D220 BOE Candidate Response - Erin Chan Ding

Current D220 School Board of Education member, Erin Chan Ding, responded to the questionnaire proposed by our community members. Her response is provided below in its entirety.

Dear Student Education Empowerment Network (SEEN), 

I have considered it an absolute honor to serve for the past four years as a member of the Barrington 220 Board of Education and a privilege to run for another term. Student Services, which oversees our special education programs, is a critical part of our district, as we have a significant portion of our student population who receive customized plans, such as Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and 504s. 

As a lot of our work around Student Services is ongoing and under discussion with the administration, I hope that this reflection can adequately answer some of SEEN’s questions. As a current school board member, I’m extremely proud to have approved the doubling of space for our Barrington Transition Program, which has gone from 10 students during the last academic year to 22 students this year. This program invests in our postsecondary students, ages 18 to 22, teaching life skills, such as doing laundry and chores, as well as academics and entrepreneurship. The students run their own business, selling Barrington- and Chicago-related items, and it’s amazing! 

As the district moves forward with changing the way we deliver special education services, it’s crucial that all special education stakeholders — educators, families, students, case managers, psychologists, social workers — feel heard. I recognize that for families, it’s already stressful to ensure that children with IEPs or 504s are getting the customized education and resources they need so that they can thrive at school and beyond. It’s my hope that we make this process, especially when there are changes, as smooth and communicative as possible. 

As a district, we’ve always prided ourselves on giving students and families a plethora of options so that we can, as our mission statement says, “Empower personal excellence in every learner.” We’re fortunate to have parents and families and community members who are passionate about education, especially special education, and want to get involved. If there’s one thing I’ve learned that’s crucial to being an effective board member, it’s collaboration — with families, students, educators, community members and with fellow board members — and I hope collaboration sits at the core of all we do. 

Thank you, 

Erin Chan Ding

Member of the Barrington 220 Board of Education