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B220 Superintendent: Big Changes Coming to Education

Barrington 220 Superintendent Tom Leonard and Board President Brian Battle talk about state of school district.

• By Claudia Lenart
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• 5:30 am

    

More than 9,000 students are served by the Barrington 220 school district. The district covers 12 communities and 72 square miles. The district serves 3,000 meals daily, making it the biggest food service industry in Barrington, said Superintendent Tom Leonard, at a recent Barrington Noon Rotary meeting. The district also employs 1,200 people, making it one of the largest area employers. The district's technology department supports 4,500 computers. 

Barrington 220 Board President Brian Battle and Leonard shared the successes and challenges of the district at the Feb. 14 luncheon, held at The Garlands. The school leaders also spoke about the future of the district and of education.

Successes 

• During the 2010-11 school year Barrington High School students posted the highest average ACT score in the school’s history at 25.
• According to school rankings posted by Chicago area media, Barrington 220 consistently ranks among the top-performing schools in the Chicago area.
• For 16 consecutive years, the board and administration have balanced the school budget.
• Barrington 220 has received a AAA bond rating from Standard & Poor’s for the last four years.
• Barrington 220 is one of just eight school districts in the nation to receive a “Strong” AAA rating from Standard & Poor’s.

Challenges 

• Revenues continue to decrease while costs are up slightly. Battle said the school board is considering budget cuts and changes to keep the budget balanced.
• The district lost a federal grant for the popular Chinese immersion program and is considering how it can continue to fund the program.
• Implementing the national Common Core Standards will result in significant changes to school curriculum.
• The district will negotiate a new teacher’s contract next year.
• There is a move in state government to pass teacher pension costs on to local districts and absorbing those costs would be difficult for the district.
• There is also a push in state government to decrease funding for school transportation.

One of the high points for the school district is the community support it receives with fundraising at $1 million annually. “That really helps enhance our programs,” Leonard said.

Looking to the Future 

In the near future, Barrington 220 will see a continued decline in enrollment. Whether or not enrollment picks up in the future, depends on the real estate market.

“Our older residents are staying put. Empty nesters have increased significantly,” Leonard said.

Battle said the schools finances should improve in the future as the district’s debt load is paid off. He said the large debt load is due to facility improvements and building in the 1990s.

“That left us with the best facilities, but we are in the middle of paying off our debt,” Battle said.

Leonard predicted that education will change dramatically in the next 10 years, due to technology.

“There are going to be more changes in education in the next 10 years than ever. Teachers are going to go through lots of changes,” he said.

Among those changes predicted by Leonard:

• No need for backpacks due to e-books.
• Students can finish curriculum on their own time rather than with the class.
• A top teacher can teach millions of children at one time, via the Internet.
• No snow days, as kids can stay connected to school.

For more information about Barrington 220 school district, see the school dashboard.

Related Topics: School District, School Finance, and technology in schools