Biography

Dr. Barnhart got his bachelor's degree in math education and his master’s degree at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. He then earned his PhD in Learning Processes at Northwestern University in Evanston.  Dr. Barnhart started as a high school math teacher at Avon Lake High School in Ohio. Dr. Barnhart told us that "the best job I ever had was as a teacher." While teaching high school, Dr. Barnhart coached the freshman volleyball and girls varsity softball teams as well as being the varsity assistant and head freshman boys basketball coach. 

Dr. Barnhart came to D101 25 years ago to be an interim principal at McClure. He then became the Superintendent of the district 22 years ago. Surprisingly, Dr. Barnhart never taught at an elementary school and McClure is the only junior high where he has worked.  When he looks back over his decades in D101, he said "I have done this a lot longer than I thought I would!"

Dr. Barnhart's family lives in Naperville in a home they built on land he and his wife purchased before he even knew he was going to work in Western Springs. They raised their twin sons in Naperville, but he said “I wish I could have raised my kids here [in Western Springs] so they could have come to D101 schools.”  

Dr. Barnhart still supports Cleveland sport teams and loves to play golf. Dr. Barnhart's dad was also a superintendent which greatly influenced his decision to become a superintendent. Dr. Barnhart's dad was also a school superintendent for 21 years. 

Conversation Topics

• Dr. Barnhart's Western Springs Story

  • Why Westerns Springs? "I love the vibrance of the Chicago area" and Western Springs is "no longer a secret; it's a destination."

  • Special memories? "Oh, Wow! I could probably fill up the rest of the class time with stories...the people here are the best!"

  • Why D101? "For 25 years, we've just had the coolest kids that do stuff that amazes us."

• What makes Western Springs Unique

  • "The feel here has not changed dramatically...this is still a place where it's amazing to grow up."

  • "I think we have established a relationship where we trust you and give you a chance."

  • "Culture is something you cultivate and something you form together because of relationships. I was worried that as the community became more affluent, then we might lose that. I am really proud that we have kept that."

• Changes Ahead

  • "As Western Springs becomes less and less of a secret, it needs to continue to be a place where you, as kids, are the priority of the community and the way people act makes that so." 

  • "Places are better when the people in the moment know that they are the caretakers of the history that came before them, because they are now creating the history that will be viewed in the future."

  • Planning has already begun for major changes by way of new school buildings: "All four of our buildings are 70-plus years old. In about 12 to 15 years, we're going to have to build all new buildings... We've done a pretty good job of keeping these places reasonable, but there's a lifespan and we've already exceeded that lifespan."

Western Springs Story

"What brought me to Western Springs was....chance." When he was an assistant superintendent in northwest Ohio, Dr. Barnhart and his wife decided that they did not want to start their family in Toledo, Ohio. So Dr. Barnhart sent resumes to schools in the Cleveland, Ohio area, where he's from, and to the Chicago area where his wife is from. They decided that Dr. Barnhart would take the "first decent job."  That job was to be the interim principal at McClure! Dr. Barnhart calls this choice a "leap of faith" because he gave up a 4-year contract in Ohio to take the one year job in Western Springs. That was 25 years ago and now he says this is a great example that “sometimes the decisions you don’t make are the best ones.” 

What Makes Western Springs Special

Dr. Barnhart’s earliest memory of Western Springs is when he first arrived for his interview to work at McClure Jr. High. While driving to his interview he passed right by McClure because he thought it was a run down storage building. Dr. Barnhart told us that until recently “our district was a dirt poor district”.  He told us that the people who lived in town, like John Laidlaw or E.P. McClure, would pay the teacher salaries out of their own pockets. Explaining how the finances of the district work, he shared that today "Nearly $.80 of every dollar we spend goes to pay the people that work in the district.” 

Dr. Barnhart then went on to say that he has so many D101 memories, that it would take too long to share all of them. One particular memory that affected him greatly and changed the course of his life was when he was four days away from leaving D101 to start a new job as the superintendent in another town. Instead, he was taken out to coffee and was offered the superintendent job here. He stayed for another 22 years in D101. 

Dr. Barnhart says that he thinks that the school district is an important part of the town. He says that the school district has proven to be amazing especially on its low budget and per student cost. He says that he is very proud of what has been accomplished over the years at the schools. This includes accomplishments of the hard working students and staff, the overall progress in the buildings such as getting computers in everybody's hands, and the three blue ribbons won by D101 schools while he has been the superintendent.

Something that Dr. Barnhart says makes this town unique from others is its small town feel and how it has stayed for a long time. He explained “the feel here has not changed dramatically.” He commented that when other towns grow they change in the way that they feel, but Western Springs has always been very vibrant. Something else that Dr. Barnhart thinks makes Western Springs different from other towns is how the families are very involved. Dr. Barnhart used to live in the Cleveland area. He says that Western Springs is different than Cleveland in the sense that the community is very close and very tied together.

