Hinsdale D86 Turnover? 'Deeply Concerning,' Candidate Says

HINSDALE, IL – The coming departure of a top Hinsdale High School District 86 official has sparked a social media debate.

On Monday night, the Lisle School District 202 board approved Jason Markey, District 86's assistant superintendent for academics, as its new assistant superintendent starting July 1. His pay will be about the same.

In a post on the "D86 Strong" Facebook page, Burr Ridge resident Yvonne Mayer, a longtime critic of the school board, wrote about the list of high-profile departures since mid-2023 in District 86.

She also referred to the teachers union's call last year for board President Catherine Greenspon's ouster.

She asked school board candidates for their views.

In response, candidate Liz Mitha of Darien said she disliked the turnover.

"The continued leadership turnover at D86 is deeply concerning; when senior leadership departs for a lateral position with effectively flat pay, that usually indicates that he/she is dissatisfied with an organization," she said.

Among other things, she encouraged the board to invite the Illinois Association of School Boards to conduct training in effective governance.

Another candidate, Bobby Fischer of Hinsdale, said Lisle was lucky to have Markey. He thanked Markey for his hard work.

Fischer said that in his business career, he finds that organizational changes, including departures, often reflect "strategic realignment and rigorous performance management rather than problems."

"I’d need much more information to know how many of the above departures were, in hindsight, favorable for our taxpayers and our students," Fischer said. "I'm quite interested in what the board can do to strengthen our leadership pipeline, particularly at the department chair level where curriculum expertise directly impacts student success."

In the original version of his Facebook post, Fischer said he fully supported Greenspon's leadership, saying she has consistently put students first, worked tirelessly and earned the support of the district's 54,000 voters.

He also said the same goes for board members Jeff Waters and Asma Akhras. Greenspon and the other two members are the only ones who are set to remain after the April 1 election.

In a later edited version of his post, Fischer said he disagreed with some of Greenspon's decisions and did not have all the facts on who he would support as the next board president.

He left untouched his statement about Greenspon's hard work and her earning voters' backing.

"I think we all should support the elected members of the Board, because we have a lot of work to do and will do that work best as a united team," Fischer said.

Last year, Greenspon was re-elected by her colleagues for a second year as board president. It was the first such unanimous vote for president in four years.

Before her re-election, the board had six presidents in five years – Bill Carpenter, Nancy Pollak, Kevin Camden, Terri Walker, Erik Held and Greenspon.

Greenspon's term expires in 2027.

Besides Fischer and Mitha, the other candidates for the four four-year seats are Warren Ali, Andrew Catton, Mary Satchwell and Baron Leacock.

Waters is running unopposed for the two-year seat.

In Illinois, school board members are unpaid.