Barrington staff target 3% local appropriation increase; public urges start‑time study

District administrative staff told the Barrington School Board the administration is targeting a 3% increase to local appropriations for the coming budget cycle and plans to present more detail at a future meeting.

“As it relates to the budget, currently, we are we are targeting a 3% increase, to the local appropriations, and, that that's the the target that we are are working towards,” Administrative staff said.

During the public‑comment period, resident T. Wright urged the board to study school start times, saying a previous change generated about $500,000 in savings and that returning to neighborhood school schedules and a three‑tier bus system could reduce transportation costs. “We're going back to neighborhood schools, we can cut our buses back down once everything gets done, hopefully, and, go back to the 3 tier... you're still gonna save 500,000,” T. Wright said.

T. Wright also urged the board to protect extracurriculars and mental‑health staffing, saying those programs should not be cut to balance the budget. A board member responded to public comment by saying, “Thank you, T. Wright,” and later added that extracurricular and mental‑health supports are priorities for the district.

The administration said it will provide more detailed budget materials at the board's next meeting. No formal budget vote or change to the district's adopted budget was recorded in the provided transcript excerpt.