ELMHURST, IL – Fifteen Elmhurst School District 205 teachers are set to retire at the end of the 2029-30 school year.
They submitted letters about their intention to retire by the Aug. 15 deadline. Another 14 did so a year earlier, informing the district they would retire at the end of 2028-29.
With this notice, the teachers are entitled to the 6 percent annual raises for four years under the teachers union contract.
Patch obtained the latest retiree lists through a public records request.
Here are the teachers retiring in 2030:
Here are the teachers retiring after 2029:
In 2024, Patch reported that 19 teachers were set to retire in 2028. A year earlier, the district's list showed 13 were retiring in 2027.
In Illinois, the last four years are crucial for determining pension amounts. Critics call the end-of-career raises "pension spiking."
The state pays the employer portion of teacher pensions, so local districts don't feel the long-term financial effect of giving end-of-career raises.
Some suggest shifting the employer's pension costs to local districts, so they can be held accountable for their salary decisions.
Many teachers union contracts in Illinois feature annual 6 percent end-of-career raises.
Sign up for free local newsletters and alerts for the
Elmhurst Patch
Patch.com is the nationwide leader in hyperlocal news.
Visit Patch.com to find your town today.