Who Is Retiring At Hinsdale Central, South

HINSDALE, IL – Seven Hinsdale High School District 86 teachers have turned in their retirement letters indicating they plan to leave by the end of the 2027-28 school year.

Here are the names of the retiring educators and the dates they submitted their retirement letters last year:

• Jim Dickerson (Dec. 12), South counselor and head boys cross country and track coach
• Mary Kay Doorhy (Dec. 27), Central math teacher
• Steve Edsey (Aug. 14), Central dean of students
• Paul Faeh (Nov. 7), South social studies teacher
• Nancy Harper (Dec. 20), Central special education teacher
• Julie May (Nov. 25), Central science department chair
• Jeff Waterman (March 15), South social studies teacher

It may seem strange in many occupations to give retirement notice so early.

But like teachers union contracts in many Illinois school districts, District 86's offers 6 percent annual salary increases for teachers' final four years.

To make this happen, teachers must turn in irrevocable letters of retirement. District 86's deadline for the 2027-28 year was Jan. 1.

The pay range for the seven employees last school year was $112,193 to $141,894. With four years of 6 percent hikes, the highest-paid employee's salary is slated to rise to $179,135 in that time.

In Illinois, the last four years are crucial for determining the amount of pensions, a system that critics call pension-spiking.

The state pays the employer portion of teacher pensions, so local districts don't feel the long-term direct effect of their end-of-career raises. Some suggest shifting the employer's cost of pensions to local districts, so they can be held accountable for their salary decisions.

A year ago, Patch reported the 2023 batch of letters from those who plan to retire at the end of the 2026-27 school year:

• Jarrod Amolsch, South physical education teacher
• Aimee Barranco, South special education teacher
• Jennifer Cummings, Central French teacher
• Matt Doll, Central math teacher
• Jim Kupres, Central social worker
• Amy Piccoli, South Spanish teacher
• John Schlamann, Central math and computer science teacher

Both years, Patch obtained the retirement letters through a public records request with the district.