02/05/2008 - DeKalb School District 428 Celebrates Referendum Victory - "The Future Looks Great In 428!"

With all 46 precincts counted, 63.38% of voters said yes to the proposal put forth by the Board of Education for consideration. The $110 million issue will provide funds to build and equip a 400,000 square foot high school facility to be located on 70 acres of land north of Dresser Road between Glidden Road and First Street. In addition, a new elementary school will be built in Cortland, the current high school will be repurposed (renovated) for use as a middle school, the current Huntley Middle School will be repurposed as an elementary school, and the current Chesebro Elementary School will be repurposed as an Early Childhood/Pre-K Center.

"We are thrilled that the voters have approved this plan," said Dr. Paul Beilfuss, Superintendent of Schools. "This is a huge step forward in providing adequate classroom space for our students and represents a brand new chapter in the history of this district. We are very grateful for the substantial effort put forward on the behalf of our students and staff to make this referendum a winning proposition. We would like to thank the many individuals and organizations who have provided support, either visible or behind the scenes. From the very beginning, this has been a community-led effort that started several years ago, and has resulted in hundreds, perhaps even thousands of community residents participating in a grass-roots movement to improve the educational environment of our local schools," he added.

"We look forward to working with our staff, families, and community residents to continue planning for the exciting, yet challenging process that lies ahead of us," said Russ Fletcher, School/Community Relations Liaison. "The District 428 Board of Education is committed to educational excellence and providing the resources to allow students to succeed. The strong support of our community residents is going to assist us in making a giant leap forward as together we bring this award-winnning school district into the future with educational facilities that all three of our communities will be proud of for generations to come," said Fletcher.

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