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illinois-report-card

“At the Nov. 21 Barrington 220 Board of Education meeting, the Board heard an update from district leaders about Barrington 220’s annual report card, which is assembled by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). The report card reflects data from the 2022-23 school year in areas of student achievement, growth, attendance, indicators of college and career readiness, as well as school climate and culture. During the 2022-23 school year, Barrington 220 students performed better than more than 90% of students across the state.

Illinois has five summative designations for schools: Exemplary, Commendable, Targeted, Comprehensive, and Intensive. All Barrington 220 schools received either exemplary or commendable status, and it is important to note that the schools that received commendable designations are very close to earning exemplary.

One area of focus for the district is improving student attendance, which weighs heavily on a school’s summative designation status. Chronic absenteeism has increased in Barrington 220 and across the state since the pandemic. In addition, the district is focusing on how it can accelerate growth for all students through rigorous academic opportunities. Click here to listen to the presentation.”

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help-wanted-sign

By Jim Nowlan | Chicago Tribune

The new Dollar General store in my rural Illinois hometown couldn’t open for the longest time because it couldn’t find workers. Apples rotted on the ground at Arends Orchard nearby because the 50-year proprietor couldn’t find help — for the first time in his long history of providing apples and cider to our area.

How many times have you heard this lament from small business owners? “People just don’t want to work anymore.”

Labor force participation as a percentage of possible workers has been trending down in recent decades. One factor out of several possible explanations for workforce reduction? Among the able-bodied in my childhood post-World War II, work was required to eat. Today, it isn’t. Many people, young and not so, have apparently developed lifestyles that support them adequately — to their minds anyway — with no, or minimal, work “on the books,” that is, in a regular job.

I am fascinated, for example, by a family that lives on the edge of my hometown. For at least two decades, the nine members of this “family” have been existing largely to play video games, it seems, and laze around the two-bedroom ranch home that is deteriorating around them, not so slowly. One of the three men in this family has fathered three children by three mothers, some of whom live in the home.

(This account is based on an interview with the father of the 50-ish “patriarch” of the family. My source lets his son and clan live there rent-free, though his patience has reached its end. The source lives elsewhere. Two social worker friends in the area tell me this type of family is far from unique in rural Illinois.)

How does the family support itself? Two of the women are certified nursing assistants and work a few hours a month each at nursing homes. Two of the men are skilled at digital technology. Infrequently, they work off the books, repairing computers. The two seemingly able-bodied men are also on disability, for mental health and physical reasons, respectively.

Read more here.

Jim Nowlan is a former Illinois legislator, state agency director, professor and newspaper columnist. He is co-author, with Melissa Mouritsen and Kent Redfield, of a new edition of “Illinois Politics: A Citizen’s Guide to Power, Politics, and Government” to be released by University of Illinois Press in early 2024.

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TAX-LEVY _1_

“At the Nov. 21 Board meeting, the Board heard a presentation about the tentative 2023 tax levy, which is the first step in the process to establish a final levy of property taxes to support the district in 2024. Barrington 220 collects property taxes from Kane, Lake, Cook, and McHenry Counties, and property taxes account for approximately 80% of the district’s annual operating revenues.

If approved, the district expects to receive an overall levy increase of 5.5% compared to last year, however, it is requesting a 6.3% increase in the event new construction is larger than expected.

This is inclusive of capped funds and debt service obligations. Based on projections, the total expected tax revenue to be collected in 2024 is $158,062,300. The next step in the tax levy approval process is a public hearing set for the Dec. 5 Board meeting. The Board is anticipated to approve the final tax levy on Dec. 19.

As part of the tentative levy, the Board will not issue Debt Service Extension Base (DSEB) this year. This will save local taxpayers approximately $2.5 million. Click here to listen to the presentation.”

