District 220's $185M Referendum Narrowly Voted Down: Officials

BARRINGTON, IL – Barrington District 220 Superintendent Brian Harris thanked voters for getting out to vote on a $185 million referendum, which, as of Wednesday morning, appears to have been voted down, according to preliminary results. The votes are still being tallied, with 51.05 percent of voters selecting "no" and 48.95 percent voting, "yes," on the following question:

Shall the Board of Education of Barrington Community Unit School District Number 220, Lake, Cook, Kane and McHenry Counties, Illinois, build and equip additions to and alter, repair and equip existing buildings, including but not limited to renovating instructional spaces, restrooms and food service areas, installing school safety and security improvements, replacing roofs and mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems and constructing additions to eliminate mobile classrooms, improve school sites and issue bonds of said School District to the amount of $185,000,000 for the purpose of paying the costs thereof?

The tax hike would have meant the owner of a $500,000 home would expect to pay about $100 more per year in property taxes, according to the Daily Herald.

The move to put a referendum question on Tuesday’s ballot came after months of engagement sessions, which led to the development of a $500 million master facility plan for the district, according to the District 220 website. The master facility plan identified a variety of Barrington 220's needs over the next 20 years, school officials said.

The school district had hoped to use the $185 million to improve safety and security at all Barrington 220 schools; eliminate mobile classrooms at BMS-Station, BMS-Prairie and Grove Avenue Elementary; repair and renovate aging building conditions such as heating, air conditioning, electrical, plumbing and roofs; update and improve classrooms in all schools by creating STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) spaces, adding flexible furniture; expand parking lots to improve safety and traffic flow at pick-up/drop-off zones at Barrington High School; build a new 800 seat fine arts center/auditorium at Barrington High School and more.

In a letter to parents, Harris thanked those who worked to get the facility upgrade referendum on the ballot and supported the measure.

"Thank you to the parents, students, teachers, district administrators, Board members and community members who participated in the two year community engagement process leading up to this vote," Harris wrote. "It will now be up to the new Board of Education to decide how to proceed, in order to address our facility needs."