$105K-A-Year Argo Official Works Remotely, Part Time

SUMMIT, IL – Starting in July, Argo Community High School will have two human resources administrators making six figures, one of whom will be part time and allowed to work remotely.

Nicole Wasko, now the assistant principal of student experiences, is set to make $190,000 starting July 1 in her new role as assistant superintendent of human resources.

At the same time, Greg Dietz will continue in his part-time role as director of human resources, making $105,000 a year, or $175 an hour.

The job is designated as a remote, part-time job in which he can work no more than 599 hours, which equals about 75 workdays. He gets no benefits. He has a similar arrangement now.

That will be a total of $295,000 in salaries for the two-employee human resources department. That's compared to nearby Lyons Township High School, which pays three employees a total of $329,000. With about 1,800 students, Argo's enrollment is less than half of Lyons Township's.

According to his LinkedIn page, Dietz was Argo's interim assistant superintendent of human resources from 2021 to 2023. He has been in the director's post since 2023.

In an email to Patch, Superintendent William Toulios said Dietz's contract allows him to work remotely, but doesn't mandate it.

"Due to certain situations, his presence is needed in person, including for investigations and negotiating three collective bargaining agreements. Greg performs that work in person," Toulios said. "This remote work arrangement allowed the district to attract someone with such extensive experience to work on a part-time basis."

With 450 employees, one part-time administrator was not enough, he said.

In January, the board approved a three-year employment agreement for Dietz, but the board's agenda did not list Dietz's name or the position. It was labeled as "Approval for IMRF Administrator #615 Renewal for July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2028." IMRF refers to the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, which is the pension system for non-educational employees in schools.

Dietz, who agreed not to take part in IMRF, already gets a $171,468-a-year pension with the Teachers Retirement System. According to the system, Dietz retired at 56 after 35 years of work. He put in $393,597 to the system during his working years, while he has collected $628,755 so far since retiring, according to the pension system.

Responding to Patch's inquiry, Dietz said he has been a part-time Argo administrator since 2021. He said his limit of 599 hours a year saves the school its contributions to the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, amounting to about $9,500 a year.

Under his contract, the school gives Dietz an extra $7,200 for not participating in its health, dental and vision insurance plans.

"I receive no paid sick days, no personal business days, no paid vacation days, and no cell phone reimbursement as do other Argo administrators," Dietz said in his email to Patch.

The $7,200 is a board-approved benefit for all administrators who choose not to use the school's health insurance. It's similar to the $5,250 given to teachers, teacher's aides, custodians and other support staff who do not take the benefit, he said.

As for his remote role, Dietz noted the provision in his contract in which he must work in person whenever the superintendent requests it.

Wasko's job as assistant principal of student experiences is being dissolved, Dietz said. Some of her duties will go to other administrators, while others will be assigned to teachers who are paid for extra assignments, he said.

Dietz said he has been a public school administrator in the Chicago suburbs for 30 years. He is in his 21st year as the chief human resources official in a school district.

He said he helped found the Illinois Association of School Personnel Administrators and received the Outstanding Contributions Award in 2019 from the American Association for Employment in Education.

Check other Patch stories about issues in Argo Community High School:

• 'Sextpanthe' On Argo High Leader's Credit Card
• Ex-Argo Union Leader Gets $266K Settlement
• Argo High School Worker Tells Off Bosses About Spending