January 8, 2025

At our Jan. 7 Board meeting, the Board of Education recognized the recent achievements of Barrington 220 Special Olympics athletes. Director of Secondary Student Services Kat Romero delivered a presentation on the Senior and Junior teams’ accomplishments. During the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 seasons, the Special Olympics Soccer team won gold at the regional soccer tournament, the Basketball team celebrated a 4-1 record including a big win versus Hersey High School, and two Track & Field athletes won medals at state! The Senior Team athletes were led by Special Olympics Athletic Director & Head Coach Jessica Surprenant and Assistant Coach Megan Scianna. The Junior Team was led by Head Coach Kathy Eiring, Assistant Coach Lizzie Schaefer, and supporting Coaches Karen Fish and Erika Mitchell. Congratulations to our Special Olympics athletes! Click here to view the recognition.

At our Jan. 7 meeting, the Board recognized Early Learning Center Principal Michelle Tapia and Prairie Campus Principal Travis Lobbins, who were both named Lake Region Principals of the Year by the Illinois Principals Association (IPA)! The awards, which recognize the outstanding accomplishments of Illinois school leaders, were presented by IPA Lake Region Awards Chair and District 76 Director of Student Engagement Dr. Erica Berger and IPA Lake Region Director and North Barrington Elementary Principal/District Principal Leader Dr. Lisa West. Congratulations to Ms. Tapia and Mr. Lobbins! Click here to view the recognition.

Board Approves 2025 Summer School Fees

At our Jan. 7 meeting, the Board approved the 2025 summer school fees. Due to rising costs associated with summer school programming, 2025 course fees will increase by 11.1%. Lab fees will increase slightly as well. These fee increases are necessary for the district to continue to offer optional summer school programming without negatively impacting the budget.

The 2025 Summer School Program will offer traditional in‐person courses at all levels and Illinois Virtual School (IVS) courses for high school students. The 2025 fees for most in-person elementary, middle and high school academic courses will be $150, $169 and $310, respectively. More information about the 2025 Summer School Program, including finalized course offerings, will be available in February.

At our Jan. 7 meeting, the Board approved approximately $3.8 million in bids for a portion of this year’s summer capital projects. The approved bids are for district-wide paving and pavement rejuvenator projects as well as roofing projects for Grove Avenue, North Barrington, and Barbara Rose Elementary Schools. Each year the district allocates funds for school building improvement and maintenance projects. Bids for additional 2025 capital projects will go before the Board at future meetings.

In his Jan. 7 Superintendent’s Report, Dr. Winkelman provided a preview of topics that will be discussed at upcoming Board of Education meetings. Future topics will include Transform 220 construction projects, budget planning, and the proposed 2026-27 district calendar. In addition, the Board will hear updates from the Technology and Innovation, Teaching and Learning, and Equity teams as well as from the Barrington Educational Foundation. Click here to view the 2023-25 Board of Education meeting schedule. Agendas are published the week prior to the meeting.

In his Jan. 7 Superintendent’s Report, Dr. Winkelman shared that this winter and spring, the Board will hear updates on three priority areas within Framework 220, the district’s strategic plan.

Health and Well-Being: The Social Media Awareness & Digital Citizenship Advisory Committee will provide an update on their work with Devorah Heitner, Ph.D. to identify and implement a district-wide process to address the use of social media and digital citizenship in a healthy, safe manner.

Inclusive Education: The Board will hear a presentation on the Comprehensive Professional Development Plan, including sessions for certified staff on cultural proficiency and authentic learning.

Stewardship: The Board will hear a presentation on Infrastructure and Facilities long-range planning.

Board Adopts Vision 2030 Resolution

At our Jan. 7 meeting, the Board of Education voted to adopt a resolution in support of Vision 2030, the Illinois Association of School Boards’ strategic blueprint for K-12 public education in Illinois. Created by a cohort of Illinois education organizations, Vision 2030 goals include keeping students safe, keeping high-quality educators in front of children, enhancing post-secondary success, and improving measurement of what is working. Vision 2030 aligns with several priority areas identified in Barrington 220’s strategic plan, Framework 220.

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 about the great things happening at their schools. At our Jan. 7 meeting, we welcomed Cade Swartz, a 5th grader at Countryside Elementary School. During Cade’s time at Countryside, he has enjoyed participating in the STEM program and holiday parties. He likes choosing what to build for his STEM projects, such as his favorite hummingbird, and working with his team on adjustments to help their projects work better. Cade says Countryside is #ThePlaceToB because it’s filled with friends, learning and nice teachers who will help you every chance they get! Click here to view Cade’s update.