Incumbents Angela Wilcox, Leah Collister-Lazzari and Barry Altshuler are running for another term on the 220 Board along with five newcomers
Curriculum, taxes, library books and even student groups are among the issues driving school board races across the suburbs.
Monday was the last day for candidates to file petitions to get their names on the April 4 ballot. While some districts saw just enough people running for open spots on their boards of education, others saw crowded fields of candidates running for a handful of seats.
In Barrington Community Unit School District 220, eight candidates have filed for three seats, including incumbents Angela Wilcox, Barry Altshuler and Leah Collister-Lazzari. They are joined by challengers Nelda Munoz, Leonard Munson, Katey Baldassano, Matt Sheriff and Diana L. Clopton.
One of the issues this year was whether to remove the book “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe from the library at Barrington High School. Altshuler and Collister-Lazzari voted with the majority of the board to retain the book, while Munoz spoke out against the book’s inclusion.
Read about other races in the Daily Herald article here.
Editorial note: Angela Wilcox has our deserved and enthusiastic support for election to another term on the District 220 Board.
However, we know Barry Altshuler and Leah Collister-Lazzari must go. This should come as no surprise to our readers and to 220 parents.
Thank you for shining the light on the candidates’ stand on academic priorities! We need academic excellence, not pornographic and adult content as Barry Altshuler and Leah Collister-Lazzari have chosen upon our kids! Thank you Angela Wilcox for standing up against them! Nelda Munoz, hoping to see you as a board member!
Nelda Munoz here, correction needed
I started speaking out against the adult content books when 6th grade teacher from Station Middle School sent out on June 3rd 2022 the suggested list for summer reading books. It did include book titled Gender Queer. Her email stated that mature content (blow jobs, vagina slime) books are “yet appropriate to upper grade, middle grade students” for 11-12 year old kids.
Thank you,
I am looking forward to the opportunity to be a common-sense voice of this great community. We moved to the area for the reputation of D220. I have a 3rd grade daughter in the system, and we plan for her to graduate in D220. I’ve been disappointed in the lack of leadership I saw on display by some on the current board members and decided to do something about it. We need to get back to excellence in education, respecting parents’ rights and ensuring that the taxpayers are seeing their hard-earned money adding value to our children and this community.
It’s so important to vote for candidates who promote common sense policies. Both Leah and Barry voted to keep our children out if schools and masked them when in school. Still to this day they have not been held accountable for the terrible loss of learning our kids endured, all because of their own personal fears and agendas. I am excited to watch Katey, Matt and Leonard rise to the top in this coming election.
It is time for change in District 220. Under Leah Collister-Lazzari and Barry Altshuler, students had endless “remote learning”, forced masking, endless testing and a learning environment of fear. They then supported pornographic materials in schools and raising taxes. It is time for leaders who focus on what students need for learning and the voices and rights of parents. Grateful for leaders who will focus on excellence in education, parent voice and fiscal responsibility with the community’s money.
I love the Barrington community and until recently have been happy with the school system. The current BOE board is not representing the community. I have decided to run for District 220 Barrington Board of Education for three primary reasons. First, refocus on returning to “academic excellence”. We have seen our academic scores drop for several years and we are currently ranked #25 in the state. This district was always a family destination because of the highly quality school district. Second, we need to listen and hear the parents who have voiced concerns about some of the reading materials in our school system that may not be age appropriate. We need to be mindful of the content in the reading material and decide if we want that in our school libraries. As a parent in D220 I wanted our schools open during the pandemic and voiced my opinion along with many others. This board was unwilling to listen or compromise so our schools remained closed. The private school just down the street saw a rise in enrollment and remained open during the pandemic without any negative issues. The closures will negatively affect kids who lost two years of in class learning and necessary development. Third, Fiscal responsibility. We need to really look at the overall budget and find ways to stop putting more of a burden on the already overtaxed community. We need to address the actual spending and find ways to stay within budget. Looking forward to the election in April with my two running mates Katey Baldassano and Matt Sheriff.
Appreciated your voice at school board meetings during the lockdown, Leonard! You have my vote!
There are several wonderful candidates here. My hope is that they get together prior to the deadline and decide which of the three are best to win election. We cannot have candidates taking votes from those best poised to win. It is imperative that a majority be gained on this board to undo the damage created by Sandra Ficke Bradford, Leah Collister Lazzari, Barry Altshuler and Erin Chan Ding. That can only be accomplished if there are only 3 candidates running against the union’s handpicked minions Collister Lazzari, Altshuler & Clopton. Wilcox, Munson, Baldassano, Sheriff and Munoz must come together for the common good and determined two people to drop out of this election so they do not cancel each other at election time. It is more important to be three strong for the health of the D220 students. Ego must be put aside so we can be victorious in April.