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RCBH

“RCBH BRIDLE PATH ETIQUETTE AND RULES

The bridle paths include both public trails on county-owned property and private trails in Barrington Hills. Over 150 miles of these paths are maintained by the Riding Club of Barrington Hills. Everyone with a Forest Preserve of Cook County tag for their horse and license for the rider can take advantage of the public trails maintained by the Riding Club of Barrington Hills in the Cook County Forest Preserves. Trails located outside the Forest Preserve are for the exclusive use of Riding Club of Barrington Hills members and guests by stipulation of the land owners where these trails are located.

RCBH TRAILS ON PRIVATE PROPERTY – When the Riding Club of Barrington Hills (RCBH) was established in 1937, an informal agreement was entered into by neighbors, whereby mounted members of the Riding Club could traverse the landowners’ properties on horseback. Almost 80 years later, that relationship still exists. Our relationship, by its very nature, is a delicate one, we therefore ask you to follow the bridle path rules, to ensure that our system will continue to be viable.

  1. Riders must be current RCBH members in order to ride on the private trails, however RCBH members may bring a guest when they ride. The host club member is responsible for ensuring that their guest has signed the required waiver form before riding. Waiver can be found in the directory and is also available on our website https://ridingclubofbarringtonhills.org/online-waiver/
  2. Follow the RCBH bridle path markers, always stay on marked trail, be respectful of the trails and don’t ride if conditions would cause damage or leave hoof prints on the lawn. Don’t litter and where possible consider picking up manure after you ride.
  3. Current RCBH bridle tags must be displayed at all times when riding on private trails.
  4. Private bridle trails are for mounted riders only, no dogs, motorized vehicles or pedestrians allowed.
  5. If you open a gate, close it.
  6. Private trails are walk only.

RCBH TRAILS ON PUBLIC PROPERTY

The Riding Club of Barrington Hills maintains 65+ miles of trails within the Forest Preserve District of Cook County (FPDCC) properties. These are multi-use trails. Riding on FPDCC trails is by permit only: to obtain these permits, please go to their website at https://fpdcc.com/things-to-do/equestrian/. Rules for riding in the FPDCC are available on their website at https://fpdcc.com/about/rules-regulations/.

IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO CLEAR A PATH YOURSELF, PLEASE REPORT BLOCKED TRAIL TO THE TRAIL REP IN YOUR SECTOR.

TRAIL REPS ARE LISTED IN THE RCBH DIRECTORY AND ON OUR WEBSITE UNDER TRAILS.

The Sponsor certifies that the Applicant has adequate knowledge of the RCBH Bridle Path Rules to join the Club by entering information below and clicking [Submit]

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Chicago Schools Strike

The Illinois State Board of Education failed to publish diagnostic reports required by the Invest in Kids Act to track scholarship recipients’ progress starting in 2019. State lawmakers are letting the program expire without seeing a single report.

By Patrick Andriesen | Illinois Policy

The Illinois State Board of Education routinely failed to publish annual reports mandated by the Invest in Kids Act tracking scholarship recipients’ educational gains against public school students’ since 2019.

Those reports were intended to tell state lawmakers whether the experiment was working. The program is ending without that information.

When asked why the reports had not been published to the Illinois State Board of Education website, a spokesperson for the department provided this response: first year, not required; second year, pandemic; third year, low participation; fourth and fifth years, being compiled.

Lawmakers adjourned Nov. 9 and won’t return to Springfield until mid-January, allowing the program to expire at the end of this year. State lawmakers took no action and Gov. J.B. Pritzker invested no political capital in saving the program that gave a choice of schools to over 9,600 low-income students.

Section 45 of the Invest in Kids Act required ISBE to publish annual reports on their website tracking program participants’ educational improvements starting in the 2019-2020 academic year. There are no reports.

These diagnostic reports were supposed to include, to the extent possible, annual comparisons of how Invest in Kids scholarship recipients’ standardized test scores measured against Illinois public school students of similar socioeconomic means.

Read more here.

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IL Uhaul

A U-Haul truck pictured in Illinois | Greg Bishop / The Center Square

A new report finds a connection between high tax states and population loss, which may explain why Illinoisans are leaving the state.

