DeKalb School District 428

The DeKalb Barb Boosters will no longer serve as the fundraising arm of DeKalb School District 428 athletics, an announcement by its members said this week.

Introducing Little Barbs Academy: DeKalb schools are piloting a new program this fall to help youngsters transition to kindergarten and ensure a successful first day, DeKalb School District 428 announced this week.

DeKalb High School graduate Jenna Zimmerman recently was awarded the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra’s 2025 KSO High School Senior Musician Scholarship.

CENTURY 21 Circle, in partnership with Barb Food Mart, is putting on a special community fundraiser later this month.

DeKalb's Clinton Rosette Middle School student Allie Cheney recently was named a 2025 Promising Young Writer by the National Council of Teachers of English for an essay she wrote about the meaning of home.

DeKalb School District 428 officials talked academic success, a new elementary school and other goals for the next year in a State of the District address this week.

May 1 wasn’t just National Principal’s Day for Jefferson Elementary’s Melanie Bickley. She also received a surprise: She was named Administrator of the Year by the Illinois Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.

High school seniors, college undergraduates and students from across DeKalb County celebrated milestones in their educational journeys this month. Check out photos from various ceremonies here.

DeKalb High School's Class of 2025 collected their hard-earned diplomas Saturday during a commencement ceremony held at NIU's Convocation Center in DeKalb.

Casey’s General Store in Cortland is spreading some good will to a veterans charity and DeKalb food pantry after a winning $349 million lottery ticket was purchased at the store.

The DeKalb School District 428 school board this week talked guidelines for staff conference travel requests, which district officials said is needed for professional development and student success.

To help keep pace with neighboring districts, DeKalb School District 428 is considering increasing pay and benefits for substitute teachers for the 2025-26 school year.

Four new school board members took the oath of office to serve on the DeKalb School District 428 Board this week.

In her exit speech this week, outgoing DeKalb School Board President Deyci Ramirez touted what she called her commitment to equity, access and accountability.

The 2024 season was the first time Drew Hoth didn't play tackle football since the fifth grade. But he had a new passion to takes it places as he started student teaching. He's set to be a 5th grade teacher at Mitchell when the school opens in the fall.

If you’ve ever walked the hallways at Lincoln Elementary School in DeKalb, you may have noticed a buzz among students, faculty and staff about the Iditarod.

Jenni Smith, a veteran educator who’s been teaching for about 25 years, said she always likes to remind her eighth-grade math students at Huntley Middle School in DeKalb that you can’t get from the bottom to the top-most landing without doing all the steps in between.

Few educators wear as many hats as Mark Sykes, according to testimony from colleagues who recently sang his praises for an award recognition. Sykes, a 32-year veteran educator with DeKalb School District 428, has been named the 2025 Wirtz Award for Excellence in Education recipie

J.D. Oliva shares how his background as a wrestler and freelance documentary filmmaker and writer has informed his approach to teaching and coaching wrestling at DeKalb High School.

School resource officers from the DeKalb Police Department are here to stay for at least the next five years in DeKalb schools.

Public schools in Illinois could be one step closer to adopting a statewide cellphone policy that bans the use of mobile devices during classroom instruction time. What do DeKalb and Sycamore school leaders think of the proposal?

The DeKalb School District 428 school board this week approved an update to superintendent Minerva Garcia-Sanchez’s employment contract, which now includes 278 additional sick days, district documents show.

Barb STEAMCon, an event meant to celebrate all things science, technology, engineering, art and math, made its return Saturday to DeKalb High School after the COVID-19 pandemic prompted its hiatus.

Meta hosted Barb STEAMCon Saturday at DeKalb High School. The event featured presentations for District 428 students that focused on the world of science, technology, engineering, arts, and math.

Voters elected four newcomers to the DeKalb school board, including three to serve full terms. Nicholas Atwood, Jose Jaques and Kristin Bailey were the top vote-getters, earning seats if unofficial election results hold.

