DeKalb School District 428

Four sitting members of the DeKalb District 428 school board will not seek reelection in the spring, filings show. DeKalb voters likely will have their pick of nearly a dozen new candidates for the four open seats, however.

Here are unofficial results for the 2024 November election for the DeKalb County circuit clerk, coroner, state's attorney, as well as DeKalb County Board, local legislative races and referendums.

DeKalb resident Nick Atwood is vying for one of four open spots on the DeKalb School District 428 Board in the April 2025 election.

Search our table to see what designation your DeKalb County school received on the 2024 school report card.

This week, the Illinois State Board of Education released school- and district-level data showing what percentage of DeKalb County students were considered proficient in math and reading last year. Check out this chart to see if that's an improvement over the prior year.

DeKalb School District 428 leadership is exploring whether it should opt into a proposal with the city of DeKalb which could overhaul South Fourth Street using tax increment financing, part of the city’s plan to spur new development in that area and generate $5.7 million by 2048.

DeKalb School District 428 leadership is considering whether to introduce a new AP African American Studies course at DeKalb High School, which if approved, would provide juniors and seniors a year-long interdisciplinary course examining the African American experience.

A little more than a year ago, Dori Delacruz, who also works for the DeKalb School District 428, set up her own private practice for mental health services, dubbed Walk and Talk with Dori.

DeKalb school officials this week were made aware of about $50,000 in sewer repairs needed for a Charter Street building that soon will be home to the district’s Beyond One Barb Transition Center for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

DeKalb students from Jefferson Elementary School recently got to learn more about the 20 different countries represented by its student body at a multicultural night filled with learning, dance, song and food.

Highlights budgeted by DeKalb schools for 2025 include $1.8 million for a new elementary school, $290,000 for an elementary school classroom and personnel costs.

Students returned to classrooms only weeks ago, but in that time educators and police across northern Illinois have responded to dozens of school threats, creating what authorities said is an atmosphere of fear they worry could worsen if something isn’t done.

A DeKalb mom told the school board this week that her four children are afraid to attend school and suffer anxiety amid trending online shooting threats circulating across the region. "I have middle schoolers who can’t even focus on work at this point," she said.

DeKalb’s newest elementary school has its mascot, and its got a royal ring to it.

Leadership at Huntley Middle School in DeKalb recently was alerted to a potential shooting threat planned for Wednesday, though authorities said Tuesday the threat was deemed not credible.

A proposed new sales tax benefiting DeKalb County schools would not tax groceries, prescription drugs or cars, according to Sycamore Community Unit School District 427. A referendum is expected on the November ballot for voters to weigh in.

DeKalb School District 428 is considering about $4.5 million worth of infrastructure improvements in 2025, which could include DeKalb High School track resurfacing, Littlejohn and Tyler Elementary Schools playground replacements, Huntley Middle School roof replacement and more.

Two DeKalb parents are calling for more accountability after they say DeKalb School District 428 school bus drivers and employees could not account for their children's whereabouts on the first day of kindergarten at Founders Elementary School. The parents spoke with Shaw Local.

DeKalb School District 428 recently joined staff and community partners to mark the start of facility renovations by hosting a construction kickoff at 530 Charter St. for the new Beyond One Barb Transition Center.

The handheld devices that once were used for communication only now have the world available at the touch of a button. And some educators, administrators and parents across DeKalb County are debating the role of cellphones in schools.

Hy-Vee will host the inaugural Crosstown Classic Burger Challenge, which aims to pit members of the DeKalb and Sycamore football teams in a hamburger/slider eating contest. The contest kicks off at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Hy-Vee, 2700 DeKalb Avenue, Sycamore.

When heading to the polls in November, DeKalb County voters will be asked to decide whether they support a 1% sales tax, which would generate an estimated $10 million in new revenue for all countywide public schools, officials have said.

DeKalb School District 428 hosted a construction kickoff to mark the beginning of the renovations at the Beyond One Barb Transition Center at 530 Charter St., DeKalb. The facility will be home to the districts transition program which is dedicated to serving students with intellectual and developmental disabilities ages 18 to 22.

