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New Board of Education sworn into office

Posted in 220, Barrington Education Association, Barrington High School, Board of Education, Deception, District 220 referendum, Elections, Ethics, FUBAR, Illinois State Board of Elections, OP/Ed, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, School Districts, Taxes, The New Normal, What the Ficke (Bradford)?, WTF on May 4, 2023| Leave a Comment »

InkedNate

Barrington School District 220 hired longtime school administrator Nathaniel Rouse as the district’s first-ever director of equity, race and cultural diversity initiatives in August of 2020. Apparently, Rouse recruits Board of Education candidates HE (and presumably  his union) deems to be “sound” during school hours.

Posted Tuesday by CUSD 220:

“At the May 2 Barrington 220 Board of Education meeting, the new Board was sworn into office. New Board member Diana Clopton, along with re-elected Board members Barry Altshuler and Leah Collister-Lazzari, will all serve four-year terms on the Board.

Clopton and her husband moved to the Barrington area in 2011. They have two children who attend Prairie Campus and Station Campus. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign and a MBA from Northwestern University. Clopton currently works as an Associate Marketing Director at a bio-pharmaceutical company.”

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District 220 Board of Education meets tomorrow morning

Posted in 220, Agendas, Barrington Education Association, Board of Education, District 220 referendum, Elections, Ethics, His Master's Voice, Illinois State Board of Elections, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, School Districts, The New Normal, Unions, Video Streaming, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on May 1, 2023| Leave a Comment »

220 Admin

The District 220 Board of Education meets tomorrow morning at 8:30 AM at the District Administration Center, 515 W. Main Street. Items on their agenda include:

  • Approve Settlement (Abeyance) Agreement with Student A
  • Consideration to Approve Middle School SRO Contract
  • Consideration to Approve 5th Amendment to the BHS SRO Contract, and
  • Consideration to Approve Canvassing Completed by Cook County as a result of the April 4, 2023, School Board Election

A copy of the agenda can be viewed here. The meeting will be livestreamed on the district YouTube channel.

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Barrington police tried to avoid ‘hysteria … and panic’ after bogus bomb threat called in to high school

Posted in 220, Barrington Education Association, Deception, Goat Rodeo, Public Safety, Real Estate, School Districts on April 21, 2023| Leave a Comment »

BHS Rodeo

Two Barrington Police officers accompany high school students out of the building as they evacuate Barrington High School following a second bomb threat at the school on Monday, April 17, 2023, in Barrington. Barrington 220 School District sent out alerts saying, ”Out of an abundance of caution, BHS is evacuating the building after receiving a second bomb threat… Students who walk or drive to school have been dismissed for the day… BHS students who rely on district transportation should make their way to the normal bus loading area and will begin to board buses to be transported home. Students who are picked up by parents should make their own way to the west lot for normal parent pick-up.” (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)

Police in Barrington are still investigating after multiple “computerized bomb threats” made to Barrington High School on Monday at first led to no lockdown but then prompted an evacuation of the school.

The initial alleged bomb threat phoned in to the school that morning was quickly identified by Barrington police and other authorities as textbook hoaxes, the police deputy chief told Pioneer Press.

“When the phone call came in, it was a digital, computerized voice. It came in from a six-digit phone number that didn’t come back to anything,” police Deputy Chief John Burke said about the first call BHS received Monday. “Right away, those were the cues we’d read about for the past two years and that [don’t] hold a lot of credibility.”

Burke said the department has not made any arrests in connection with the incident Monday, but is aware of videos circulating online that appear to show a threat being made to the school.

Burke said whomever made the threat used a “digital, computerized voice,” presumably to avoid being identified.

Pioneer Press obtained one of the alleged videos circulating but has not been able to independently confirm its authenticity. Police would not comment on the specific video Pioneer Press obtained.

“There’s some different videos floating around, (and Barrington police are) looking at all of them,” Burke said.

He said the Barrington Police Department and Barrington School District 220, which BHS is part of, have been holding regular security meetings where they have been preparing for the possibility of a swatting call — where fake threats are phoned in, leading to a large emergency response — and were able to determine quickly on Monday that the threat was not credible.

More here.

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District 220 Board of Education meets tonight

Posted in 220, Agendas, Barrington Education Association, Board of Education, Deception, District 220 referendum, Ethics, His Master's Voice, Illinois State Board of Elections, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, School Districts, Transparency, Unions, Video Streaming, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on April 18, 2023| Leave a Comment »

220 Admin

The District 220 Board of Education meets this evening at 7:00 PM at the District Administration Center, 515 W. Main Street. Topics on their agenda include:

  • Consideration to Approve a Resolution Authorizing the Honorable Dismissal due to Reduction in Force of Part-Time or Full-Time Educational Support Staff
  • Consideration to Approve Sodexo Contract Renewal
  • Consideration to Approve Student Breakfast and Lunch Prices
  • Consideration to Approve Minibus Lease Extension, and
  • Appeal of Student Suspension (Student #505009)

A copy of the agenda can be viewed here. The meeting will be livestreamed on the district YouTube channel.

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Voters favored incumbents over conservative newcomers in suburban school board races

Posted in 220, Barrington Education Association, Board of Education, Deception, Elections, Ethics, Illinois State Board of Elections, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, School Districts, Springfield, Taxes, Unions, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on April 9, 2023| 3 Comments »

Michelle Rahilly and daughter Anastasia

Michelle Rahilly and daughter Anastasia were among the supporters of the conservative slate of Leonard Munson, Katey Baldassano and Matt Sheriff that ultimately fell short in last week’s election for the Barrington Community Unit District 220 board. (Steve Zalusky | Staff Photographer)

With few exceptions, candidate slates that pushed for “parental rights” and leaned into culture war issues failed to make waves Tuesday in politically charged races for suburban school boards.

In Barrington Community Unit District 220, the New York-based 1776 Project Political Action Committee dumped money into mailers for a losing slate of three challengers who also were endorsed by the group Moms for Liberty.

As outside conservative groups put more emphasis on local elections, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s nearly entirely self-funded campaign committee made a $500,000 donation to the Democratic Party of Illinois in late February to combat what party officials called “really extreme” school and library board candidates across the state.

In Barrington, Katey Baldassano, Leonard Munson and Matt Sheriff unsuccessfully ran on a slate vowing to “respect the voice and rights of parents.” They objected to “sexually explicit” school library books and called on the board to put “age filters on content” during a conservative radio station interview last month.

“You couldn’t walk down the street and show that to a 15-year-old kid on the street without someone calling the cops,” Munson said at the time about “Flamer,” a graphic novel about a boy grappling with his sexual identity.

Baldassano told the Daily Herald the trio were unfairly characterized in campaign literature by Democrats. She also said Moms for Liberty used their names for an endorsement of which they were unaware.

“What was a single piece of a proposal or a program or an actionable item that we were proposing that was extreme? There was none,” Baldassano said. “But it was characterized that way or attempted to be by associating us with groups that maybe others perceive as extreme. There was nothing extreme about anything we said.”

Read more here.

Related: “220’s Altshuler & Collister-Lazarri blocked Facebook members and deleted their comments throughout campaign,” “Choose wisely at the polls,” “Two term District 220 Board of Education member Angela Wilcox endorses Katey Baldassano, Leonard Munson, and Matt Sheriff for 220 Board,” “Endorsements: Munson, Baldassano and Sheriff for CUSD 220 Board of Education,” “District 220 Board of Education candidates Katey Baldassono, Leonard Munson and Matt Sheriff share their vision,” “Parents at top-rated school expose pornographic books in IL school library (DISCRETION ADVISED),” “The District 220 Policy Committee has a lot on their plate tomorrow,” “Who’s minding Leah and Barry’s campaign finances,” “What 220 voters need to know continued, including our recommendations,” “What 220 voters need to know,” “220 Parents call BS!”

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The Democratic Party of Illinois Celebrates Success of Unprecedented Municipal Race Program

Posted in 220, Barrington Education Association, Board of Education, Commodius Maximus, Deception, Elections, Politics, Press Release, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, School Districts, Unions, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on April 8, 2023| 1 Comment »

Color-Logo_Horizontal-copy

Contact: press@ildems.com

Chicago, IL – After a resounding number of local election wins, the Democratic Party of Illinois (DPI) is celebrating its success in preventing extremists from being elected to numerous school and library board seats across the state.

While results are yet to be certified, 73 of the 101 extremists that DPI identified and opposed lost their races, and of the 117 candidates recommended by DPI, 84 were elected.

In several districts including Oswego CUSD 308, Lyons Township High School District 204, Hononegah High School District 207, and McLean County School District 5 each of the extreme candidates that DPI exposed were unsuccessful.

Additionally, DPI targeted 42 Awake IL endorsed candidates, and 37 of them lost, a clear indication that Illinoisans disavowed their hateful rhetoric and dangerous platform.

“Last night, Illinoisans rejected the regressive vision of extremist candidates across the state, and once again showed that they believe in continuing to move our state forward. With so much on the line, DPI was proud to step in to push back against political agendas that posed a threat to our fundamental values,” DPI Chair Lisa Hernandez said. “I look forward to the ways in which these newly elected board members will work to make Illinois a safe and just place for all our children to grow up.”

“Illinoisans continue to reaffirm their commitment to a forward-looking state, and DPI is  proud to have played a part in making that vision a reality. While we’re pleased by the outcomes of yesterday’s elections, our work isn’t done. This is just the beginning for DPI as we build a state party that functions as a resource and a support system for Democrats every year, in every corner of Illinois,” said DPI Executive Director Ben Hardin. “We knew this work wouldn’t be easy, especially given the organized movement from the far-right to disguise their true agenda, but we’re grateful that voters saw through the falsehoods and turned out to support credible community advocates. Our values were on the line in these races, and I’m proud that Illinoisans once again voted for fairness, equity, and inclusion in our state.”

The Democratic Party of Illinois launched an innovative program to prevent extremists from taking over school and library boards in response to dark money and candidate support from far-right organizations. DPI opposed candidates backed by known far-right organizations as well as those who have embraced values and policies that contradict those of the Party including censoring or banning books, blocking full spectrum sex education, teaching revisionist history and ignoring public health. Throughout this unprecedented program, DPI reached hundreds of thousands of individuals and households in Illinois via digital and mail communications as well as on the ground organizing support, keeping over 70 extremists out of school and library board seats. The positive impacts of this support were made clear by the results of yesterday’s elections.

This initiative was brought forth as part of the new party building directive under the leadership of Chair Hernandez to provide year round support to Democrats through grassroots organizing and continuous voter engagement.

Source

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Bill aims to limit excessive school district cash reserves

Posted in 220, Barrington Education Association, Board of Education, BOHICA, Deception, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, School Districts, Springfield, Taxes, Unions, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on April 8, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Cash Reserves

Some districts could operate for years on money they’ve stashed away

The overall financial health of Illinois school districts has been improving in recent years, according to a recent state report, but a bill moving through the General Assembly seeks to rein in the amount of money some districts are saving.

Senate Bill 1994, which passed unanimously out of the Senate last week and now awaits action in the House, would put a cap on how much money school districts could hold in reserves. Districts that exceed it would be required to file a report with the state.

“They’re kind of like a nonprofit where, you know, money comes in and resources come in, and then it needs to be spent,” the bill’s sponsor Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel, D-Shorewood, said during an interview. “Like, yes, you need to have savings. Yes, those are good practices. But you can’t just be sitting on all this cash and then not doing anything with it.”

The Illinois State Board of Education publishes a report each year measuring the financial health of all 852 school districts in the state. The report looks at several factors such as their expenditure-to-revenue ratio, short-term and long-term debt, and how many days’ worth of cash on hand they keep.

ISBE uses those factors to generate an overall “financial profile” score for each district. Over the last seven years, the latest report noted, the statewide average score has risen steadily.

To receive ISBE’s highest rating, districts must keep the equivalent of 180 days of operating expenditures on hand. The agency also notes that bond underwriters and financial advisers typically recommend 144 to 180 days of operating expenditures.

According to the most recent report, which includes data from the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2021, 70 percent of districts had cash reserves of between 100 and 359 days of expenses. But 197 districts, or 23 percent, had reserves of 360 to 720 days, and 10 districts had reserves greater than 720 days.

Read more here.

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Barrington 220 school board race sees (a DEPLORABLE) 17% voter turnout: ‘If the people don’t vote, then they can’t expect change’

Posted in 220, Barrington Area Library, Barrington Education Association, Board of Education, BOHICA, Commodius Maximus, DARCHED, Deception, District 220 referendum, Elections, Ethics, His Master's Voice, OP/Ed, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, School Districts, Taxes, Unions, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on April 7, 2023| Leave a Comment »

220 Admin

A group of conservative challengers lost in the Barrington 220 school board race, which saw only a 17% voter turnout.

Katey Baldassano, one of the challengers, said the race decided the majority on the school board. Baldassano ran on a slate with Leonard Munson and Matt Sheriff, and they were hoping to tip the scales toward a conservative majority on the board.

“It was pretty consistently a 4-3 split on pretty much every issue,” Baldassano told Lake County Gazette. “But now it will be 5-2. So much more one way. If two of the people in my slate or a different challenger that was not on my seat had won, then there could have been a shift in the majority the other way.”

Baldassano said she thinks they “had a super strong core team and a super strong group of supporters.”

“It’s hard to imagine a group of candidates that did more to meet people and get our message out there than we did,” Baldassano said. “It would be really hard to imagine that. I guess at the end of the day, just the voter turnout was pretty abysmal across the state. And I guess based on the voters, the people who voted sent a message for what they want for our community and it wasn’t what we were pitching, even though we do think that more represent the community as a whole. But if the people don’t vote, then they can’t expect change. They are going to expect more of the same. Or things to get worse and that they’re going to get what they asked for.”

Baldassano’s slate is grateful to their supporters, and they hope “that people will keep speaking out for what they especially want for their own kids.”

“Because at the end of the day, the parents are the most important thing in raising their kids,” Baldassano said. “And if we aren’t happy, then we need to advocate for what’s best for our kids because they’re the ones that are the end user of the system and they deserve a really great education. I hope that people keep fighting for that.”

Read more here.

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School board elections see general pushback against conservatives, though not everywhere

Posted in 220, Barrington Education Association, Board of Education, BOHICA, Commodius Maximus, Deception, Elections, Ethics, His Master's Voice, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Springfield, Taxes, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on April 7, 2023| Leave a Comment »

BEA

As this article confirms, the real winners in Tuesday’s 220 Board of Education elections were unions

Voters across the Chicago suburbs and around the state turned back attempts to pull local school boards to the right in Tuesday’s elections, though conservative candidates had pockets of success, winning enough seats to take control in some districts.

Typically low-cost, low-interest school board races have become national political proxy fights following the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Chicago suburbs have become a key battleground.

Efforts by conservative groups pushing national Republican talking points about “parental rights,” “gender ideology” and “critical race theory” were met in Illinois with an unprecedented pushback from the state Democratic Party, which pledged nearly $300,000 to oppose candidates it labeled “extremists.” Teachers unions also took a more active role in campaigning this spring.

While mail-in ballots are still arriving and being counted, Democrats and teachers unions this week were declaring victory, with the state party boasting a 72% success rate and the Illinois Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union, touting that nearly 90% of its recommended candidates won.

From Oswego to Barrington to Downers Grove to Lyons Township and beyond, organized slates of conservative candidates backed by right-wing groups such as Awake Illinois, Moms for Liberty and the national 1776 Project Political Action Committee saw defeat, according to unofficial election results.

At the same time, conservatives appeared poised to take control of school boards in places such as northwest suburban Huntley and in tiny Fairview School District 72 in Skokie.

Read more here.

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Upon further review…

Posted in 220, Barrington Education Association, Board of Education, Cook, County, Deception, Elections, His Master's Voice, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, School Districts, Unions, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on April 6, 2023| Leave a Comment »

2023 Candidates

Top from left, Barry Altshuler, Katey Baldassano, Diana L. Clopton and Leah Collister Lazzari and, bottom from left, Nelda Munoz, Leonard Munson and Matt Sheriff

Football season is behind us, but instant replay can be one of the more agonizing and frustrating moments during games. During that period of time, referees must watch plays in super slow motion to review every millisecond of movement to get the call correct. The announcers always state that the officials need “irrefutable video evidence” to overturn the original ruling.

After review of Tuesday’s unofficial District 220 Board of Education (BOE) election results, we find ourselves in replay mode looking at myriad data points to assess the political science.

This year’s BOE election included two incumbents, Barry Altschuler and Leah Collister-Lazzari, as well as five first time candidates: Katey Baldassano, Leonard Munson, Matt Sheriff (collectively running on the Action PAC slate), Nelda Munoz and Diana Clopton.

Early voting was available from March 20th – April 3rd with election day voting taking place on Tuesday, April 4th. The unofficial Lake County election night results showed a striking disparity between those who chose to vote in person (either through early voting or on election day) compared to those who voted by mail.

The Action PAC candidates and Nelda Munoz all performed far better with those who voted in person while the two incumbents and Diana Clopton performed remarkably better with mail in ballots. The top three vote getters amongst those who voted in person in Lake County were the three Action PAC candidates. The top 3 vote by mail getters, as a percentage of their overall total number of votes, were the two incumbents and Diana Clopton. The data breakdown is seen here:

2023 Numbers

So what does this mean? Clearly, a considerable effort was made by Clopton, Altshuler and Lazzari to execute on mail in ballots. We also know that both Lake County and Cook County offer the option for voters to permanently vote by mail (since the 2020 general election).

We also know that Governor Pritzker promised to allocate $500,000 and other Democratic Party resources to school board races during this election cycle. We also know that Clopton, Altshuler and Lazzari claimed they were not part of a slate and instead self-identified as “independent” candidates.

Is it just coincidence that Clopton, Altshuler and Lazzari had nearly identical percentages of their vote tally to come from mail in ballots? Is it possible the Democratic Party of Illinois harvested the necessary number of ballots supporting Clopton, Altshuler and Lazzari to overtake the Action PAC candidates despite their claim of independence? Should the mail in ballots themselves be subject to a legal challenge flag?

The answer is we do not know and do not have irrefutable evidence to say otherwise. What we can unequivocally state is that we are an evenly ideologically divided town when it comes to overseeing our schools.

The so called “independent” candidates – and let’s be honest, they are the left leaning candidates – gathered 6,507 (50.35%) votes in Lake County as of election night and the center/right leaning candidates collected 6,415 (49.64%) votes. We don’t see a mandate in those numbers, and it would behoove the new BOE to recognize this chasm and respect the wide range of community perspectives. After all, the next football season is just a few months away.

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