Posted in Agendas, Algonquin Rd, Animal Welfare, Aunt Blabby, Barrington Hills Park District, Barrington Hills Polo Club, Countryside Elementary School, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Elections, Ethics, Fox River Valley Hunt, FPDCC, FRVPC, Horizon Farm, Horse Boarding, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, Massbach Hounds, Politics, Privacy, Property Taxes, Real Estate, Riding Center Advisory Committee, Riding Club of Barrington Hills, Taxes, Transparency, Unions on August 12, 2026| Leave a Comment »
The Barrington Hills Park District Board/Riding Cult of Barrington Hills will hold their monthly meeting this evening in person and via Zoom at 6:00 PM. Some topics on their agenda include:
A copy of their agenda can be viewed here. Instructions for accessing the meeting remotely can be found here.
Posted in Aunt Blabby, Lake County Forest Preserve District, Press Release, Road construction, School Districts, Taxes, Traffic, Unions on August 8, 2026| Leave a Comment »
NOTICE OF ROAD CLOSURE
GHO STORMWATER DRAINAGE PROJECT
ROADWAY CLOSURE: IL Rte. 59 from Cuba Road to IL Rte. 22 (northbound & southbound).
CLOSURE DATES: August 13, 2026 through September 15, 2026
The Village of North Barrington wants to advise motorists that IL Rte. 59 will be closed for thirty-four (34) days from Cuba Road to IL Rte. 22 from Thursday, August 13th through Tuesday, September 15th.
The closure is necessary to replace the large box culvert under the highway and is part of the GHO stormwater drainage project currently underway by the Village of North Barrington.
DETOUR ROUTE: Rte. 59 to Cuba Rd. to Ela Rd. to IL Rte. 12 to IL Rte. 22.
Motorists should allow extra travel time, use caution near the work zone, and follow the posted detour signage.
The Village of North Barrington appreciates everyone’s patience while we work to improve the safety for the motorists.
See press release here.
Posted in Animal Welfare, Aunt Blabby, Barrington Hills Park District, Barrington Hills Polo Club, Big Red, Clown Car, Commercial Horse Boarding, Cook, Countryside Elementary School, County, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Don't Change Barrington Hills, Elections, Equestrian Commission, Ethics, Fox River Valley Hunt, FPDCC, FRVPC, Goat Rodeo, Horizon Farm, Horse Boarding, Illinois State Board of Elections, Immigration, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Lake, Land Use, Look For The Union Label, Massbach Hounds, McHenry, Politics, Privacy, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, Riding Center Advisory Committee, Riding Club of Barrington Hills, Save 5 Acres, SOS Party, Taxes, The Other Half, Unions, Your Barrington Hills on August 7, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Consolidated Election to be held April 6, 2027
To The Residents of The Barrington Hills Park District Cook, Lake and McHenry Counties, Illinois
Elections will be held to fill the following office: Park District Commissioner
Number of positions: Three (3)
All positions are for a four-year term
The candidate services provided here will assist prospective candidates locate the information and forms required to run for office.
Information contained within this section is for informational purposes only. Candidates are advised to seek appropriate legal counsel for any campaign issues.
Candidates must file their certificates of nomination with the Barrington Hills Park District designated representative.
Petition Circulation Period: August 25, 2026 – November 23, 2026. Petitions may NOT be circulated prior to August 25, 2026
The filing of nomination petitions will be accepted at 361 Bateman Road, Barrington Hills IL 60010, in the Riding Center’s Meeting Room, November 16, 2026 through Monday November 23, 2026. Office Hours will be posted here and on the online calendar.
Petitions may be filed in person by the candidate, a representative, or by mail to: Barrington Hills Park District, 364 Bateman Road, Barrington Hills, IL 60010. Nomination papers received in the mail before the first day of filing period will be returned to the sender as not filed.
Petition Documents:
Nonpartisan Petition Form (Petitions may NOT be circulated prior to August 25, 2026)
Statement of Candidacy: Nonpartisan
Loyalty Oath (optional):
Statement of Economic Interests: Filed with the Cook County Clerk. See page 22 in the Candidate’s Guide regarding filing the receipt.
