DeKalb District 428 school board candidates weigh in on priorities, school safety, diversity ahead of election

Editor’s Note: To read more election coverage, check out Daily Chronicle Election Central at shawlocal.com/daily-chronicle/election/. Coverage of all this week’s forums will be there.

DeKALB – Five hopefuls – including two write-in candidates – stumping for four, four-year term seats on the DeKalb School District 428 board outlined some priorities this week and offered ideas on addressing diversity and inclusion in schools ahead of the April 4 election.

The forum, put on this week by the League of Women Voters DeKalb County and co-sponsored by Northern Public Radio’s WNIJ, was moderated by Jan Dorner.

Candidate Vanta Bynum and incumbent David Seymour, who is running as a write-in, did not show for Wednesday’s forum.

“Right now, we know that really across the nation a majority of our teaching staff is white and English speaking. When we have students that are Black, brown, Indigenous or multilingual, it helps when we can fill those gaps in making sure there’s someone that represents them in our schools that we can partner with community organizations to do that as well.

—  Samantha McDavid, DeKalb District 428 school board candidate on diversity and inclusion efforts

Meet the candidates

Christoper Michael Boyes said that making sure the community is on board with the district’s efforts would be one of his top priorities if elected.

Boyes said his second priority comes down to wanting to ensure student and staff safety.

“Our students needs to have an environment where they feel comfortable and where they can truly grow and thrive,” Boyes said.

In 2022, DeKalb schools embarked on a school safety audit which recommended, among other things, hiring a districtwide safety manager, updating facility door mechanisms, more vigilance for recess monitors and updates to cameras on school grounds.

The school board also approved adding two additional school resource police officers to the payroll in 2022 through a contract with the DeKalb Police Department. The SRO program is meant address discipline and school codes of conduct, and bolster in-school security and student support.

Eric Larsen, who is a write-in candidate, said he intends to prioritize the district’s educators. He said teachers have been feeling the impact from the worker shortage. Larsen said he believes a large number of vacancies at the district level are for teachers and instructional assistants.

“That puts a real burden on the teachers when they don’t have the support that they need,” Larsen said. “So, we’ve got to get those positions filled. If everything’s a priority, nothing’s a priority in our organization. We’ve got to focus on getting them and our teachers the support that they need and deserve.”

Larsen said another area he would prioritize, if elected, is community outreach.

“The second thing is just more community engagement,” Larsen said. “Not a lot of people go to the board meetings. Not a lot of people put their input in. So, we’ve got be more creative in how we do outreach and get the word out to the community about the great things that are going on in the district and also to get their input, so that their voices are heard in terms of decisions that are made.”

Steven Byers, a former Huntley Middle School science teacher and current district parent, said he believes the district is headed in a positive direction, and he wants to help the school board continue that trajectory. He also co-owns and operates Byers Brewing Company in downtown DeKalb.

“[I plan on] making sure that the board maintains a level of respect for the professionals who work in our district,” Byers said. “That our administration, our teachers, our staff are all treated fairly and with respect and that their expertise is appreciated.”

Byers said he believes it’s important that district leaders ensure that the school environment is conducive for any given student to learn. He said he believes the school board is already moving in the right direction.

“[We should be] really continuing to focus on making the learning environment better for every student or for as many students as we possibly can,” Byers said. “I know the board’s doing that. But continuing that work is vital for our kids’ success.”

Incumbent candidate Samantha McDavid is seeking reelection and is serving for a second time as school board chair. McDavid said one of her top priorities is continuing to look at equitable outcomes for students, making sure the the district is continuing to assess policies, procedures, curricula and environments for cultural bias and structural racism.

McDavid said she also wants the district to prioritize safety and security, which she said should be coupled with social-emotional support.

“I think social-emotional support falls under [safety and security] because that will make our classrooms and our schools safer,” McDavid said, detailing the district’s plan to allocate funding to such initiatives. “I think that making sure that staff feels supported to help their own mental health needs as well.”

Howard Solomon, who is a write-in candidate, said the principle he will lean on for guidance as to how he will govern, if elected, is simple.

“My underlying principle is that all students can learn,” Solomon said. “Most will learn and that we need to do as much as possible to make that happen.”

Solomon previously served on the DeKalb School Board until 2019.

Solomon’s name on the ballot was removed earlier this year after the DeKalb County Electoral Board ruled he’d incorrectly bound his candidacy papers, however, he remains seeking the seat as a write-in.

Byers also said he prioritizes student learning.

“The principle would be love and balance,” Byers said. “I really loved being a teacher here in DeKalb. I love this community. I opened a business in this community. I love the kids in this town. … There’s also a balance that needs to happen. We have a lot of people in town. We’ve got to share the love with everybody. We’ve got to let the taxpayers feel the love when they need to feel the love. But we’ve got to let the kids have what the kids need.”

Candidates also debated the issue of diversity and inclusion and addressed how they plan to tackle it in schools.

McDavid said diversity is something the district needs to accept, embrace and celebrate. She said the school board should support staff in their pursuits to become more culturally responsive in teaching and aiding students. McDavid said efforts can be bolstered in partnership with the community.

“Right now, we know that really across the nation a majority of our teaching staff is white and English speaking,” McDavid said. “When we have students that are Black, brown, Indigenous or multilingual, it helps when we can fill those gaps in making sure there’s someone that represents them in our schools that we can partner with community organizations to do that as well. I think similarly we have to listen to people, and we have to care what they need and what they want and we have to trust their lived experience and truth.”

Solomon said he believes the district has a richness that needs to be shared with the community.

Boyes said it’s important to engage stakeholders in the community to ensure that diverse voices are heard.

Larsen said he would encourage the district to promote ways of bringing people from different backgrounds together.

“Even when adults have shared experiences with other people of different cultures, that’s when you start to really understand where they’re coming from and you start to get closer,” Larsen said. “You can do all the [equity] training you want. … When you have shared experiences, that’s when you start to break down some of those walls, start to grow closer, start to understand. Anything you can do in terms of sports, music, anything you can do to pull people together is what really helps get people to know each other better and improve the culture diversity.”