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DAILY CHRONICLE
New DeKalb volleyball season begins with tryouts this week / B1 HIGH
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D-428 will draw new boundaries
Officials seek balance in school enrollments; community forums slated for November By BRITTANY KEEPERMAN bkeeperman@shawmedia.com DeKALB – Projected enrollment growth in DeKalb School District 428 is prompting officials to consider a new plan to determine which elementary schools children attend. The changes primarily will apply to attendance boundaries for the district’s eight elementary schools, where enrollment is expected to grow by about 260 students by the 201819 school year. Middle school enrollment is expected to grow
What’s next District 428 officials are planning community forums on proposed boundary changes in November. by 96 students by 2018-19, and those boundaries could change as well, said Andrea Gorla, assistant superintendent of business and finance at District 428. Enrollment projections were mapped by demographer Matthew Cropper of Cropper GIS Consulting. In 2014, the
district hired the firm to complete a full demographic study for $9,500. The redistricting is set to go into effect in the 201617 school year. District 428 operates 12 schools – eight elementary schools, two middle schools, DeKalb High School and an early learning center – and had a total enrollment of about 6,000 in the 2014-15 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education. “It’s time to re-evaluate,” Gorla said. “We know this ends up being an emotional and sen-
sitive issue. … [Redistricting] has been two years in the making.” Previous forecasts by Cropper GIS have proved accurate, Gorla said. In the past school year, District 428 had to move about 260 students to different elementary schools because of crowding. The demographic study shows that more than 1,000 district students attend schools other than the ones that are supposed to serve their neighborhoods. “While this won’t complete-
Rauner signs police guidelines for body cameras
ly eliminate overflow, it will help,” Gorla said. At the end of the process, every school should have a boundary that primarily will serve the kindergarten through fifth-grade students who live in the area. Whenever possible, natural boundaries, such as major roads, will be used to set boundary lines, Gorla said. Walkability will be maximized to cut down on busing costs. A key priority is to minimize impact on families, officials said. “When we first went into
this, we were trying to modify those boundaries so it would be least impactful to the least amount of students,” Gorla said. “So we won’t be moving everybody around. [Cropper GIS] even tracked how many students would be affected by these decisions.” The district is looking at boundaries that would minimize division of established communities, such as apartment complexes and housing subdivisions, Gorla said.
See BOUNDARIES, page A4
SANDWICH OPERA HOUSE
By SOPHIA TAREEN The Associated Press CHICAGO – Illinois has become one of the first states nationwide to establish wide-ranging law enforcement rules for body cameras, bias-free policing and more data collection on arrests under a measure signed into law Wednesday by Gov. Bruce Rauner. The plan beefs up reporting guidelines for officers making pedestrian stops and arrests, largely prohibits chokeholds and adds guidelines for training to help officers become aware of bias and cultural competency. The new law doesn’t mandate body cameras, but does specify how they should be worn, when they have to be turned on and how long recorded videos should be kept. Illinois would help departments pay for the cameras and training for officers with grants funded by a $5 increase in traffic tickets. “We are taking steps to strengthen the relationship between our law enforcement officers and the public they protect,” Rauner, who signed the bill in private, said in a statement. “It will have a lasting and positive impact on the people of Illinois.” Dozens of U.S. states have passed police reform measures in the wake of two fatal police encounters last year: the shooting death of an unarmed black 18-year-old by a white officer in Ferguson, Missouri, and the death of a black man in New York who died after being placed in a white officer’s chokehold.
Danielle Guerra – dguerra@shawmedia.com
Seen Tuesday, the Sandwich Opera House, built in 1878 and most recently renovated in 1983, currently is facing a list of needed repairs.
Repairs needed
See CAMERAS, page A4
Cost an issue for essential fixes to venue built in 1878 How to help
By ADAM POULISSE apoulisse@shawmedia.com
AP photo
State Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth, D-Peoria, speaks to reporters Wednesday during a news conference at the state Capitol in Springfield. Illinois has become among the first states nationwide to establish wide-ranging law enforcement rules for body cameras, bias-free policing and more data collection on arrests under a measure signed into law Wednesday by Gov. Bruce Rauner.
SANDWICH – Head to the Sandwich Opera House of Sandwich on any given day, and you can visit the mayor’s and other city offices, have a birthday party or gathering in the community room, or even see a show in the auditorium – all while taking in the atmosphere of post-Civil War history. But as with anything built in 1878, the historic city staple is showing its age. The front door is broken. The ceiling leaks. Paint on the walls
In addition to attending fundraising performances, you can donate to the Sandwich Opera House through its official website, sandwichoperahouse. org.
is flaking off. City officials and Sandwich Opera House Board of Directors said they’re hoping the repairs happen soon, but securing the funds is an issue, as is the precarious task of repairing an
old building while maintaining its structural integrity. “Funding is a problem, and just trying to find the right people to work on a building like this adds a lot of complications to getting it fixed,” said Alethia Cline, secretary for the board. Located at 140 E. Railroad St. in downtown Sandwich, the venue now hosts entertainment and municipal services. There’s even an underground tunnel that connects to a nearby annex. Throughout its more than 135year lifespan, the building also has been home to the city’s fire sta-
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Luke Redfield to perform at The House Cafe in DeKalb / C1
District 424 becomes first in the county to begin its school year / A3
DeKalb boys soccer has 3 big goals for upcoming season / B1
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tion and jail, which was converted into what are now the bathrooms. For the remainder of the venue’s current season, which lasts until June, there are 16 musical groups and 17 shows scheduled. The attractions include stage plays, musicals and motivational speakers scheduled by several different groups such as the Indian Valley Theatre, orchestra groups and a music teacher consortium. Sandwich Alderwoman Cara Killey, who also serves on the board, said the city is “uniquely
See OPERA HOUSE, page A4
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