Fair Campaign Practices Act (voluntary): Filed with the State Board of Elections.,
Posted in 220, Barrington Education Association, Board of Education, Deception, District 220 referendum, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Education, Elections, Ethics, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Illinois State Board of Elections, Overhead, Politics, Property Taxes, Real Estate, School Districts, Taxes, Transparency, Unions, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on August 6, 2026| Leave a Comment »
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by the Board of Education of Barrington Community Unit School District 220, in the County of Lake, State of Illinois, that a Tentative Budget for said school district for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, will be on file and “conveniently available” for public inspection at the Administrative Offices located at 515 West Main Street, Barrington, Illinois 60010, beginning August 1, 2026.
NOTICE IS FURTHER HEREBY GIVEN that a public hearing on said Budget will be held at 6:00 p.m. on the 1st day of September, 2026, at the Administrative Offices, 515 West Main Street, Barrington, Illinois 60010.
Dated this 1st day of August, 2026.
Board of Education
Barrington Community Unit School District 220
County of Lake, State of Illinois
Diana Clopton
Secretary
Board of Education
Related: “District 220 board members violated campaign policies, investigation finds,” “Proposed Policy Change Would Strip Anonymous Formal Grievances in Barrington District 220,” “Reminder: CUSD 220 Board of Education meeting tonight,” “CUSD 220 Board delivers second (slappier) slap on the wrist to member Erin Chan Ding,” “CUSD 220 Board of Education public comments we applaud,” “Special District 220 Board of Education meeting Monday,” “Over $100,000 in Special Interest Funding gifted to 220 Board member’s campaign in failed bid for State Rep job,” “New Evidence of Chan Ding’s Policy Violations and Conflicts of Interest,” “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,” “BOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS – Part 2,” “BOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS,” “District 220’s Lack of Transparency (Updated),” “District 220’s Lack of Transparency” and “Change.org Petition: ‘For the Resignation of Erin Chan Ding ~ D220 Resources are Not for Political Campaigns’“
Posted in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Look For The Union Label, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, School Districts, The Center Square, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on August 5, 2026| Leave a Comment »
A sign for an inclusive restroom with gender and accessibility symbols is displayed on a dark wall. | Photo: Danielle-Claude Bélanger / Unsplash
By Jim Talamonti |The Center Square
The Liberty Justice Center has sent letters to Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and attorneys general in three other states, warning that school districts’ decisions to withhold information from parents regarding students’ purported gender transitions violate the U.S. Constitution and federal law.
The LJC said parents have a right under the First and Fourteenth Amendments to direct the education of their children. The group said the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act guarantees parents the right to access their children’s education records at schools that receive federal funds.
In addition to Illinois, the LJC sent letters to attorneys general in New York, New Jersey and Washington.
Posted in Education, John Kass News, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, School Districts, Springfield, Taxes, Unions on August 3, 2026| Leave a Comment »
By Paul Vallas | John Kass News
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker appears to regard vulgarity as acceptable. Recall his remarks at the Illinois Federation of Teachers convention in October, when he told President Trump and his cronies to “f— all the way off” — and his defense two weeks later that “all the limits are off with Donald Trump as president.” Such behavior from a governor is troubling, but what I find most troubling is the vulgarity of his actual education record.
The Governor is currently in full election mode, effectively running for Governor while posturing for President simultaneously, bragging about Illinois’ high ranking in education. The problem with these misleading surveys, whether by U.S. News or CNBC, is that the rankings are largely driven by education investments, not academic results. The fact remains that Illinois’ rapid rise up the spending rankings has not resulted in improvement in Illinois’ abysmal academic performance, nor in an expansion of quality school choices.
Historic funding increases and no accountability
Since enactment of the Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) formula in 2017, the state’s cumulative increases have totaled more than $4 billion in additional annual funding for public schools; that includes roughly $3 billion through the EBF formula. Lawmakers have also increased funding for items outside the formula such as career and technical education, transportation, and other “mandated categorical” expenses. That brought total General Revenue Fund spending for PreK-12 public schools to roughly $11.2 billion this fiscal year.
