When Hinsdale Central Principal Is Retiring

HINSDALE, IL – Hinsdale Central High School Principal Bill Walsh is on the retirement track.

He plans to leave the district on June 30, 2027.

Last year, the school board approved a three-year contract for Walsh. According to the agreement, he will get annual 6 percent raises because he submitted an "irrevocable" notice of retirement.

Walsh, who became principal in 2016, has worked at the school since 1999, starting as a business teacher, according to his LinkedIn page.

Walsh did not return an emailed message for comment Tuesday.

In many Illinois schools, including District 86, teachers negotiate for 6 percent pay hikes annually for their final four years as long as they submit irrevocable notices of retirement.

Salaries for teachers and administrators in their final years are a big factor in how much they make during retirement.

The practice of 6 percent raises – which critics call "pension spiking" – is common around the state. That's largely because the state, not individual school districts, picks up the employer's share of pension costs.

Next school year, Walsh is set to receive $208,717.

On the school board's agenda for Thursday, members are set to vote on administrators' salaries for next school year.

Here are the proposed salaries, from highest to lowest:

• Michael Lach, superintendent: $263,670
• Josh Stephenson, chief financial officer: $225,931
• Bill Walsh, Central principal: $208,717
• Kari Smith, assistant superintendent of student services: $200,389
• Keith Bockwoldt, chief information officer: $199,191
• Kari Peronto, South principal: $197,494
• Jodi Bryant, assistant superintendent of HR: $196,460
• Alex Mayster, director of communications: $157,659