The Sycamore Community School District 427 administrator tasked with filling in for former superintendent Steve Wilder will retain that role through the school year, the district announced Wednesday.

Catch up on the week’s top DeKalb County news and sports in minutes for the week of Aug. 17-23. Hear the week’s 5 most popular stories, read aloud for you

Summer came to an unofficial end for many Sycamore children and parents in School District 427 Thursday, alongside some advice: "Just try and introduce yourself to a lot of kids, and maybe you’ll make a new friend that you don’t know,” fourth grader Parker Wenz said.

Students at North Grove Elementary School, along with others in Sycamore School District 427, showed up Thursday for their first day of the new school year.

Now that Sycamore Community School District 427 has hired a national firm to search for the district’s next superintendent, here’s what the community should expect to happen.

Former Sycamore District 427 school board member Eric Jones expressed disappointment with ex-Superintendent Steve Wilder's departure, saying he believes Wilder was shown a “lack of respect."

Less than two weeks after the Sycamore school board authorized a mutual separation agreement with former Sycamore superintendent Steve Wilder, the board has voted to hire a national firm to search for his replacement.

It’s been about a year since Sycamore School District 427 was placed on a financial early warning status by the Illinois State Board of Education, and school board members will take a look at how the 2026 budget is shaping up during a special meeting Wednesday.

A former Sycamore School District 427 employee accused of inappropriately touching multiple students pleaded guilty recently to felony battery in exchange for admittance into a behavioral rehabilitation program that could see his conviction reduced to a misdemeanor, records show.

On the same day Sycamore school officials formally cut the ribbon on the district’s new administration building, School Board President Michael DeVito said he can’t say much about why he voted to place the district’s top employee on paid leave.

Sycamore School District 427 Superintendent Steve Wilder and the district’s school board have reached a mutual agreement to begin a transition in leadership, board President Michael DeVito announced during a special meeting Friday night

The Sycamore Community School District 427 school board will have a special meeting Friday evening, but few details of the meeting are on the agenda.

Officials with DeKalb schools recently said they’ve been engaged with Sycamore district leaders over a possible agreement that could help both districts utilize new space to benefit pre-kindergarten students.

Sycamore middle and high schools are getting new security cameras in time for the fall, district superintendent Steve Wilder recently said. The replacement is part of the district's desire to keep an up-to-date safety, security and crisis plan in place.

The architecture firm behind the new Sycamore Fire Station has been contracted to assess a former Nicor building Sycamore School District 427 bought in 2024 to house district administration offices. The building sustained storm damage earlier this spring.

Sycamore School District 427 officials are prepping for the upcoming school year, approving among other steps parking lot repaving, a district calendar and more.

Sycamore High School graduate Delaney Baylor has been awarded a scholarship to support her music education at Illinois State University.

It’s not every day a public school board meeting includes an update on the work of a dog, but that’s just what Dooley, a German Shorthaired Pointer who works as a therapy dog in the district, and his Sycamore Police Department partners did this week.

A century-old grade school that taught generations of families in Sycamore will open to the public for a final time Saturday. Sycamore District 427 will host a farewell celebration for Central School, 245 W. Exchange St., before its administrative offices move to Bethany Road.

Bryan Carter, a 2008 Sycamore High School graduate, will be the music director in the second to last performance of George Clooney’s “Good Night and Good Luck,” on CNN at 6 p.m. on Saturday.

About 100 people packed into Sycamore High School’s gymnasium Wednesday night to celebrate a historic moment: a state title for the boys track and field team. “These kids worked their tails off,” district athletic director Chauncey Carrick said.

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.

Sycamore High School seniors received their diplomas Sunday at the Class of 2025 Commencement ceremony, celebrating the culmination of their high school careers.

City leaders from Sycamore’s schools, parks, business community and city government gathered this week to provide residents with updates on goals for the city and ongoing initiatives.

Deb Wheeler, one of three family members who work at South Prairie Elementary School in Sycamore, is getting ready to retire at the end of the school year. “[It’s] bittersweet because I do love what I do," she said.

Sycamore educator Annette Keca is going to space. Sort of. To be more precise, she’s been selected as one of 80 educators across the country to participate in a prestigious Teacher Innovator Institute at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

A group of social workers, teachers and coaches at Sycamore High School has come together to form a coalition to support student athletes’ health, both body and mind.

By all accounts, Sycamore Middle School career and technical education teacher Kevin Boltz has gone above and beyond to give his students access to equipment that some only see once they’ve arrived on a college campus.

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 Sycamore Education Foundation recently named Virginia Sherrod, Wright B. George, and Chad McGehee as the recipients of the 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award.

Voters in Kane County this election determined who will make the important decisions regarding their communities, schools, townships, fire departments, parks and libraries. See the results here.

Sycamore Community School District 427 has postponed plans to move its administrative offices into a former Nicor call center this month after severe storms damaged the building in March.

The Sycamore School District 427 board president said he hears the community’s message loud and clear after a district referendum failed its second straight election. The referendum would have lifted residency requirements for school board elections.

This spring, Kane County voters get to decide who will make the important decisions regarding their communities, schools, townships, fire departments, parks and libraries.

Sycamore School District 427 Board candidates this week shared their thoughts on diversity, equity and inclusion programs during a candidates forum hosted by Shaw Local News Network.

Sycamore District 427 Board candidates Michael DeVito, Cole Regnery and Heather Tomlinson answered questions about the issues the district is facing ahead of the April 1 election

Video: Sycamore School District 427 board candidates Michael DeVito, Cole Regnery and Heather Tomlinson talked election issues this week with the Daily Chronicle's Kelsey Rettke and Camden Lazenby.

Read the transcript from our Sycamore District 427 School Board candidate forum. Michael DeVito, Cole Regnery and Heather Tomlinson shared their views on how the district can improve for all students

A Chicago man pleaded guilty and was sentenced to prison recently for making a false 911 call in September claiming he saw someone with a gun at Sycamore High School, court records show.

Sycamore High School students will see their academic achievements celebrated next month by the Sycamore Chamber of Commerce.

Heather Tomlinson: In order to continue with the standards Sycamore maintains, it is imperative the community and School Boards work together to set realistic expectations financially for the betterment of our students

Michael DeVito: Student safety is the top priority. Every student deserves a secure and supportive environment, complete with strong mental health services and social-emotional learning programs

Cole Regnery: I believe the district can improve reading, English proficiency, and state test scores by listening to our teachers, attracting and retaining top talent, and implementing a common-sense, data-driven plan that we commit to and follow through on over the long term

Eric Jones: Sycamore’s advantage is in its community, both the public community as well as the educational community

No one was injured when a Sycamore School District 427 school bus and a car driven by a Sycamore teenager crashed near Sycamore Middle School Wednesday morning, officials said.

DeKalb County service agencies scramble to plan for federal funding freeze: "There’s only so much money to go around and fund the programs," Voluntary Action Center CEO Nate Kloster said Tuesday. The center runs the local Meals on Wheels program.

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.

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

A referendum that failed on November's ballot returns to Sycamore voters this spring. Currently, the District 427 school board elects no more than three members from any one district township. The referendum change, if approved, would remove the three-person restriction.

A statewide lobbying group that pushes for initiatives aimed at teacher retention and education funding has gained the support of Sycamore School District 427.