School board virtual forum Part 2: Three of 10 DeKalb School District 428 board hopefuls vying for three full terms recently shared their platforms with Shaw Local News Network. Read more here

Letters to the Editor for the Daily Chronicle: Vote Erin Grych for DeKalb School District 428 Board

The 10 candidates running for four-year terms on the DeKalb School District 428 board expressed views and interests during a recent forum.

Erin Grych on top issues facing the DeKalb school district: Potential loss of federal funding and lawsuits if not compliant in getting rid of DEI, Supporting Title IX, and ending radical sexualization of our children

The DeKalb School District 428 school board has named DeKalb High School sophomore Maria Bello Rodriguez as its next student board representative.

Should students be able to use AI in schoolwork? Twangie Smith: Our students are expected to complete their required school assignments using the skill and knowledge they are gaining. Those skills and their competence must be shown/proven

Some of the candidates for positions on the DeKalb School District 428 board were on hand for the DeKalb Area Rental Association and DeKalb Area Builders Association School Board Candidates Forum Thursday night at Faranda's Banquets in DeKalb.

DeKalb School District 428 won’t move forward with plans to consider creating a new associate superintendent job, the board member who proposed the idea said this week.

Video: Seven of 10 candidates seeking three full-term seats on the DeKalb School District 428 school board recently spoke with Daily Chronicle news staff about their campaigns and top issues facing the district. Watch the full forum here.

Election: While the majority of candidates voiced strong support for programming and initiatives centered around diversity, equity and inclusion, one DeKalb School District 428 board hopeful said she’s concerned about potential lost federal funding. Read more:

Listen: DeKalb School District 428 candidates vying for three open full-term seats on the board debate the issues ahead of the April 1 election. Seven of the 10 candidates were present for the candidate forum

Some of the candidates running for spots on the DeKalb School District 428 board shared their thoughts on addressing DeKalb students' academic achievement during a recent virtual forum hosted by Shaw Local News Network.

Derek Shaw: We have to pay teachers more and recruit more paraeducators to assist in the classroom milieu.

While the majority of candidates who addressed voters this week voiced strong opposition to book banning, one DeKalb School District 428 board hopeful said she doesn’t want books in school libraries that contain “explicit sexual imagery.”

Brandon Elion on if students should be able to use AI in their schoolwork: AI should be used as an assisted resource, not a main one. Students should still be required to cite sources for fact checking

Howard Solomon: Because of the foresight of previous boards, District 428 has a dual language program. I suggest that graduates of that program be given job offers as classroom assistants immediately on graduation

The budget currently allocates funds for capital outlay projects, which would include maintenance and repairs to existing facilities. To the extent possible, I believe the Board should proceed incrementally in identifying and prioritizing needed repairs and facility upgrades.

Jose Jaques: I believe the top three issues the district faces are classroom size, student behavior and discipline and fiscal transparency.

Two candidates vying for spots on the DeKalb School District 428 board in the April consolidated election voiced their concerns this week over a staffing request for a new associate superintendent position.

The newly approved DeKalb School District 428 elementary school attendance maps are meant to help reduce classroom sizes from 28 to 25 for grades K-5, officials said. They'll go into effect in the fall.

Officials for the newly renovated Beyond One Barb Transition Center and DeKalb School District 428 recently celebrated the transition program’s new off-campus location at 530 Charter St.

DeKalb County education, law enforcement and faith leaders weighed in this week on policy changes from President Donald Trump’s new administration that could bring federal immigration agents into schools and places of worship.

The DeKalb school board plans to put the final draft of the district’s proposed attendance boundary maps to a vote next month.

DeKalb School District 428 held a grand opening ceremony Wednesday for the Beyond One Barb Transition Center. The transition program has been in place to facilitate students with intellectual and developmental disabilities aged 18-22 into adulthood and independent living.

Multiple school districts in DeKalb County have announced closures effective Tuesday due to bitter cold temperatures expected to bring windchills well below zero.