District 220 hears three start-time plans

The Barrington Area Unit School District 220 board presented the first draft of three start-time options Tuesday night that would each cost the district at least $450,000 annually but still would begin the school day for Barrington High School students before 9 a.m.

A committee formed to examine start times in the district has recommended that Barrington High classes begin at 9 a.m. at the earliest. Classes currently start at 7:20 a.m.

Superintendent Brian Harris said the three options all would require the school bus routes that cover the district's 72 square miles to become more efficient.

The three new options were developed by a workgroup made up of board vice president Penny Kazmier, board member Sandra Bradford, Harris and other members of the administration.

Tuesday night's meeting came about four months after Input 220, a board-appointed group of community members tasked with researching the start-time issue, submitted its three proposals for consideration. Those proposals proved to be controversial. Attendance at school board meetings shot up to around 300 people at two meetings in February, and then attendance dissipated after the board announced it would not implement any significant start-time changes until the 2017-18 school year. Board members have set a Nov. 1 deadline to determine changes.

Bradford said the options presented Tuesday night could change as the year goes on.

"What we have given out tonight is in pencil, not pen," Bradford said. "I believe they will be cheaper and more optimized."

Another big change the board is considering is altering the boundaries of the two middle schools. Students are now placed at the Prairie or Station campus depending on where they went to elementary school, but Harris said it would be more efficient to use the railroad tracks, which so often slow down travel in the Barrington area, as the boundary line.

"It will affect several kids in the district," Harris said. "Essentially it'll be everyone north of the railroad tracks will go to Station, everybody south would go to Prairie."

Harris said he would be able to provide the board with more specific numbers regarding how many would be affected at its next meeting, which is 7 p.m. June 21 at the Early Learning Center.

He also said that the routes could become more efficient by reducing the number of stops, which could require some kids to walk farther.

"Some students may have to go to a more central location in their subdivision," Harris said.