DeKalb CUSD 428 board weighs Vision 4-28 reconfiguration as April deadline approaches for Lincoln addition

The DeKalb CUSD 428 Board of Education spent the largest portion of its meeting reviewing Vision 4-28, a multi-year facilities and grade‑reconfiguration plan aimed at reducing class sizes, expanding specialized supports and reconfiguring grade bands to K–4, 5–6 centers and a 7–8 junior high model.

Presenter and subcommittee leaders outlined goals and three versions of the plan: an all‑at‑once full build, a phased approach beginning with a Lincoln addition, and a version that delays construction of a field house. Jessica, a district staff presenter, told the board the committee "had 58 people" involved in the vision work and emphasized the effort to remain "fiscally responsible" while meeting students' developmental needs.

Renovations committee member Jane Weiss, a language teacher at Founders, said the renovations group recommended converting Founders and Clinton Rosette into 5–6 centers while absorbing K–4 students into the district's remaining eight elementary schools by adding sections at Mitchell and Lincoln. Weiss said that plan would be accomplished "by adding 1 section to Mitchell, no construction needed, and a 2 section addition at Lincoln." The committee did not recommend immediate construction at Huntley.

Board members pressed administration for data on capacity and class-size effects. One board member noted recent investments to reduce elementary class sizes and asked whether those gains would be undone; Jessica responded with enrollment and capacity estimates, saying the district would add about 100 students to Huntley while opening 10 classrooms once the ELDC wing construction is complete so "there will be enough space for those students there."

Transportation and activity‑bus logistics were flagged as a key open item. The transportation subgroup said it cannot produce precise route or cost models until demographer boundary software is available, but recommended tiered bus routes where feasible to reduce cost. The board discussed possible intergovernmental agreements with the Park District to provide interim gym and activity space while the district evaluates a field house.

Athletics staff and coaches warned that consolidating seventh and eighth graders into a single building could shrink playing opportunities and complicate scheduling. One coach cautioned that the "perfectly average kid" who made teams at smaller schools might lose opportunities at a 1,000‑student junior high; other staff proposed mirrored schedules and preserving 'orange' and 'black' teams to preserve participation.

Administration outlined timing constraints for the Lincoln addition: facilities staff said design, bidding and construction timelines require a board decision by April to target an August 2028 opening. "If we miss that deadline," an administrator said, the full plan would slip a year and likely increase costs.

The board did not make a final decision on which version to adopt but asked for more detailed boundary, transportation and activity‑space plans and asked administration to return with schematic designs and cost details. The board was asked to indicate at the next meeting whether it wants to eliminate Version 3 (the option that delays the field house) or otherwise prioritize versions for further study. The administration said it will present a schematic for the ELDC at the April 7 meeting and requested board guidance on whether to aim for the 2028 timeline.

Next steps: administration will provide boundary modeling, transportation cost estimates, clearer capacity projections and a schematic for the ELDC to help the board decide on the Lincoln timeline and which Vision 4‑28 version(s) to pursue.