Dist. 220 parents still upset about boundary idea

With elementary attendance boundaries in Barrington Area Unit District 220 set to be changed next year, a group of residents are speaking out against one of the possible proposals.

For the second time this month, residents from the new The Woods of South Barrington subdivision attended the school board meeting to complain about one of the proposals being considered.

Under one of the preliminary plans unveiled last month, some of the kids living in the newly built subdivision would be moved from Rose Elementary School in South Barrington to Countryside Elementary School in Barrington.

The change has residents upset because Rose is less than 1.5 miles from the subdivision, compared to Countryside, which is more than five miles away.

South Barrington resident Michele Evans said the change could result in bus rides for students of more than one and half hours each day.

While the goal is to ensure that the changes afford all students the same opportunities, Evans said this plan would not have that effect.

By the time her kids get home from school, Evans said they will be too tired to participate in other activities.

"My kids are not going to have those equal opportunities," Evans said.

Currently, the district's enrollment monitoring committee, which is charged with bringing the school board proposals for changes, is reviewing updated enrollment projections.

Ron Hinkle, the committee's data analyst, said the updated enrollment figures show that the preliminary maps need to be changed.

In the updated projections, Hinkle said they have found that some schools will be experiencing more growth than expected, while others will not have as much as previously thought.

"We had quite a few more kids at Rose than we anticipated and fewer kids at Countryside (School) than anticipated," Hinkle said.

Previously, Hinkle said the committee had planned on moving about 88 students from Rose. The new numbers show the number moving out of Rose will need to be closer to 140 students.

Based on these new numbers, the committee will now be adjusting the preliminary maps.

In January, the committee plans on presenting its final proposals to the school board, which has the final say over any changes.

School board President Brian Battle said the goal is to have a final decision made by the end of the school year.

For more information attendance boundary changes, visit www.cusd220.org.