Depending on the measure, Illinois now ranks between 9th and 11th nationally in per-pupil spending — its per-pupil outlays have grown 34 percent since 2019 — and statewide per-pupil spending exceeds neighboring states by wide margins. According to Wirepoints, Illinois spends anywhere from about 19 percent to 64 percent more per student than other Midwest states. Chicago Public Schools (CPS) has among the highest per-pupil spending of large urban districts — sixth-highest among the nation’s 100 largest — spending over $32,000 per student across all funds, an increase of more than 40 percent since 2019.
A discriminatory state education funding formula
Under the EBF law, every district is supposed to be guaranteed at least the same amount of state funding as the previous year, but priority for new funding is given to districts that are furthest below their adequacy target. As a result, many school districts are losing funding in real dollars because of inflation. While a drop in general enrollment doesn’t cut funding immediately, a decline in the count of low-income students can reduce a district’s overall adequacy target even though the EBF protects current cash.
A large number of districts lose state funding every year in inflation-adjusted dollars because districts in the upper funding tiers receive little in annual state funding increases: about 99 percent of all new state funding flows to Tiers 1 and 2, leaving roughly 1 percent for Tiers 3 and 4. This allocation, combined with financial protections against enrollment loss, has enabled districts like Chicago to see state funding grow nearly 16 percent since 2019 even as enrollment fell by more than 40,000 students.
For all the talk about equity, the formula also does nothing to prevent CPS from discriminating against large numbers of its children from low-income households. Public charter schools as a group have the highest concentration of minority and poverty students, with 98 percent of their students Black and Latino and 87 percent from low-income families. Yet public charters receive substantially less funding per pupil — roughly a third less, by one analysis — and little facility support compared with the district’s traditional schools.
Vallas’ contrary continues here.
Paul Vallas formerly ran the public school systems in Chicago, Philadelphia and the Louisiana Recovery School District. He was a candidate for Mayor of C
Posted in Barrington Education Association, Capitol News Illinois, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Education, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, School Districts, Springfield, Unions on August 1, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Capitol News Illinois file photo
By Ben Szalinski | Capitol News Illinois
Article Summary
This summary was written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.
The full report can be found here.
Posted in Crime, Deception, Ethics, Perjury, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, School Districts, Transparency, Wirepoints on July 30, 2026| Leave a Comment »
By: Mark Glennon*
JB Pritzker didn’t just consult Dr. Anthony Fauci during the pandemic, he publicly attributed much of Illinois’ pandemic governance to him through at least the first two turbulent years of Covid. Pritzker regularly and forcefully endorsed Fauci’s pronouncements in his daily Covid briefings and elswhere. In September 2020, for example, Prizker said he “would not hesitate to follow the advice of Dr. Anthony Fauci” whenever case surges required action. Fauci was a “very reliable source of information, Pritzker also said. “I rely on the guidance I hear from him.”
Even in April 2022, well after Fauci’s credibility was broken by dissenting epidemiologists and other experts and Fauci himself had changed course on some matters, Pritzker was still clinging to Fauci’s authority, saying he “hoped and prayed” Fauci was right that the worst was behind us.
But Pritzker and Fauci were wrong on fundamental issues from the start. Just two months after the pandemic started, it had become glaringly obvious to us at Wirepoints that facts were being grossly distorted and that Illinois’ policy response was patently irrational. Many mistakes were obvious even as they were made, which we documented with dozens of articles collected here.
It wasn’t about measured differences of opinion about science. It was a governor – and many others — who repeatedly hid behind a federal bureaucrat’s pronouncements to justify sweeping, often indefensible mandates on 12.7 million Illinoisans. Among the other guilty is the Illinois General Assembly, which stood aside as Pritzker ruled by executive fiat through his 39 consecutive emergency orders lasting from March 2020 to May 2023.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock (or relying on legacy media), you probably know that Fauci has already been exposed as a world class fraud. As director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Fauci was the face of establishment “science” on Covid. Most recently, his published diary exposes levels of narcissism and megalomania for the record books. The diary describes some of Pritzker’s phone conversations with him and Pritzker’s expressed admiration of him. On Thursday Fauci took the Fifth Amendment before Congress on most everything — over 100 times — despite the blanket pardon President Joe Biden gave him.
