DeKalb school board hopefuls talk tax relief

Editor’s note: To learn more about candidates running for elected office in your community, read our digital Daily Chronicle Voter Guide at www.shawlocal.com/daily-chronicle/election. You also can learn more about school board candidates, read their responses to our questionnaire or watch a video forum hosted by Shaw Local News Network.

DeKALB – All 10 candidates seeking seats on the DeKalb School District 428 school board addressed prospective voters recently at a packed Lincoln Inn at Faranda’s banquet hall.

School board hopefuls in attendance – Erin Grych, Howard Solomon, Jose Jaques, Brandon Elion, Kristin Bailey, Nicholas Atwood, Twangie Smith, James Mitchell, Marilyn Parker and Derek Shaw – were asked about resident tax burdens, their goals if elected and more.

When candidates were asked if they have an immediate family member who currently works for the district, Marilyn Parker and Twangie Smith both raised their hands.

Election Day is April 1, and early voting is underway.

The forum, hosted in partnership between the DeKalb Area Rental Association and the DeKalb Area Builders Association, featured a meet-and-greet with the candidates followed by a question-and-answer section. The event was moderated by Opportunity DeKalb’s Glen Roby.

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District 428 School Board candidate Jim Mitchell speaks as the event is videoed on an iPad Thursday, March 20, 2025, during the DeKalb Area Rental Association and DeKalb Area Builders Association School Board Candidates Forum at Faranda's Banquets in DeKalb. (Mark Busch)

Meet some DeKalb school board candidates

Candidates’ responses, listed in alphabetical order, have been edited down for length.

Atwood

Works as an appellate prosecutor for the state of Illinois and is an NIU law school graduate and adjunct faculty professor.

On tax question:

“To the extent we could lower levies, that’s been done. The school board’s been lowering levies four, five years in a row. I think about 16% overall. The issue is your home is worth significantly more. So, your property tax bill, you didn’t really see a net zero or a decrease in the cost of your bill. I’m all for lowering the levy. [...] We can give that tax relief to individuals because the average salary here is around $40,000. People feel the pinch on their tax bill. So, if we can help coordinate, work with the city, the county the park district, the enterprise zone bring the growth in, we can spend more on our schools and tax people less. That’s the goal.”

Bailey

Works as a marketing and communications specialist for an agriculture machinery manufacturer. She earned bachelors and doctorate degrees in English and taught college-level writing for a decade. She said her daughter goes to a private school because of safety concerns.

On tax question:

“I need to look at numbers, I think. For me, it seems reasonable that we keep the tax rate consistent, meaning keeping those levies proportional to the amount of dollars that are coming into the community. I think of our communities as ecosystems. We are all interdependent. Every part of our economy, our businesses, our schools, our many different resources are dependent upon one another. If we develop our schools and continue to raise the metrics by which people evaluate their efficacy, that’s how we bring more people to this area and how we develop more businesses. That, in turn, gives us more to invest in the schools.”

Elion

Has a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology with an emphasis in criminology from Northern Illinois University and works at Nestle.

On tax question:

“Yes, I support holding the taxpayer harmless. I think as a school board though we do need to be diligent and transparent about what we’re asking for and the why behind it. I think we need to ensure that we’re asking for a fair amount and just be able to explain that to the community while still working with the other taxing bodies and the other commercial developments that are coming into our community to say, ‘Hey, we want to ensure that we are doing everything that we can to keep it low for the residents of DeKalb, Cortland, Malta and everybody that’s supporting District 428.”

Grych

Works as a private music teacher.

On tax question:

“We are one of the highest taxpaying cities in our state. For that, the city gave us $5.5 million grants for four years. The idea was that it would lower our taxes. I don’t know how much of that I felt. But I would like to follow and model what our mayor has done, but what the city has done. I actually saw a difference in their tax rate. It’d be good to use our money wisely. Again, I would look at best practices. Look at the other districts, how are they managing.”

Jaques

Retired military colonel and DeKalb police officer who previously worked as a school resource officer and security manager for DeKalb District 428.

On tax question:

“Lowering property taxes would be the goal. When I originally was looking to buy a house, there were two things that I considered in a buying a house in DeKalb: one was the property taxes. A lot of the fellow officers were looking in Sycamore at the time. That gives you the ability to get away from the job as a police officer. You don’t always want to live in the town that you’re policing. But Sycamore had higher property taxes. So, DeKalb looked a lot better for me.”

Mitchell

Previously served on the school board. He grew up in Decatur but currently lives in DeKalb. He would like to serve again, in part, because he has two stepchildren and a grandson.

On tax question:

“When does our taxes go lower because of all the construction, all the stuff that’s taking away our farmland on the south side of DeKalb – Facebook, Ferrara, Amazon. ... There’s going to be more that’s coming. I hear there’s going to be others. And Heinz Ketchup guys that screwed up their whole project. But that’s the ones that eventually should be paying taxes. Look at Cherry Valley. I believe they pay no taxes to the city because of the mall up in Cherry Valley. So, when do we get to stop paying taxes because of Facebook bringing a billion dollars into our community. I don’t know. That’s a question I would ask."

Parker

Has 40 years of experience in education and administration. She holds a Masters of Art in education administration and a Bachelors of Science in home economics with a minor in history.

On tax question:

“I’ve been a taxpayer in this county for over 27 years and I’m happy to pay my mortgage and my taxes. I understand every year that it’s going to go up regardless of what happens in our community. It goes up a little bit. For me, to say do I support holding the taxpayer harmless. ... I do support to make sure that taxpayers, our stakeholders are over in debt with costs unnecessarily. I support that the taxes should not be inflated so high and that the community cannot see where the monies are going. But I do say I speak in reality. If the school board says we want to have the same amount last year, our taxes are still going to go up because that’s the way of life being homeowners.”

Shaw

Works as a graduate teaching assistant for the Earth, Atmosphere and Environment Department at NIU.

On tax question:

“I support holding the taxpayer harmless. I think more higher taxes do not necessarily equate to improved schools unfortunately. Better curriculum does. In fact, Illinois has the second highest property taxes in the United States, second only to New Jersey. Additionally, since I’m a disabled veteran ... I’m exempt from property taxes. I would feel like a hypocrite myself if I were to ever suggest increasing property for any reason. I wouldn’t feel like it’s fair for me to do.”

Smith

Background, priorities:

Worked as a substitute in many school districts in Illinois for several years. She said she’s a strong woman of God and believes in serving others. She said she’s been volunteering in the community since age 18.

On tax question:

“Yes, I support it.”

Solomon

Background, priorities:

Previously served on the school board from 2015 to 2019. He holds a Ph.D. in instructional system design from Florida State University, Master of Education from Northern Illinois University.

On tax question:

Solomon declined to speak on this question and instead used his time to elaborate on another question.