in middle‑school classrooms, provide more equitable access to specialized programs and eliminate mobile classrooms. Jessica Nall, the district’s coordinator of assessments, said the district’s current elementary capacity is about 81 percent and that, under the proposed reconfiguration using today’s enrollments, the district would be roughly 88 percent full—leaving about 12 percent room for growth while rebalancing students across buildings.

“By reducing down to a K‑4, we would not need our mobile classrooms anymore,” Billy Webb, director of teaching and learning (pre‑K–5), told the board, adding that the change could allow specialized programs to be housed closer to students’ home schools.

Committee process and concerns: Presenters described a multi‑meeting process that solicited alternative ideas and used a scoring survey. Catherine McLaughlin, a Founders PTO member and DeKalb Township trustee, said initial committee members were apprehensive but became convinced after reviewing research and data. “At first we were scared … but then learning that yes, this is better for our students, in the long run,” McLaughlin said.

Staff cautioned the board that the enrollment snapshots shown were a ‘‘magic‑wand’’ view—placing current grade cohorts into new buildings tomorrow—and do not predict actual enrollments in 2028. Nall said the district currently has 6,584 students, about 14 fewer than in 2018, and that a sudden 12 percent district‑wide increase before planning would be unlikely.

Next steps and board direction: District staff proposed a timeline that would start design work as early as April 26 and aim to implement moves with the ELDC opening by August 28, 2028 if the board later approves the plan and associated budgets. Billy Webb said the district will convene subcommittees on staffing, program placement and boundaries to flesh out details.

The presentation asked for a board consensus to continue exploring Vision 4‑28; the board signaled agreement to bring the plan back at the next meeting with cost and staffing options for official action.

What’s next: Staff will form subcommittees, produce design options and return with budget estimates and implementation details at a future board meeting. The district also pledged to post updates and subcommittee summaries publicly on a project webpage.