Among the topics during the pandemic on which Fauci was wrong or dishonest are these: probable leak from Chinese lab as the original virus source, asymptomatic spreading, fatality rates, blanket lockdowns, school closures, impact on youth, relevance of acquired immunity, social distancing, outdoor spread, masks, variant impact, vaccine efficacy and vaccine risks.
Overlay that against the list of Covid policy errors made by Illinois that we printed earlier and is copied below in full. I urge you to read it fully to appreciate the gravity and length of the list. Pritzker’s obedience to Fauci is linked to most but not all of it.
Article continues here.
*Mark Glennon is founder of Wirepoints.
Posted in 220, 300, AI, Barrington Education Association, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, School Districts, The Center Square on July 30, 2026| Leave a Comment »
By Sean Reed | The Center Square
As Illinois students return to school this fall, school boards and families will begin discussing and implementing a bell-to-bell cell phone ban, stemming from a new law that provides few exceptions for phone use during a school day.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the phone ban legislation Tuesday morning at Elgin High School, which has already implemented a phone ban within its district in the previous year.
Many specifics of how bans will be enforced are left up to local school boards, which have a full school year until they must adopt a policy that fits within the law’s minimum requirements.
“Students are distracted. Teachers sometimes have trouble getting students’ attention. Principals are experiencing disruption that smartphones create throughout the school day,” Pritzker said. “Parents have been concerned and have seen cyber bullying and of course the mental health impact that social media and phone usage are having on our kids.”
Suzanne Johnson, U-46 school district superintendent, said the implementation of their ban had a slightly turbulent start, but is now widely popular among students, teachers and parents.
“During our student summit in the spring, where we welcome over 200 high school students to provide feedback and guidance on U-46 efforts and focus areas, students were asked to identify one thing we should not change. And they identified the new cell phone personal device guidelines they needed to stay in place,” Johnson said.
The bill didn’t specifically provide school districts with funding to implement the ban, which has been common in other states for products like magnetic locking bags to secure phones throughout the day.
Article continues here.
Posted in 220, Barrington Education Association, Board of Education, Daily Herald, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Elections, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Politics, Property Taxes, School Districts, Unions, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on July 28, 2026| 1 Comment »
Leah Collister-Lazzari
By Steve Zalusky | Daily Herald
Two Barrington Area Unit School District 220 board members violated board policies by posting images of students, district property and the district’s chess piece logo on campaign social media sites, an outside investigator determined.
Board members Leah Collister-Lazzari and Barry Altshuler have since deactivated those campaign Facebook pages.
Barry Altshuler
The same investigation cleared board President Sandra Ficke-Bradford of alleged wrongdoing for a photo of her in front of Barrington High School that appeared in a 2025 Daily Herald article.
The school board on Thursday accepted the results of the investigation, which was conducted by the law firm of Robbins Schwartz. None of Collister-Lazzari, Altshuler or Ficke-Bradford addressed the report during the meeting.
Collister-Lazzari and Ficke-Bradford later declined to comment on the findings.
“I admit that I’m not a perfect person,” Altshuler said after the meeting. “I’m just not sure it had to go the way it went.”
The investigation was sparked by a complaint made anonymously under the school district’s Uniform Grievance Procedure.
The investigation report said Collister-Lazzari stated that in 2023 she followed what was district protocol at the time in using the school district’s logo in campaign materials.
Report continues here.
Related: “Proposed Policy Change Would Strip Anonymous Formal Grievances in Barrington District 220,” “Reminder: CUSD 220 Board of Education meeting tonight,” “CUSD 220 Board delivers second (slappier) slap on the wrist to member Erin Chan Ding,” “CUSD 220 Board of Education public comments we applaud,” “Special District 220 Board of Education meeting Monday,” “Over $100,000 in Special Interest Funding gifted to 220 Board member’s campaign in failed bid for State Rep job,” “New Evidence of Chan Ding’s Policy Violations and Conflicts of Interest,” “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,” “BOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS – Part 2,” “BOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS,” “District 220’s Lack of Transparency (Updated),” “District 220’s Lack of Transparency” and “Change.org Petition: ‘For the Resignation of Erin Chan Ding ~ D220 Resources are Not for Political Campaigns’”
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