DeKalb School District No. 428 approved guidelines for redistricting at the school board meeting Monday night.

Jed Dunbar, assistant superintendent of human resources, and Linell Lasswell, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction, presented six parameters to the board on behalf of the redistricting committee.

Keeping families members together involves ensuring that siblings go to the same school. This parameter creates the least disruption, allows for the most respect and fosters a connection for families dealing with redistricting, Dunbar said.

Maintaining neighborhood schools provides the best chance for parent involvement in the schools, he said.

School Board Secretary Holly Wallace said she did not like to use the term “neighborhood” to describe a school. She told the board it might give people “a false attachment” to a school. Many neighborhoods do not have a school, she said.

“I think it’s going to get us in trouble,” Wallace said.

Wallace asked for the parameter maintaining neighborhood schools to be removed, and a parameter concerning room for growth to be added. She said the neighborhood schools parameter was implied in the next parameter, minimizing bussing, which involves making sure students are on busses to and from school for the least possible amount of time.

Wallace’s request was denied.

Ensuring diversity within the schools should take place on an ethnic, racial and socio-economic basis, Lasswell said.

Maintaining class sizes involves keeping classes as small as possible. The committee will need to review capacities for the schools to accomplish class size maintenance, Lasswell said.

The final parameter the board voted to accept was allowing a choice for attendance at the partnership school. Parents in the district will be able to choose if they want their children to attend the NIU/school district partnership school. It also means the redistricting committee will set new boundaries only for the existing eight schools, not including the partnership school, which is set to open for the next school year.

Suzanne Lambrecht, a school board member, brought up the question of a lack of interest in the partnership school. She said if the school did not recruit enough students, the district would be left with a situation where parents would want their kids to be put in schools already at 112 percent capacity. Lasswell said if that occurred, the committee is considering an overflow plan that is currently in action, where schools would be filled on a first-come, first-serve registration basis.

School board member Mike Griesbaum said the district would be taking a risk with the place, which, if unsuccessful, could result in another redistricting in a few years.

Superintendent Brian Ali said marketing was integral to avoiding this situation.

“I don’t think we can underestimate the citizen’s right to choose,” he said.

The approval of the parameters for redistricting passed 8-0.

The board also approved estimations for the 2003 tax levy, which is the first step in creating next year’s budget. The board will be asked to adopt the levy at the Dec. 15 school board meeting.

The board received an update on the partnership school from future school principal Scott Kubelka, who said committees and subcommittees are meeting regularly.

During the Hearing of Citizens, DeKalb resident Yahcolyah Muhammad requested DeKalb High School allow for a Black Student Union club.

The board also heard from DeKalb resident Misty Haji- Sheikh, who requested reassignment of a crossing guard to a vacant intersection, increased signage and that flashing signs indicating a school zone be turned on earlier.