Officials at school districts in DeKalb County are considering asking voters if they would be supportive of an up-to 1% sales tax they said could create $10M in revenue for all school districts in the county, while taxing local purchases. Here's what we know:

The transition program is dedicated to serving students with intellectual and developmental disabilities ages 18 to 22. The program has been based out of DeKalb High School but is expected to have a new location come January.

DeKalb High School graduate Daniel Clements has been named the 2024 Palmer Family Music Education Scholarship recipient, the DeKalb County Community Foundation announced.

DeKalb High School graduate Joscelyn Dieckman recently was awarded a $1,000 scholarship for her local philanthropy and volunteer work.

DeKalb School District 428 this week chose to make Fred Davis’ appointment to the board official after failing to vote on the matter last time.

Fred Davis, a former board member who served on the DeKalb School District 428 Board, recently told Shaw Local News Network previous experience on the school board gives him an edge.

The DeKalb County Community Foundation recently awarded $116,100 in Farny R. Wurlitzer Foundation Fund Grants to support music education for 26 nonprofits in DeKalb County and the region.

The DeKalb School District 428 board approved a plan recently to name the new home of the district’s transition program the Beyond One Barb Transition Center. The new site is expected to open in January with the start of the spring 2025 semester.

Fred Davis, a DeKalb resident who previously served on the DeKalb School District 428 Board, took the oath of office this week to fill a school board vacancy created by Andre Powell, now a city alderman.

In DeKalb schools, educators are working to ensure students’ needs are met even as staffing shortages for those with a specific skill – speech language pathologists – compound the problem.

Vocalist Jill McCormick will perform with the DeKalb Municipal Band at its next concert.

The DeKalb Athletic Department and the Barb Booster’s will host its annual Barb Classic Golf Outing fundraiser to support DeKalb middle and high schools athletic programs on Friday.

If there’s anything Justin Johnson has a strong theory about, he says he believes it made for no accident he was among a group of educators from across the nation selected to participate in a recent tour of the White House.

Andre Powell, a former DeKalb School District 428 board member who served on multiple city commissions, was sworn in this week as the city’s new 5th Ward alderman.

DeKalb High School Class of 2024 graduates celebrated their commencement Saturday at the Northern Illinois University Convocation Center in DeKalb.

New partnership between DeKalb schools and Boys and Girls Club of Elgin will give area children and their families another option to consider this summer. The program is expected to run from noon to 5 p.m. May 30 through June 26.

Here’s how DeKalb School District 428 is using artificial intelligence to improve special education and teacher workflow

A decision on whether to implement a new policy on GPS monitoring for district-owned and leased vehicles could come at the school board's Tuesday meeting.

Students in the DeKalb School District 428 Transition Program did some work in one of the green houses Thursday, May 9, 2024, at Walnut Grove Vocational Farm in Kirkland. The Transition Program is dedicated to serving students with intellectual and developmental disabilities ages 18 to 22.

DeKalb School District 428 this week discussed a proposal to repair the track at Huntley Middle School in an effort to put funding to better, more efficient use, officials said.

Maurice McDavid, a longtime DeKalb resident, former DeKalb High School dean and chairman of the DeKalb Citizen Police Review Board, said he's excited to get to work at the district’s new elementary school.

DeKalb Mayor Cohen Barnes has proposed Andre Powell, a current DeKalb school board member who also sits on two city committees, to be the next 5th Ward alderman on the City Council, according to city documents.

A DeKalb middle school music teacher this week was recognized by DeKalb School District 428 for earning the Wirtz Award for Excellence in Education. Nomination letters highlighted Gregory King's positive relationships with students.

DeKalb School District 428 Board members Christopher Boyes and Steven Byers traded seats and leadership positions this week during a restructuring of the elected school board.

Timeline: DeKalb teen Gracie Sasso-Cleveland loved animals, her friends and looked forward to her first prom, her grandmother said. She never made it. Gracie was killed one year ago today, police said. Her death left the community reeling. What happened and what's next?

Construction is underway at the future site of Dr. Leroy A. Mitchell Elementary School in DeKalb, including emergency asbestos removal work recently approved by DeKalb District 428 officials.

The Crowbotics Team at DeKalb High School is embarking on a trip to Houston, Texas this week to compete in the FIRST Robotics Competition World Championship.