Start times a hot topic at Barrington 220 candidate forum

Start times was perhaps the most heated topic in Barrington Area Unit School District 220 last year, so it's not surprising the issue surfaced again at Wednesday's school board candidate forum.

The six candidates for four, 4-year terms were split on whether the board made the right choice, but no one said they would actively try to repeal the decision if elected. It was discussed during the Barrington 220 PTO Presidents' Council forum at the Barrington Area Public Library.

The race features incumbents Penny Kazimier, Sandra Ficke-Bradford and Christopher Geier, and challengers Gavin Newman, Michael Shackleton, and Christopher A. Karam.

Last year, the board voted to change the start times at district schools to improve student health and performance. It selected option A, which received the strongest support from the Input 220 Committee that investigated student sleep times for about a year before the board took up the topic. It was the most expensive of the three options, and only 23.8 percent of the community said it was their most preferred scenario compared to Option B, which received 36.55 percent support or Option C, which had 39.65 percent support.

Next fall, elementary schools will begin at 8 a.m., Barrington High School will start at 8:30 a.m. and both middle schools will begin at 9 a.m.

Kazimier, who is seeking her fourth term and voted for option A, said she made her decision based on the months of research the board did that factored in sleep research data and community input.

Ficke-Bradford described herself as the least quiet in her advocacy for the start time change and said she thought option A was the best for all district students. She said one reason she was running again was so she could be on the board to oversee the rollout of the new start times.

Newman started his remarks when he joked he'd never heard about the issue. When the laughter subsided, Newman said he would've listened to the community and gone with the option chosen in surveys.

Shackleton said he thought the decision was initially based on sound research, but added he would not have chosen option A. He said he would not move to repeal the decision because, if elected, he would just be one person on the board that works as a team.

Geier had a similar sentiment. He did not vote for option A and would repeal the board's decision if it was up to him, but said he had resolved to move forward as a team.

Karam said he is against the start time decision. He joked he'd appreciate it if a school board member came to his house at 6 a.m. to wake up his elementary school-age child so he and his wife didn't have to. Karam criticized the board for not supporting the community's stated preference and said, if elected, he would do a better job listening to the community.

At one point, moderator Ruth Schlossberg stopped the forum to ask the standing room only crowd to stop making noise when the candidates said something they disagreed with or to stop applauding when they agreed.

"They're here to tell you what you think, your opportunity to vote is at the ballot and we owe them the courtesy," Schlossberg said. "And that's a scold and I apologize."