3/21/16 ltr to Board. Next Meeting: Tues, April 5 @ 6:30, 40 East Dundee Road, Barrington, IL

Hope everyone had a great Spring Break. Below is copy of the current letter sent by BUE to the Board regarding the "late start" issues dated 3/21/2016 (formatting a bit altered due to this electronic format) As you will see below, all options are currently still being considered. While no "late start" time options have been accepted by the Board, it is equally true that no "late start" time options have been rejected by the Board. Please make sure you attend the April 5th Board meeting. ______________________________________________ March 21, 2016 Board of Education Barrington Community Unit School District 220 310 James Street Barrington, IL 6010 Delivered via email Dear Members of the Board of Education, On behalf of Barrington United for Education, we are writing in response to the Board's plan on the issue of Late Start discussed during the Board Meeting of March 15, 2015. We trust that the Board will continue to consider the public input it has received, and will enact mechanisms that allow for full and fair input by all stakeholders as it preserves the educational caliber of District 220. Background - The Concerns: Since January 27, 2015, when the Input 220 Committee made public its recommended three proposals, many parents, teachers, and members of the community have expressed their concerns about the loss of instructional time, the potential deterioration of the educational quality of the district, as well as the negative impact on extra-curricular and co-curricular opportunities for students. Compounding parents' concerns was the combination of the Late Start proposals with a possible modification in the high school from its current successful educational model to a block schedule (as presented to the Board by the high school administration on February 23, 2015). As we previously stated in our letter dated March 1, we believe much of the public outcry had, at its foundation, a concern that during the Input 220 process the line between unbiased policy development and aggressive advocacy became blurred. This left many parents feeling that they did not have sufficient information about any proposed implementation from the Board nor a voice on an issue that would profoundly affect their family life and their children's education. An additional concern held by many was that the issues of Late Start, Block Schedule, and increased spending on busing would be decided upon summarily, without community input, but with the expectation that the intended and unintended consequences would be borne by those very members: students, teachers, parents and the community. Acknowledgement of the Board of Education: In light of this background, we are pleased that members of the Board acknowledged both substantive and process-related concerns in discussion during the Board's March 1 and March 15 meetings. In particular, we are grateful that Board members enumerated several barrier conditions to guide consideration of start time proposals, including: The Late Start decision will be separate from any education model changes, such as Block Scheduling. Any reduction in Instruction Time will not exceed 2 minutes per period. The number of periods in the high school day will not be decreased. High school dismissal will occur as close to 3:30 as possible; whereas for the middle and elementary schools, end time will be more flexible, with a cognizance of sunrise and sunset times. Board members also discussed -- and included in the draft timeline for considering proposals -- administering a community survey that will identify and seek feedback regarding specific time change options. To our knowledge, the Board has not formally committed to the barrier conditions or to administering a community survey. We hope in the coming weeks the Board will take further steps toward affirming the barrier conditions that protect the educational quality of Barrington High School and District 220. We also hope the Board will commit to administering an objective and thorough community survey that elicits feedback regarding specific start- and end-time scenarios, and to planning multiple public input sessions. Both of these are critical for informing the public, allowing multiple voices in the community to be heard, and obtaining sufficient information to guide the Board and administration during the process of implementation of any changes. We know that the educational excellence of District 220 will continue to be the primary objective that is shared between the Board, the Administration, the students, parents and the community. Thank you for your awareness and acknowledgement of the level of concern in the community; and for your responsiveness to maintaining the quality of education for the students of the district. Thank you for your consideration, Christine Bedard BUE Founding Member Cristina Chmiel BUE Founding Member David Holtermann BUE Founding Member ______________________________________________