Hinsdale D86 Leader Says He's Leaving

HINSDALE, IL – The revolving door continues for Hinsdale High School District 86.

In an Aug. 7 letter to the school board, Superintendent Michael Lach, who took the helm 14 months ago, informed the board he was retiring next June 30.

He plans to leave after two years of a three-year contract.

The district has kept the letter under wraps for more than two weeks.

The letter appeared in the board's Tuesday meeting agenda, which was released early Friday evening. The board is set to vote on his notice to retire at the meeting.

In his letter, Lach promised a smooth transition and said he looked forward to working with the board.

"Being Superintendent of District 86 is a wonderful capstone for my career, and I am proud of the work we have done together," Lach wrote.

On Friday evening, Lach also emailed all employees. He pledged to continue to work hard on behalf of students and employees.

In January 2024, the board voted to hire Lach as superintendent, starting that July. He was formerly the assistant superintendent of curriculum for Highland Park-based Township School District 113.

In the year before he started, the district saw a quick succession of five interim superintendents. That followed the new board majority's ouster of Superintendent Tammy Prentiss in June 2023.

Since 2023, two assistant superintendents for academics have resigned, along with the assistant superintendent of human resources, the communications director, two school board members and other administrators.

After Hinsdale South's principal announced his pending departure in April 2024, the district acknowledged turnover was too high.

Summers are typically quiet for school systems, but that wasn't the case for District 86. Lach's announcement follows several controversies in recent months:

• The school district missed the opportunity to hire an assistant superintendent for academics for this school year, even though the former one gave five months' notice. This position is considered the district's second in command.
• Lach took the blame for the problems with the data for the disparity in course selection between Hinsdale South and Central. Board President Catherine Greenspon accused the district of releasing "intentionally vague data."
• Earlier this summer, school board members expressed frustration with Lach for not setting goals for the district fast enough. When he produced them a month later, members said they were nowhere near ambitious enough. He has presented a new set of goals for Tuesday's meeting.
• The attorney general's office issued a rare binding opinion ordering the district to release a letter from the district's former law firm, which was in a dispute over unpaid bills. The district fought disclosing the document. The attorney general only issues about 20 such rulings a year out of thousands of complaints.