'Deteriorated' Routines At Hinsdale D86: New Leader

HINSDALE, IL – Hinsdale High School District 86 has had five interim superintendents since May 2023, and that has had an effect, the new permanent superintendent said Thursday.

Superintendent Michael Lach, who started July 1, told the board that he has "tons of respect" for the interim superintendents.

"But I also recognize that there is only so much that interim superintendents can do," he said. "My sense in the past year... that some of the management routines have deteriorated. We're going to build those back up, so everyone feels supported."

In recent months, the lines of communication in District 86's upper ranks have been muddled at times, spilling out into public view.

Examples include the issues of early bird physical education, honors biology and off-campus lunch at Hinsdale South.

In April, the teachers union accused the school board of micromanaging administrators. Other critics of the board have leveled the same accusation.

But in his statement at Thursday's board meeting, Lach seemed to back up the board.

"Given a lot of the changes in the last year and the challenges, I'm not surprised that the board has chosen to lean in on some of the district issues," Lach said. "The elected officials are ultimately accountable."

In May 2023, the board decided behind closed doors to suspend then-Superintendent Tammy Prentiss. A month later, the board struck an agreement with Prentiss for her ouster, giving her an extra year's salary of $277,000.