As the newly-installed Director of Student Information at Barrington School District in suburban Chicago (IL), a district with 9,000 students and 13 schools, Phil Hintz has an added challenge to an already impossible situation—discover unprecedented solutions in an entirely new environment.
In this conversation with eSchool News, Phil details how the district is reinventing itself through data collection, making tough logistical decisions, and inspiring both faculty and parents to stretch their imaginations when it comes to instruction.
ESN: What a year to be the new guy.
PH: Five days in! it’s a different role that allows me to do different things than I’ve done before. For the past 14 years, I was in the CTO role and had to manage all of the technology. Now I’m only managing an aspect of technology for the school district, which is pretty awesome.
ESN: So how is planning going?
PH: We already sent a survey to our parents in the spring asking them, “How do you feel about going back to school? What are your thoughts?” And from that survey, we realized that about 80 percent of our parents want their kids to physically be in school.
- eSchool News Live @InstructureCon25 - July 23, 2025
- ISTE25 Takeaways—BBC Studios Launches Free Global Education Platform to Support Teachers, Students, and Families - July 23, 2025
- ISTE25 Takeaways—Bloomz Unveils Immersive Translation and Conversational AI to Simplify and Strengthen the School-Home Connection - July 22, 2025