Dist. 220 to increase student fees

Barrington Unit District 220 officials are returning to their normal practice of increasing student fees in sync with the rate of inflation, after two years of keeping fees frozen out of sensitivity to the down economy. Board of education members Tuesday informally agreed to a 1.5 percent increase for 2011-2012 — the same as the most recent consumer price index — though the formal vote will occur next Tuesday, Feb. 1. Board members agreed on 1.5 percent as a fair balance between being sensitive to students’ financial issues and the district’s own. The district is already seeking about $2 million in cuts from the 2011-2012 budget due to uncertainty over the economy and the state’s payments.