District 220 makes plan to accommodate extra buses
Barrington Area Unit District 220 has settled on a plan to park additional buses - a move necessitated by new student start times for the 2017-18 academic season.
District 220 needed to find space for the extra buses overnight and during the day because Barrington Transportation Co. does not have enough room at its facility on South Hager Avenue.
Superintendent Brian Harris said officials explored several options for bus parking before settling on three schools. Classes begin Monday, Aug. 21.
Mostly large buses are expected to be parked on the east side of Barrington High School. Small buses would be stored at Barrington Middle School-Prairie Campus on Dundee Road in the village and Barbara B. Rose Elementary School on Penny Road in South Barrington.
Harris said officials will adjust the plan if needed.
"We'll see how it works," he said at a recent District 220 board session. "Like a lot of things when school starts up here, we're going to try it for a little bit. We'll be meeting with Barrington Transportation."
Last year, the District 220 board ended months of discussion on an effort to boost student learning by agreeing to have the high school and two middle schools start later for the 2017-18 academic season. District 220's elementary school students will begin classes earlier.
One of the results of the new start times turned out to be a need for more student transportation, officials said.
District 220 board President Brian Battle inquired whether problems may occur when extra parking is needed for major high school events. Harris said the buses could be moved when big crowds are expected.
"The staff at the high school will certainly help us navigate that as we move forward when we know we have large events," Harris said.
Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Tim Neubauer said a tentative plan shows there could be 13 large and two small buses at Barrington High. Another 15 small buses could be divided between Rose Elementary and the Prairie Campus middle school.