Changes Seen in Western Springs

Western Springs has had to react to national events, too. Dr. Barnhart remembers the terrorist attacks on September 11. "On 9/11 when the towers came down," Dr. Barnhart told us, "I was principal at McClure, and that day I will never ever forget.” The second one was Covid. When Dr. Barnhart was sorting through some office files, he came across all kinds of plans of how to deal with swine flu from 2009. He was surprised by the plans already discussed to deal with an outbreak like that and how similar that was to what happened with Covid.

Dr. Barnhart feels like the youth are the number one priority for the town, and he wants that to stay the same. Since the town is very safe, he wants it to stay that way and for everyone to be able to go out with no worries. 

Other changes and aspects of Western Springs that makes the town so special that Dr. Barnhart has seen include:

• District finances have improved and Western Springs wealth has risen over the years with a current average home price of $675,000.

• The families of Western Springs have always taken great pride in being involved in the community and taking care of it. Running activities, caring for neighbors, and wanting everyone to have opportunities is part of what makes this town extra special.

• The  district has gone from having very little technology and no computers when Dr. Barnhart first came here 25 years ago to putting technology in the hands of every student.

• As Western Springs becomes less and less of a secret, it needs to continue to be a place where kids are the priority of the community.

Describe Western Springs in 3 Words

• Welcoming - Western Springs is great for new families and doesn't judge people.

• Friendly - Many people in Western Springs are very friendly and work to build a community feeling.

• Impressive - Very big houses, cool buildings, and strong education goals.

Artists' Sketches

Bonus Tracks

Dr. Barnhart was gracious enough to make time for an additional conversation with a second Curious City: Western Springs class. Here were some of the highlights from that conversation.

What Does a Superintendent Do?

Dr. Barnhart taught us that being a superintendent isn’t the same kind of job in every district. In D101, Dr. Barnhart oversees all four of the schools in D101, works with the staff, his administrative team, and the Board of Education, and oversees the finances of the entire district.  Dr. Barnhart told us, “When it comes down to it, I’ve always thought that my most important jobs are keeping the moral arrow straight and narrow, hiring great people, and working with our Board.” 

Dr. Barnhart explained what he sees as the two biggest differences between being a superintendent and a building principal. The biggest difference, he said, is that he doesn’t get much interaction with the kids. Instead, he works on more of the things that students don’t see on a daily basis like the money that the district spends and receives. The second difference is that he has a little more control over his time because the things he works on don’t usually need an answer right away like the questions that principals deal with every day.

Being the superintendent is challenging, though. Two of the hardest things Dr. Barnhart has to do as a superintendent is to lay off staff and deal with tough events in the lives of  students, staff, and families.

Dr. Barnhart recommends becoming a superintendent to those who have a passion for education and mathematics. He told us that you not only need to have passion for teaching, but you also have to be good with numbers and understanding finances. You also have to make peace with the fact that you will likely never strike it rich: “You can make a living. You can raise a family. But you’re not going to get rich!”

“Sometimes the decisions you don’t make are the best ones.”  - Dr. Brian Barnhart, 2024

What Do Uncrustables & Dunkin’ Have in Common?  

Talking to Dr. Barnhart was such a memorable experience! Dr. Barnhart shared so much information about himself, the district, and Western Springs that we didn’t know before. When we asked what seemed like off topic questions, he shared some funny stories that also made us think about how much things have changed in the last 25 years.

When we asked Dr. Barnhart about favorite D101 traditions and memories like fun lunch, he shared information about himself that sparked some interesting conversations. One of these special things is Uncrustables and Dunkin’ coffee. Dr. Barnhart said, “I used to go down to the McClure vending machine in the lower level and buy my own Uncrustable when it was lunch or not. Like I was addicted to those things.” Dr. Barnhart was astonished when we told him that Nutella Uncrustables are a thing! We noticed that he was drinking Starbucks and somehow that led to him telling us that one of his favorite treats used to be “Dunkin’ coffee with that amazing cream.” Although Uncrustables and the Dunkin’ coffee are comfort foods, Dr. Barnhart rarely has them anymore because they are not very healthy.

Dr. Barnhart told us that he doesn’t have a favorite school in the district because he loves them all. Dr. Barnhart does have special memories from each building. At McClure, one of his favorite memories was teaching an elective called “When Am I Ever Going to Use This Stuff?” Before the new district offices were built, Dr. Barnhart’s office was at Field Park.  Whenever he was feeling down or stressed, he would go into the kindergarten classroom right next door and it would brighten his day.

We think that Dr. Barnhart was so open and honest with us because it’s his last year as superintendent and he wants to share all that he has learned, seen, and done. After he retires, Dr. Barnhart is going to spend a few months playing golf and traveling and then he’ll figure out what to do next. He doesn’t expect to work in the district, though, because change is important for everyone. Enjoy your time off, Dr. Barnhart. We’ll miss you!

Citations

Barnhart, Brian. Personal Interview. 27 Feb. 2024.

Barnhart, Brian. Personal Interview. 29 Feb. 2024.