To help appease some residents’ concerns, leaders from DeKalb School District 428 this month took steps to clarify plans to build a new preschool to increase pre-kindergarten classroom space without a referendum.

Separate from the preschool, according to a recent school board vote, the district also could reorder some school buildings to accommodate a growing student population in grades five through eight.

At a recent meeting, the DeKalb School District 428 Board acted on two measures: one to build a new early-learning development center and renovate Huntley Middle School, and another to allow district staff to undertake cost analysis and planning for grade reconfiguration. The former item was supported by the board unanimously, and the latter was approved in a 6-1 decision, with board member Mark Charvat casting the lone dissenting vote.

In public comment, some expressed a desire for the district to slow down.

Nick Kinner expressed support for the plans to build a new preschool, but he said he was skeptical about a larger plan for reconfiguring grade levels.

“In doing so, it eliminates not just one elementary school but the biggest elementary school,” Kinner said.

Founders Elementary School teacher Denise Oesterlin acknowledged that middle school class sizes are an issue, but she suggested that alternative solutions should be considered.

“Many family, staff and stakeholders have questions, ideas and possible solutions for reducing middle school class sizes, with solutions that may avoid disrupting every elementary school and reducing our total number of elementary schools to eight,” Oesterlin said. “Gathering this feedback does not require additional cost.”

Under the plan, which has not yet been finalized, the district intends to build a new early-learning development center for preschool students. And then three existing buildings – Founders Elementary and the two middle schools, Clinton Rosette and Huntley – would be reorganized to house the district’s intermediate and junior high school grade levels.

Officials have said the fixes at Huntley Middle School will be necessary regardless of any changes in the grade-level reconfiguration.

District leaders also have said they intend to build a new early-learning development center without putting a referendum on the ballot for voters.

Additional board approval is expected before plans can come to fruition, however.

Board action earlier this month greenlit a way to pay for the estimated $42.8 million early-learning center off Dresser and Normal roads by using property tax revenue collected through industry that’s in DeKalb County’s enterprise zone. An enterprise zone is a geographical area in which businesses may receive tax benefits and other incentives to help spur new economic growth.

DeKalb resident Katie Pool, who leads the PTO at Founders Elementary, said she has concerns about the potential for reconfiguring grade levels and what that change could mean for students and their families.

“Under our new administration, there is positive momentum, trust and teamwork,” Pool said. “The sense of community support and collaboration between our teachers, staff, students and families is the strongest I have seen. The proposed plan of turning Founders into a five- to six-grade building risks breaking apart that progress by disrupting relationships and stability that our students and staff depend on.”

Superintendent Minerva Garcia-Sanchez reiterated that no final decision has been made on the larger plan for reconfiguring grade levels.

“Nothing has been determined about anything other than the ELDC, and that we need to move them outside of Huntley,” Garcia-Sanchez said. “And that still has to be determined by the board because we are in the ... planning phases of that.”

The board took up the matter again Nov. 18 after reaching a consensus Nov. 4 to amend the language in a resolution that tied the new preschool build to the grade reconfiguration plan. Also at that time, another resolution committing funding toward a new early-learning development center saw unanimous support.

Board member Kristin Bailey questioned whether the district could better involve the public in the process.

Officials said in reply that district staff have done a lot of research already.

Garcia-Sanchez said the district plans to share more information.

Bailey questioned whether the measure should make it clearer that the district is exploring all available options for reconfiguring grade levels.

“Would that help, though?” Bailey said.

Garcia-Sanchez tried to clarify the district’s intentions.

“The point is we need to reduce class size at the middle schools,” she said. “We need to take into account anything and everything we have.”

After reaching a consensus, the majority of the school board decided that, as long as the second of two resolution’s language is amended, they can support it.

Charvat, who cast the lone dissenting vote on the second resolution, said he opposed the district not considering putting the matter before voters in an advisory, nonbinding referendum.

“It’s just an idea. I love getting the public involved, and this is just something that was brought up to me,” Charvat said.

Under Illinois school code, however, the district is allowed to advance such projects without a referendum as long as it is determined that it would increase pre-kindergarten or kindergarten access.

District 428 has yet to host any public forums specifically dedicated to discussing its plans for reconfiguring the middle schools.

But the reconfiguration plan was first floated by the district during a public meeting last month to reorganize which buildings hold fifth-, sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students.

DeKalb’s early-learning space – which has a waiting list of 98 students, officials have said – currently is in the Huntley Middle School building.

Under the plan, the preschoolers could move to their own new and bigger building. That would free up space in Huntley, which would transition to teach only seventh and eighth graders districtwide, officials said.

Clinton Rosette and Founders Elementary could be reconfigured into intermediate school buildings, teaching only fifth and sixth graders districtwide. And elementary schools would be K-4.

Officials have said that DeKalb doesn’t have enough pre-kindergarten learning spaces in district limits. So, they’re working to address facility needs to better support more children expected to enter the school district when they come of age.

DeKalb’s early-learning development center has 10 classrooms at Huntley Middle School. Should plans continue to proceed, a new preschool would include 24 classrooms.

In the past, the district used to employ a grade-center model in which fifth and sixth graders were in one building and seventh and eighth graders were in another building, officials said.

Jessica Nall, the district’s assessment coordinator, suggested that the board needs to act.

“Having a much smaller middle school and a much larger middle school will cause equity problems across the board that we’d really like to avoid,” Nall said. “We also have equity issues between our elementary schools.”

A number of people showed up to the board meeting to learn more about how the district would proceed on the matter.

Board member Nick Atwood said he appreciates the public’s input.

“We’re really starting to fill this room every single meeting with people that are engaged, and I think that’s great,” Atwood said. “I mean, we wanted to involve people in all these decisions we’re making.”