March 19, 2025

Proposed 2026-27 District Calendar Discussion

At our March 18 Board of Education meeting, we continued our discussion of the proposed 2026-27 district calendar. Following the March 4 Board meeting, the calendar committee met to review the proposed 2026-27 district calendar and to determine the feasibility of repeating the proposed calendar structure in future years. 

The calendar committee determined that the proposed structure, including an earlier start to the school year in August and a week-long Thanksgiving break, would be repeatable for several years. After reviewing this information, the Board determined that they would like to gather additional input from the Barrington 220 community before voting on the proposed 2026-27 calendar.

In his March 18 Superintendent’s Report, Dr. Winkelman shared that 12 Barrington High School students were named 2025 National Merit Finalists. The nationwide pool of finalists represents the top one percent of U.S. high school seniors. The finalists now have the opportunity to compete for about 7,000 scholarships worth approximately $30 million. Congratulations to Milana Carse, Dylan DeLeon, Sarah Fitzgerald, Zarah Kazmi, Hafsah Khan, Saavan Kiran, Max Lai, David Marian, Rishi Patari, Nicholas Rolain, Grayson Seitz, and Anika Shinde!

At our March 18 meeting, the Board approved Dr. Jordan Anderson as the new Executive Director of Student Support Services for Barrington 220. Dr. Anderson joined the district in 2021 and is currently the Director of Learning Services.

In her new role, Dr. Anderson will be responsible for the alignment and supervision of all Student Support-related services and programs. She will oversee the district's 504 and Social Emotional Learning programs as well as the Student Services facilitators. Dr. Anderson will lead and supervise the Barrington Student Success Team and the district's Strategic Plan Priority teams, and will also assist with private placement. Dr. Anderson will begin her new role on July 1.

Transform 220 Planning and Design Phase Update

In his March 18 Superintendent’s Report, Dr. Winkelman provided a progress update on the Transform 220 planning and design phase, which will continue through January 2026. In February, focus groups met with team leads—staff members with direct connections to each planned project—to identify opportunities, discuss challenges and share inspirational images. District administrators have met frequently with the team leads and DLA Architects to further define the objectives for each project. Transform 220 Steering Committee representatives will provide a formal Board update later this spring. To view additional information on Transform 220, including a detailed timeline, click here.

In his March 18 Superintendent’s Report, Dr. Winkelman shared that Governor Pritzker recently announced a proposal to ban classroom cell phone use in Illinois schools starting in the 2026-27 school year. The proposed legislation would require all public school districts in Illinois to adopt a wireless communication device policy limiting the use of personal devices during class instruction time. Nationwide, eight states currently restrict or prohibit cell phone use in schools. Click here for additional information on the proposed cell phone ban.

Framework 220 Update: Social Media Awareness & Digital Citizenship Advisory Committee

In his March 18 Superintendent’s Report, Dr. Winkelman provided an update on the work of the Social Media Awareness & Digital Citizenship Advisory Committee. As part of the Framework 220 Health & Well-Being strategic priority area, the district formed a Social Media Awareness & Digital Citizenship Advisory Committee that began meeting in October 2024. Comprised of over 60 students, staff, administrators, community members and subject matter experts, the committee is working to identify and implement a district-wide process to address the use of social media and digital citizenship in a healthy, safe manner. The committee has identified seven objective areas for further study, including guidelines for the use of personal communication devices in schools. A subcommittee dedicated to this objective area is gathering research and plans to make a recommendation to the Board in May.

In his March 18 Superintendent’s Report, Dr. Winkelman announced that the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) has recognized the Barrington 220 School Board for Exemplary School Board Governance. The IASB School Board Governance Recognition program acknowledges school boards that practice effective governance behaviors through participation in, and support for, board development programs and events. The primary focus of this program is full board development and participation. This recognition honors the Board’s commitment to obtaining the knowledge, skills, and abilities critical to good governance. Dr. Winkelman thanked each Board member for their dedication.

In his March 18 Superintendent’s Report, Dr. Winkelman shared that Dr. Barry Altshuler has been recognized as an Established Board Leader by the Illinois Association of School Boards’ (IASB) Board Leader Recognition Program. The program recognizes school board members for individual time and effort devoted to learning and leadership activities provided by IASB and for service to the public education community. The program assigns points for participation in IASB events such as courses, workshops and meetings. Since becoming a Board member, Dr. Altshuler has earned over 200 points. Dr. Winkelman thanked Dr. Altshuler for his commitment to ongoing education.

Throughout the 2024-2025 school year, students from each Barrington 220 school are making special appearances at our Board of Education meetings to share updates on their school experiences. At our March 18 meeting, we welcomed Leah Diaz, a fifth grader at Sunny Hill Elementary School. During her time at Sunny Hill, Leah has enjoyed participating in the Principal’s Advisory group, the GEMS program and Running Club. She appreciates that the school has helped her get outside her comfort zone and try new things. Leah says Sunny Hill is #ThePlaceToB because it celebrates everyone’s unique contributions. Click here to view Leah’s update!

At our March 18 Board meeting, we approved breakfast and lunch prices for students in grades K-8 for the 2025-26 school year. The breakfast price will increase by 10 cents from $1.80 to $1.90. The lunch price will increase by 25 cents from $3.45 to $3.70. Barrington 220 participates in the National School Lunch Program, which requires participants to provide sufficient funds to the school food service account for meals for students ineligible for free or reduced-price meals. The slight meal price increase will provide these funds and ensure the district is in compliance with this program requirement.