Board recognizes National Board Certified teachers
At the Jan. 11 Barrington 220 Board of Education meeting, the Board recognized nine Barrington 220 teachers who recently received their National Board recertification.
 
The credential is considered to be one of the most respected nationwide among educators. Teachers earn the certification through a rigorous process and must renew every 10 years. Barrington 220 currently has a total of 42 educators who have earned National Board Certification.
 
Congratulations to the following teachers on earning their recertification this year:

  • Stephanie Blatchley
  • Pam Katchen
  • Jennifer Magdalener
  • Lauren Schoepp
  • Robert Seidel
  • Alexis Siddons
  • Dr. Kathy Sztelle
  • Cary Waxler
  • Kurt Weisenberger

Special thanks to BHS teacher Heidi Rockwell and North Barrington Elementary teacher Dr. Kathy Sztelle, who serve as mentors for the National Board Certification process! You can watch the recognition beginning at 3:46 in the Board meeting video. 
Grove student selected "Star-Spangled Student"
At the Jan. 11 Board meeting, Grove Avenue 5th grader Nicholas Marabella led meeting attendees in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. This is part of a new initiative at Board meetings called the "Star-Spangled Student" which recognizes exemplary students. Grove staff nominated Nicholas for the recognition, noting, "he is such a positive role model for all students, he encourages other peers to follow the rules, and he helps when and where needed!" You can watch Dr. Hunt introduce Nicholas beginning at 22 seconds in the Board meeting video. 
In his Superintendent's Report at the Jan. 11 Board meeting, Dr. Robert Hunt shared the following district updates, which can be viewed beginning at 19:55 in the Board meeting video.
Return from winter break and COVID
Students returned to school from winter break on Monday, Jan. 10. To view the latest COVID guidance for schools, please click here to read a message from Dr. Hunt that was sent out earlier today. The district has implemented the recommended changes in quarantine from 10 days to 5 days; however, an uptick in cases has created staffing challenges. In order to ensure that the district has the staffing capacity to continue providing in-person learning for students, asymptomatic teachers who are quarantined at home are now able to teach virtually from home while a substitute remains in the classroom with the teacher's students. This ensures continuity for students and it allows the district to access a larger pool of substitutes for supervision duties.
 
To view daily COVID cases among students and staff you can view the district's COVID-19 dashboard. Keep in mind that the totals this week are reflective of cases that happened over winter break.
Student enrollment projections
Dr. Hunt shared that the district recently received the results of a demographic study conducted by demographer consultant Dr. John Kasarda. The Kasarda Report takes many factors into account when projecting future enrollment including family sizes, new residential development, housing turnover, and student migration to the Barrington area. Currently the district has about 8,100 students. Dr. Kasarda projects that enrollment is expected to gradually decline to 7,900 students by the time we reach the 2025-26 school year. This information will inform financial and strategic planning this spring. The report will be posted to the district website in the coming weeks.
D220 prepares to embark on strategic planning
At the Jan. 11 Board meeting, the Board heard a presentation from Dr. Hunt and representatives of Hazard Young Attea & Associates (HYA), an education consulting firm. This included an overview of the proposed strategic planning process and an opportunity for the Board to provide input. The process will involve multiple forms of community engagement. District leaders will work with HYA to incorporate Board feedback and finalize the process and timeline to seek approval in February. The district anticipates the strategic planning process to begin in February and March. You can listen to the strategic plan discussion beginning at 1:11:22 in the Board meeting video. 
 
A strategic plan formalizes a school district's mission, vision, values, goals, and objectives. Barrington 220's most recent strategic plan "Vision 2020" was a 10 year plan created in 2009, which began as a vision of the year 2020, when the kindergartners of 2008 would enter their graduating year at Barrington High School.
Board approves construction bids for BHS
At the Jan. 11 Board meeting, the Board approved bids for a portion of the BHS Build 220 projects. An estimated total of $62 million out of the $147 million referendum will be spent at BHS, which includes all construction costs and non-construction items such as safety and security, furniture and technology. Construction is set to begin this spring, starting with the relocation of the tennis courts, the addition of a multipurpose turf field and updates to the baseball and Fields of Dreams complex. All BHS construction is anticipated to go through 2025.