High on District 220’s to-do list, if a new referendum is approved, is building a modern auditorium to replace an antiquated facility officials say is “nearly unusable.” (DLA Ltd. Architects concept art) 

Barrington High School District 220 is asking voters to approve a $64 million referendum to fund a new auditorium, improved educational spaces and classrooms, fire protection systems and modern security systems.  

The bond issue would also allow the district to modernize science classrooms in its two middle schools. Referendum organizers say the issue, if passed, will cost homeowners with a $500,000 market value house an additional $236 annually. 

The 64-year-old Barrington High School campus serves a population spread over a 72-square-mile unit (kindergarten through grade 12) district that covers parts of Cook, Lake, Kane and McHenry counties. The unit district has 1.4 million square feet of school facilities to maintain. 

District voters approved a $147 million referendum in March 2020. According to District 220 Director of Communications Samantha Scheinman, work on projects paid for through that referendum “came in on time and under budget.”  

High on the district’s to-do list if the new referendum is approved, is building a modern auditorium to replace an antiquated facility officials say is “nearly unusable.”

District officials provided photos of the current auditorium, which they say still has much of the equipment and seats that were built in 1948. 

“It’s not ADA compliant, the power supply doesn’t allow for the lighting and design available to much smaller districts, and the chairs can no longer be repaired,” officials said.

The small auditorium lobby is overcrowded during many events, and officials say that “theater attendees walk through our school building to reach the auditorium and share bathrooms with our students, neither of which is ideal.” 

Planners also want to build new, larger rooms for teaching STEAM courses, (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) at the high school. In addition, new and larger spaces for fine arts and music instruction are planned.  

Officials say that many of the high school’s mechanical systems are outdated and past their useful life. Besides installing modern fire protection systems, school officials also seek to install lockdown features throughout the school district and install keycard access, “to provide a more secure environment for students and teachers.” 

Referendum organizers took pains to banner their demonstrated fiscal and administrative excellence, spotlighting a list of recognitions and honors for their stewardship of district resources.  

To prepare for the referendum, a committee was formed consisting of approximately 60 members representing all district attendance areas and grade levels, as well as members of local Barrington community organizations. Committee meetings were open to the public, however only committee members could participate and vote. 

Organizers say the referendum is ultimately the result of “more than 2,500 community members” collaborating throughout 2024 to help identify needs and develop a plan to address the challenges facing the district. 

In September, four informational community meetings were held, two at the high school and two at other district schools. 

D220 officials point to their second-best ranking among unit districts in Illinois in Niche’s 2024 ratings, and being named by US News & World Report as one of the Top 500 high schools (No. 467) in the nation in its 2024 rankings. 

“We’ve achieved all this while continuing to honor our community’s commitment to fiscal responsibility,” the district said in a detailed informational brochure.  

The district also touts its status as one of 42 school boards out of 852 districts across Illinois to earn 2024 School Board Governance Recognition from the Illinois Association of School Boards. It is also one of 88 school districts in the country to earn a AAA bond rating from the Standard & Poor’s bond rating service. 

“This allows our district to have one of the lowest tax rates (4.82 of EAV) of all peer school districts,” the district said in a presentation. 

“Our Board of Education and administration are good stewards of the public’s tax dollars, spending less than half the state average on administrative costs and maintaining a responsible fund balance that is more conservative than many districts.” 

Those seeking more detailed information can visit www.barrington220.org/referendum-2024