In only a couple of months, DeKalb High School, 501 Dresser Road, will begin its first class sessions.

The school was built as a way to accommodate many future generations, not just a couple years said James Mitchell, former DeKalb school board member. Mitchell was part of the school board when they passed the referendum to build the new facility.

 “It will be 20 years before you need to [expand] at all,” said Mitchell.

Mitchell said the school is equipped to handle renovations whenever they are necessary as each part of the building was constructed in a way that would allow for easy expansion which could be done in a relatively short amount of time.

The $110 million referendum included the money for the construction of the new high school, and the renovations needed for the high school’s previous location, 821 S. Seventh St., to be turned into the new Huntley Middle School, said District 428 Superintendent, Jim Briscoe.

Briscoe said he was very pleased with the new school’s design and that nothing within the new facility was lavish or unnecessarily extravagant.

Briscoe said that, even with the $110 million in referendum money, the project was still under budget.

“There are still contingency monies left that they hopefully won’t have to spend,” said Mayor Kris Povlsen.

Povlsen said he believes the money that went into the new high school was well spent.

Povlsen said he was not very concerned with tax payers being upset about the tax increase resulting from the new school and that it was great to see the community coming together for the sake of education.

Povlsen said, “65 percent voted in favor of the tax increase.”

Briscoe said he believes this is a facility that will still be around 100 years from now.

Mitchell said the school’s grand opening is set for August 26th at five p.m. with tours of the facility being given the following Saturday.