Here’s how DeKalb District 428 readied school buildings for new year

As summer faded for students and staff, DeKalb School District 428 wrapped up multiple facility projects to welcome students and staff for the start of a new school year.

Tammy Carson, the district’s director of facility and safety operations, said she’s proud of what the facility operations department has accomplished.

“A lot of delays happen with construction,” Carson said. “We can’t get in and clean spaces. We appreciate the patience of the teaching staff and administration not being able to always get in the buildings exactly when they want to. Giving us that time, we’re able to really have the buildings ready for our students to return.”

This summer, the district undertook an effort to complete more than $4.5 million in upgrades to school facilities, officials said. Larger bid projects were previously approved by the DeKalb School District 428 Board earlier this year.

Among some of the summer projects completed were playground replacements at Tyler and Littlejohn Elementary schools; toilet room renovations at Jefferson and Lincoln Elementary schools; toilet room additions at Founders Elementary School; parking lot replacement at the Education Center; sealcoating/striping at Huntley Middle School/Early Learning Development Center, Menta Academy and DeKalb High School; and roof replacements at Brooks Elementary School and Huntley Middle School/Early Learning Development Center.

Carson touted the completion of the boiler replacements at Founders and Brooks Elementary schools.

“With these being completed, that leaves only the boiler at Huntley Middle School that still needs to be replaced,” Carson said. “We are looking at that as a potential project for either ‘26 or ‘27, depending on funding.”

Carson also noted that a pair of playground replacements was done.

“Most of [the buildings] have their original playgrounds,” Carson said. “This year, we did finish the rest of Littlejohn, and then, we did replace all of Tyler. And Tyler, what used to be one playground, we opted to put it into two playgrounds, like we have in our other buildings. So, there is a playground for smaller, younger-age students and then a playground for the older students.”

Carson acknowledged all the improvements made, even the projects that are hard to see, and said they’re all important to the district’s function.

“What you’re really seeing is a whole lot of work on ... these buildings,” Carson said. “Those shiny floors don’t last forever.”

Superintendent Minerva Garcia-Sanchez expressed appreciation for the work of the district’s facility operations department over the summer.

“I’m going to concur with thanking everybody who’s done such a terrific job over the summer and to get us started for the year,” Garcia-Sanchez said.

Here’s a look at some of the larger summer projects, by building: