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Erin Chan Ding posted the following to her Facebook followers Tuesday:

While Chan Ding claims to be ‘honored’ to continue her service on the Barrington 220 Board of Education, her actions during her failed primary campaign suggest she has forgotten who she truly serves.

By using District resources to fuel a partisan run—earning her an official ethics sanction—and subsequently accepting campaign donations from the very union whose contracts she must impartially negotiate, she has created a profound conflict of interest.

Most disappointingly, she has let down the constituents who elected her on the fundamental promise of nonpartisan leadership. A school board seat is a sacred trust meant for the advocacy of students, not a political steppingstone.

To treat the Board as a ‘consolation prize’ after a partisan defeat, while carrying the weight of these ethical breaches, is a disservice to every voter who expected her to put our schools above her own political ambitions.

Related:Chan Ding, Teachers Unions losers in IL 52nd District Primary Election,” “New Evidence of Chan Ding’s Policy Violations and Conflicts of Interest,” “Candidate Erin Chan Ding’s opinion on Data Centers,” “Barrington area Democrats condemn Chan Ding mailers,” “The D220 Board of Ed gets another ‘F’ in accountability & transparency,” “School district’s parking plan defies logic,” “Zoning change defies village policy,” “The Real Issue in Barrington 220 Isn’t Parking or Levies — It’s Leadership Culture,” “Change.org Petition: ‘For the Resignation of Erin Chan Ding ~ D220 Resources are Not for Political Campaigns’,” “BOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS – Part 2,” “BOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS,” “Erin Chan Ding: The violations just keep piling up…,” “Erin Chan Ding starring in another episode of, ‘Rules For Thee But NOT For Me…’,”  “District 220’s Lack of Transparency (Updated),” “District 220’s Lack of Transparency,” “Ding Politicking on School District Property,” “Dual School Board and State Rep Positions Legally Incompatible,” “D220 Abuses Taxpayer Funds in favor of Partisan Campaign,” “Ding In Her Own Words – CONFLICTED!,” “Ding Doubles Down,” “Ding’s D220 Deception,” “Chan Ding running in Democratic primary in 52nd,” “Three (3) Democratic candidates queued to run for the IL 52nd District House seat in 2026

 

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Quote of Erin Chan Ding from League of Women Voters debate with Maria Peterson on February 14, 2026:

“Data Centers right now are obviously a huge issue, an electric issue, no pun intended, and we’ve heard communities speak out against their implementation because of some of the environmental costs. At the same time… you know, we are— our public, our children, they are already hooked on AI and artificial intelligence.

Data centers are going to be built, and if they’re not going to be built in Illinois, they’re going to be built in other states… Data Centers … are a huge water suck, but this problem has begun to be addressed through the use of gray water.

Data Centers provide huge property tax relief, potentially. So, I think we need to consider that as well… I’ve been endorsed by the AFL-CIO, which includes ironworkers and operating engineers, and these are hundreds of thousands of jobs…” ~ Erin Chan Ding

How many Data Centers is Erin Chan Ding proposing to build in our community if she thinks they would be providing “hundreds of thousands of jobs” for AFL – CIO workers?

Why is Erin Chan Ding willing to sell out our community for the “potential” for property tax relief when it is apparent that Pritzker, who Chan Ding is banking on getting campaign donations from, initiatives provide sales and use tax exemptions for Data Centers for up to 20 years?

How will she protect our aquifers? And why is she willing to destroy our tranquil environment for political gain?

We’ll pass on voting for Chan Ding and suggest you do the same!

Related: “Barrington area Democrats condemn Chan Ding mailers,” “The D220 Board of Ed gets another ‘F’ in accountability & transparency,” “School district’s parking plan defies logic,” “Zoning change defies village policy,” “District 220 Public Hearing December 16th re: ‘proposal to sell bonds of the District in an amount not to exceed $5,400,000’,” “The Real Issue in Barrington 220 Isn’t Parking or Levies — It’s Leadership Culture,” “Change.org Petition: ‘For the Resignation of Erin Chan Ding ~ D220 Resources are Not for Political Campaigns’,” “BOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS – Part 2,” “BOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS,” “Erin Chan Ding: The violations just keep piling up…,” “Erin Chan Ding starring in another episode of, ‘Rules For Thee But NOT For Me…’,”  “District 220’s Lack of Transparency (Updated),” “District 220’s Lack of Transparency,” “Ding Politicking on School District Property,” “Dual School Board and State Rep Positions Legally Incompatible,” “D220 Abuses Taxpayer Funds in favor of Partisan Campaign,” “Ding In Her Own Words – CONFLICTED!,” “Ding Doubles Down,” “Ding’s D220 Deception,” “Chan Ding running in Democratic primary in 52nd,” “Three (3) Democratic candidates queued to run for the IL 52nd District House seat in 2026

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The D220 Board of Education has determined that a properly issued Freedom of Information Act request surrounding the grievance procedure and finding that Erin Chan Ding flagrantly violated Board policies is unduly burdensome. They cite the cost to the taxpayer for attorney review as a reason. Yet, in the same response, they admit that the punishment assessed against Chan Ding for the repeated violations, remedial training, was paid by the District (that’s us, the taxpayer) and the training was provided by the Board’s law firm.

What do we conclude from this? That the Board is just fine with lining the Board attorneys’ pockets with the taxpayers’ money to defend Chan Ding in her violations of Board policies, but it is unwilling to pay attorneys to provide the taxpayers with documents that are rightfully within the public purview.

The purpose of the Freedom of Information Act is to ensure transparency and accountability by giving the public the right to access school district records, fostering open government, allowing citizens to see how public funds are spent, and monitoring operations. FOIA makes school districts transparent bodies, empowering the public to scrutinize their operations while balancing this with crucial privacy protections for students. There is no privacy protection for the self interests of partisan school board members flagrantly violating Board policies!

Do Better Sandra and D220!

Better Barrington
Sign the Petition to Remove Chan Ding

Related:The D220 Board of Ed gets another ‘F’ in accountability & transparency,” “The Real Issue in Barrington 220 Isn’t Parking or Levies — It’s Leadership Culture,” “Change.org Petition: ‘For the Resignation of Erin Chan Ding ~ D220 Resources are Not for Political Campaigns’,” “BOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS – Part 2,” “BOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS,” “Erin Chan Ding: The violations just keep piling up…,” “Erin Chan Ding starring in another episode of, ‘Rules For Thee But NOT For Me…’,”  “District 220’s Lack of Transparency (Updated),” “District 220’s Lack of Transparency,” “Ding Politicking on School District Property,” “Dual School Board and State Rep Positions Legally Incompatible,” “D220 Abuses Taxpayer Funds in favor of Partisan Campaign,” “Ding In Her Own Words – CONFLICTED!,” “Ding Doubles Down,” “Ding’s D220 Deception,” “Chan Ding running in Democratic primary in 52nd,” “Three (3) Democratic candidates queued to run for the IL 52nd District House seat in 2026”  

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Scott Stantis / For the Chicago Tribune

By Glenn Minnis | The Center Square contributor

Commonwealth Foundation Labor and Policy Senior Director David Osborne says Chicago’s growing reputation as the place where public sector unions flex plenty of political muscle is more than well deserved.

Osborne points to a new Commonwealth Foundation report highlighting how public sector unions across Illinois spent nearly $30 million on state races over the 2023-24 election cycle, or far more than what union officials in any other state dedicated to such causes.

At $5.5 million, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson tops the State Government Union Pac Money List of those most benefiting from government employment unions support. In addition to Johnson, at least six other state lawmakers land on the list’s Top 20, lead by House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, at No. 2 and Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, at No. 4.

“In the state of Illinois, political spending is bigger than in any other state,” Osborne told The Center Square. “Unions seem very focused on who gets elected to be the mayor of Chicago and governor of the state. What you’ve got really is a downward spiral in Illinois where the kinds of unions that have gotten so powerful have really done it at the expense of taxpayers and then they’re pouring more money into getting the right kind of people elected for them.”

With researchers adding that almost 96% of all donations for Illinois-level candidates went to Democrats, Osborne said it’s past time someone address the imbalance.

“Public sector unions, they’re not often talked about as the cause of problems,” he said. “We often look to high taxes, bigger government, economic policies, but really what’s driving states and cities to enact policies that are harmful to individuals, that raise taxes, that grow the size of government beyond its purpose are public sector unions.

Read more here.

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The District 220 Board of Education meets this evening at 6:00 PM at the District Administration Center, 515 W. Main Street. Items on their agenda include:

  • Consideration to open the PUBLIC HEARING concerning the intent of the Board of Education to sell not to exceed $5,400,000 Working Cash Fund Bonds for the purpose of increasing the District’s Working Cash Fund.
  • Public Comment – Working Cash Fund Bonds
  • FOIA Requests (13) Report
  • Finance Reports
  • Personnel Report
  • Action on Suspension Appeal for Student A
  • Consideration to Approve Tax Levy
  • Consideration to Approve Summer School Fees

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

Related:The D220 Board of Ed gets another ‘F’ in accountability & transparency,” “School district’s parking plan defies logic,” “Zoning change defies village policy,” “District 220 Public Hearing December 16th re: ‘proposal to sell bonds of the District in an amount not to exceed $5,400,000’,” “The Real Issue in Barrington 220 Isn’t Parking or Levies — It’s Leadership Culture,” “Change.org Petition: ‘For the Resignation of Erin Chan Ding ~ D220 Resources are Not for Political Campaigns’,” “BOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS – Part 2,” “BOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS,” “Erin Chan Ding: The violations just keep piling up…,” “Erin Chan Ding starring in another episode of, ‘Rules For Thee But NOT For Me…’,”  “District 220’s Lack of Transparency (Updated),” “District 220’s Lack of Transparency,” “Ding Politicking on School District Property,” “Dual School Board and State Rep Positions Legally Incompatible,” “D220 Abuses Taxpayer Funds in favor of Partisan Campaign,” “Ding In Her Own Words – CONFLICTED!,” “Ding Doubles Down,” “Ding’s D220 Deception,” “Chan Ding running in Democratic primary in 52nd,” “Three (3) Democratic candidates queued to run for the IL 52nd District House seat in 2026

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As readers are aware, a Petition was recently started for the removal of School Board Member Erin Chan Ding in the wake of her many violations of D220 policies which resulted in a legal investigation of Chan Ding’s activities and the resultant finding by the D220 Board of Education that Chan Ding made flagrant violations of D220 policies. (SeeBOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS“)

The Petition to remove Chan Ding is now over 630 strong. Read up on the Petition here: For the Resignation of Erin Chan Ding ~ D220 Resources are Not for Political Campaigns

We’ve been advised by a friend of the Observer that a FOIA request was sent by him to the D220 FOIA Officer for communications related to the investigation of Chan Ding and her violations of D220 policies. That FOIA request was recently responded to, and, you’ll be amazed (LOL) to learn that the D220 Board, through its FOIA Officer and Superintendent Winkelman, has refused to respond to the request, claiming that it is “unduly burdensome.”

The response states:

(O)ver 7000 pages of emails were identified that may be responsive… It would take an unreasonable period of time for a staff member to review all of the records… the School District would need to utilize the services of its outside legal counsel to review the records at a significant cost to taxpayers… Review of the records would disrupt the duly undertaken work of the School District… In this case, the request is unduly burdensome and the burden on the School District outweighs the public interest in the information.

Isn’t that rich? We, the taxpayers, have been funding the legal review of Member Chan Ding’s conflict of interest in running as a Democrat in the primary for the State Representative of the 52nd District while serving as a 220 Board Member, her D220 policy violations in seeking the nomination, the resultant investigation requiring the retention of separate legal counsel, and her punishment, ongoing training related to her violations.

Yet, this District refuses to provide us taxpayers with the communications related to the very investigation we paid for? Citing it as burdensome?!

Given that D220 is claiming that there are over SEVEN THOUSAND pages of emails related to Chan Ding’s FLAGRANT VIOLATIONS of Board policies, how can anyone conceivably argue that the whole Chan Ding debacle is not a distraction to the Board, the District and its business?

The Chan Ding distraction prevents the District from complying with it’s obligations to the taxpayers and respond to a simple FOIA request because it’s too burdensome? If that’s the case, why isn’t the Board petitioning the Regional Superintendent of Schools for Chan Ding’s removal if she has become such a disruption in the duly undertaken work of the District?

The lack of transparency and accountability by the District and the Board of Education is revolting. We think the petition to remove Chan Ding doesn’t go far enough. We’d like to see the removal of any School Board Member and Administrator who refuses to provide the taxpayers what they are rightfully entitled to.

Related:The Real Issue in Barrington 220 Isn’t Parking or Levies — It’s Leadership Culture,” “Change.org Petition: ‘For the Resignation of Erin Chan Ding ~ D220 Resources are Not for Political Campaigns’,” “BOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS – Part 2,” “BOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS,” “Erin Chan Ding: The violations just keep piling up…,” “Erin Chan Ding starring in another episode of, ‘Rules For Thee But NOT For Me…’,”  “District 220’s Lack of Transparency (Updated),” “District 220’s Lack of Transparency,” “Ding Politicking on School District Property,” “Dual School Board and State Rep Positions Legally Incompatible,” “D220 Abuses Taxpayer Funds in favor of Partisan Campaign,” “Ding In Her Own Words – CONFLICTED!,” “Ding Doubles Down,” “Ding’s D220 Deception,” “Chan Ding running in Democratic primary in 52nd,” “Three (3) Democratic candidates queued to run for the IL 52nd District House seat in 2026

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The District 220 Board of Education meets this evening at 6:00 PM at the District Administration Center, 515 W. Main Street. Items on their agenda include:

  • Hearing – Property Tax Levy (Estimated at $177,248,798 for 2025, or a 7.32 percent increase over 2024)
  • Information (FOIA) Reports (None submitted? Really?)
  • Personnel Report
  • Board of Education Norms and Expectations
  • Action on Suspension Appeal for Student A
  • Consideration to Approve Resolution declaring the intention to issue not to exceed $5,400,000 Working Cash Fund Bonds of the District for the purpose of increasing the Working Cash Fund of the District, and directing that notice of such intention be published in the manner provided by law.
  • First Reading of Board Policy
  • BHS Interior Space
  • Barrington High School Parking Considerations

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

Related: “Change.org Petition: ‘For the Resignation of Erin Chan Ding ~ D220 Resources are Not for Political Campaigns’,” “BOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS – Part 2,” “BOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS,” “Erin Chan Ding: The violations just keep piling up…,” “Erin Chan Ding starring in another episode of, ‘Rules For Thee But NOT For Me…’,”  “District 220’s Lack of Transparency (Updated),” “District 220’s Lack of Transparency,” “Ding Politicking on School District Property,” “Dual School Board and State Rep Positions Legally Incompatible,” “D220 Abuses Taxpayer Funds in favor of Partisan Campaign,” “Ding In Her Own Words – CONFLICTED!,” “Ding Doubles Down,” “Ding’s D220 Deception,” “Chan Ding running in Democratic primary in 52nd,” “Three (3) Democratic candidates queued to run for the IL 52nd District House seat in 2026

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The District 220 Board of Education meets this evening at 6:00 PM at the District Administration Center, 515 W. Main Street. Items on their agenda include:

  • FOIA Reports
  • Revised Personnel Report
  • Consideration to Approve Audit Report
  • Consideration to Approve Project Lead the Way Lease Agreement
  • Consideration to Approve the Reciprocal Reporting Agreement with the Village of Carpentersville
  • Enrollment Status 30-Day
  • Framework Update: Social Media Awareness & Digital Citizenship Guidelines Implementation Report

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

Related:District 220’s Lack of Transparency (Updated),” “District 220’s Lack of Transparency,” “Ding Politicking on School District Property,” “District 220 posts Notice of Tentative Budget Public Hearing,” “Dual School Board and State Rep Positions Legally Incompatible,” “D220 Abuses Taxpayer Funds in favor of Partisan Campaign,” “Ding In Her Own Words – CONFLICTED!,” “District 220 Board of Education meets this evening (07.15.25)” “Ding Doubles Down,” “Ding’s D220 Deception,” “Chan Ding running in Democratic primary in 52nd,” “Three (3) Democratic candidates queued to run for the IL 52nd District House seat in 2026

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What follows is from the League of Women Voters of Palatine, Barrington and Schaumburg Area’s website:

No Kings 2 Rally — Unite and Rise for Democracy

The League of Women Voters is an official, national partner of the No Kings II rally. We are marching on October 18 to support the Bill of Rights, oppose federal overreach, and reject cuts to essential services. Join us!

We are calling on friends, neighbors and the community at large to unite at a nearby protest and rise up for our democracy.

This is our time. It’s our time to be present, brave, and loud, working together as a concerned community to speak out for our neighbors and the Constitution.

The League has made simple signage that you can print and take along.

And if you can’t attend, we hope you’ll raise your voice with a window sign, or by helping us promote the event and encourage others to attend via social media or a good old fashioned phone call!

There are three nearby locations:

  • Palatine — Volunteer Plaza at the Clocktower — 11:30 am – 1:00 pm
  • Arlington Heights — Recreation Park (NOTE new location!) — 3:00 pm – 5:00 p
  • Schaumburg — North Roselle and Schaumburg Roads — 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Look for a member of LWVPA holding an LWV sign at the Palatine and Arlington Heights locations to meet up. In Schaumburg, look for an LWV member holding purple and gold balloons. If you are able, try to attend more than one event. For example, Palatine at 11:00 am and then Arlington Heights at 3:00 pm. Help us make these rallies the largest yet!”

Note: The LWV website states: “The League of Women Voters of the Palatine, Barrington, and Schaumburg Areas is a nonpartisan political organization and does not support any political party or candidate.” Really? This may have been true at one time, but we’ll leave it up to readers to decide if it is today.

And it should be noted there is no disclosure statement revealing who or what is funding this political campaign, and that is what it is. The staggering of the rally hours provides partisan candidates the opportunity to appear and speak at all three rallies.

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By Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner | Wirepoints

Take a good look at the book recently read by a teacher to her 4th-grade students at my neighborhood public school in Wilmette. You’ll quickly understand why DEI, and trans-activism in particular, have become so objectionable and divisive, particularly in school settings. And why the backlash at the national level to remove such content from our schools, even among Democrats, has become so powerful.

The book that the Wilmette Central School teacher read out loud is called “It Feels Good to be Yourself.” The teacher begins by describing Ruthie, who at five years old determined that she was a he. Her younger brother was just three-and-a-half years old when he announced he was a he. Both kids inform their parents of the gender decisions they’ve made. The decisions are accepted without question.

The teacher reads on:

“You might feel like a boy. You might feel like a girl. You might feel like both a boy and a girl – or like neither. You might feel like your gender changes from day to day or from year to year. Your feelings about gender are real. Listen to your heart.”

Really? Day to day? To ten-year-olds?

As if that wasn’t enough, the book adds this: Doctors and your parents looked at your “body” and just guessed at your gender when you were born. “Maybe they got it right, maybe they got it wrong.

It’s hard to reach any conclusion other than this one: This book is being read to 4th-graders only to create gender confusion among impressionable young minds. 

Here is a link to a Youtube reading of the book. I encourage you to stick with the six minutes it takes to get through the video.

By any measure, the book’s views are extreme to an overwhelming share of Americans. Normalizing these ideas to little kids in a public school setting – that gender can change day to day and year to year, and that little kids have self-determination – is an extreme proposition. Such ideas don’t belong in our schools.

Read more here, and please vote wisely on April 1st for District 220 Board of Education.

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