A committee, tasked with reviewing options for reducing middle school class sizes, has made a recommendation to the DeKalb School District 428 Board on how to reconfigure buildings to better support students, faculty and staff.

At a public meeting on Tuesday, members of the DeKalb school board were briefed on plans to consider the proposal originally floated by district staff.

In it, the district surmises that the goal is to return the elementary schools to a K-4 grade model, convert Founders Elementary and Clinton Rosette Middle schools into buildings serving grades 5-6, and turn Huntley Middle School into a building for grades 7-8.

That proposal, when tied with the district’s plans for establishing a new Early Learning Development Center, had seen some public pushback in recent months. In response, the district voted to separate the two.

Since then, the district has held several committee meetings to explore alternative options for reducing middle school class sizes, school board documents show. The district has identified seven different concepts to give consideration to after reviewing community input.

Jessica Nall, the district’s assessment coordinator, said the original option saw the most support from the committee.

Only one member of the committee preferred to leave the school buildings as they are, she said.

“I think that was really significant,” Nall said.

The district’s plan to consider reconfiguring middle school class sizes comes in the wake of elementary boundary line adjustments implemented this past fall. Action was taken by the board in February 2025 as the district opened Mitchell Elementary, the newest school building.

Officials have said renovations will be needed at Huntley Middle School, no matter how it proceeds with reconfiguring middle school class sizes.

Katherine McLaughlin, a district parent who also serves as a DeKalb Township trustee, expressed support for the original proposal.

Like some parents of Founders Elementary, however, she wasn’t always sold on the idea.

“We’re thinking of losing our school,” McLaughlin said. “We’re thinking of losing our staff and the work, too, that we put in to grow this [Parent-Teacher Organization]. And it was nerve-wracking. We didn’t want to see it go. But then, learning that yes, this is better for our students in the long run because we’re cutting down on that classroom size. We are keeping the K-4 together, and then putting the minds of fifth and sixth graders together, as opposed to the fifth graders and kindergarteners.”

Kyle Gerdes, the district’s director of student services, said he’s excited for the proposed plan to reconfigure the middle schools.

“One of the things that we can do through this is bring more equity to resources across schools, which will help students, staff and our administrators,” Gerdes said.

While enrollment has stayed steady in DeKalb schools in recent years, district staff said they have noticed more and more interest in the Early Learning Development Center.

The board voted in November 2025 to allow for plans to proceed with establishing an Early Learning Development Center in a new facility off Dresser and Normal roads. It will replace the center’s space at Huntley Middle School, which is contained in 10 classrooms in the building.

In turn, Huntley Middle would be able to accommodate about 100 more students, bringing the total served from 852 to 938, school board documents show.

Clinton Rosette Middle would see a decrease of about 80 in the number of students served, school board documents show. That would help provide for 504 students under the district’s original reconfiguration plan as proposed.

At Founders Elementary, enrollment would be projected to stay about the same, bringing the total served from 507 to 504, school board documents show.

Board President Christopher Boyes questioned what the proposed reconfiguration would mean for staffing.

For one thing, he pointed to how elementary and secondary educators may require different certifications to teach students in different grade-level configurations.

“How will that work?” Boyes said.

In response, Billy Hueramo, the district’s director of teaching and learning for elementary, who is expected to become the new superintendent when Minerva Garcia-Sanchez leaves in the summer, pointed to a scenario where recertification is not needed.

But he said that’s where the work of the district’s subcommittees comes into play.

“I think that’s one of the biggest worries probably of our teachers as we’re talking about this,” Hueramo said. “And we’re going to ask to continue to explore it.”

The district anticipates design bids to renovate school buildings requiring board consideration in April, school board documents show.

If approved, the district anticipates middle school class sizes reducing from 35 to 30, officials said. In doing so, the district can fulfill its obligations under a contract with the DeKalb Classroom Teachers’ Association.

Officials have said the district has a goal to carryout its vision by fall 2028.

The board reached a consensus to put the original proposal to a vote at its Feb. 17 regular meeting. Any action taken by the board at that time impacts design planning and does not commit the district to a final outcome.