IRS data shows that between 2020 and 2021, Illinois, with the second highest property taxes in the country, experienced the third highest outmigration in the country, losing nearly 54,000 residents on net.

JD Tuccelli with the Reason Foundation said Illinois lawmakers are well aware this is going on.

“You know they know this because they make it as difficult as they possibly can to leave high tax regimes,” Tuccelli said.

Tuccelli points to a 2018 Illinois law that aims to claw back tax breaks from any business that moves business operations out of state.

Twenty-six states experienced a net gain of income tax filers, led by Florida, Texas and North Carolina. The report found that eight of the top 10 states that gained population either forgo individual income taxes on wage and salary income, have a flat income tax, or are moving to a flat income tax.

Read more here.

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220 Admin

The District 220 Board of Education meets this evening at 5:00 PM at the District Administration Center, 515 W. Main Street. Topics on their agenda include:

  • Consideration to Approve Changes to 2024-25 Academic Calendar
  • Consideration to Approve Audit Report
  • Consideration to Approve Summer Capital BHS Roofing Bid Award
  • Consideration to Approve Summer Capital District Paving Bid Award
  • Consideration to Approve Summer Capital District Rejuvenation Bid Award
  • Consideration to Determine Estimated Property Tax Levy
  • Consideration to Approve Barrington Transportation Company Contract
  • Illinois Report Card Update/State Assessment Presentation
  • Fine, Visual, and Performing Arts Discussion, and
  • First Reading of Board Policy

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

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220 Survey

“In June 2023 the Barrington 220 Board of Education approved the district’s new strategic plan, Framework 220. The plan consists of six strategic priorities. One of the priorities is Community Partnerships & Communication.

Please take our 3-minute external communications survey.”

Their survey link can be found here.

Editorial note: When completing the survey, it appeared many of the questions are crafted to assist District 220 in preparing for their November, 2024 Referendum campaign strategies.

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Plan B

By Elizabeth Owens-Schiele | Pioneer Press

A referendum advisory committee is being formed by Barrington School District 220 to explore a potential $50 million referendum, money to help pay for a new fine arts center at Barrington High School.

At the Nov. 7 board meeting, school board members discussed options they plan to charge the committee with as committee members meet with community stakeholders. Details of options for new fine, visual and performing arts spaces are expected to be fine-tuned by board members at the Nov. 21 board meetings and ones in December.

The committee is expected to begin outreach in January and make recommendations to the board in March, as the district plans for a Nov. 5, 2024 referendum on the ballot, officials explained.

The ultimate hope is to create new spaces for high school students in the fine, visual and performing arts.

“We see the benefits of having those spaces, educationally and for extra curriculars. There’s a lot of value,” BHS Principal Steve McWilliams said to the board during the a presentation at the Nov. 7 meeting. “It’s their niche, it’s what makes high school special.”

Board member Leah Collister-Lazzari suggested the district conduct more research on the timing of the referendum and the landscape for referendum support.

More here.

Related: “220 Board plans to form referendum advisory committee to gain fine, visual & performing arts feedback,” “District 220 Board plans to seek community feedback about new fine, visual & performing arts spaces at BHS.”

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11.16.23 BOT Graphic

11.16.23 BOT Audio

Our Village Board of Trustees will be conducting their regular monthly meeting this evening beginning at 6:30 PM. Topics on their agenda include:

  • ENGINEERING PRESENTATION – Trotter and Associates, Inc.
  • Levy and Assessment of Taxes for the Fiscal Year Beginning January 1, 2023 and Ending December 31, 2023 – Draft
  • [Vote] A Resolution Adopting a Regular Meeting Calendar for 2024 Resolution 2 23 –, and
  • [Vote] An Ordinance Regarding the Illinois Paid Leave For All Workers Act Ordinance 23 –

A copy of their agenda can be viewed and downloaded here.

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