DeKalb School District 428 adopts new elementary attendance plans for upcoming year

DeKALB – The DeKalb School District 428 Board continued to face some questions over elementary school attendance plans as officials moved to adopt new maps this week.

The district for weeks has solicited community feedback as leaders plan to incorporate a new elementary school into student attendance boundaries ahead of the 2025-26 school year.

Amonaquenette Parker, the district’s director of diversity, equity and inclusion, said District 428 is glad to have its attendance area maps in place for the upcoming year.

“It’s definitely necessary,” Parker said. “We’re happy to be at this point so early because that allows us to be able to communicate with our families in a timely manner so that we can get registration started April 1.”

The district’s attendance areas plan was approved by the board in a 5-1 decision. The lone dissenting vote was cast by board member Amanda Harness. Board member Fred Davis was absent.

The new Dr. Leroy A. Mitchell Elementary School in DeKalb is expected to be ready to open in the fall. The building is under construction and will need students when ready. Officials have said that a new elementary school was needed to help accommodate growing student population numbers and to lower teacher-to-student ratios.

Some parents and families have showed up at public meetings expressing concerns over the district’s proposed attendance area plans, while others have shown praise. Plans could see children attending one elementary school this year go to a different one next school year.

The new attendance area maps are meant to help reduce classroom sizes from 28 to 25 for grades K-5, officials said.

During public comment this week, DeKalb resident John Grimston said he felt compelled to speak out because he was led to believe that his son may not be able to attend Littlejohn School like his daughter, who is in the dual-language program.

“It is my understanding that students in the dual-language program will stay at their current schools, but I would like clarification about if siblings will have to attend a different school or if they will have to be redistricted as well,” Grimston said.

Parker stressed that it’s best practice to keep families together.

“I believe there are some misconceptions about the district’s decisions, which historically – I’ve been in this district since 2007,” Parker said. “I can’t tell you prior to then, but historically, we keep families together.”

After the board meeting, Grimston said he felt relieved having had the chance to connect with district staff.

“I think the way our situation was resolved shows that the board and school administration does care about community and families,” Grimston said.