HINSDALE, IL – The superintendent for Hinsdale High School District 86 was put on administrative leave starting Wednesday under an agreement approved Thursday night.
Michael Lach's leave will last through June 30, the date he plans to retire.
He is to get his normal pay and benefits during the rest of his time with the district.
The pact includes no clause that prohibits either side from disparaging the other, a provision often seen in such agreements.
The board approved the two-page "retirement agreement" with Lach near the end of its monthly meeting.
Members did not discuss the pact, other than a couple of them quickly thanking Lach for his service. No one mentioned that his last day was next week and that Thursday was his last meeting.
Board President Catherine Greenspon asked the district's staff to post the agreement online.
The district had kept the agreement under wraps until the meeting.
Lach's successor is Chip Pettit, who is the superintendent for northwest Indiana's Duneland School Corporation, a public district.
Pettit told the Duneland board that he would start next Thursday at District 86, according to a May 5 story from Indiana's Post-Tribune newspaper.
The board has yet to publicly acknowledge that fact. Members did not return messages for comment Thursday.
Shortly after the vote, District 86 issued a public statement saying the agreement was to "facilitate the transition for incoming district leadership."
The statement congratulated Lach on his retirement, gave appreciation for his service and wished him well in his future endeavors.
The statement said Lach was "looking forward to continuing to cheer for the Hornets, Red Devils, and entire Hinsdale community, though happily he will now do so from retirement."
Earlier in the meeting, the board recognized the district's retirees, including Lach.
Greenspon said the district needed stability when Lach arrived after a year of interim superintendents.
"Superintendent Lach has done so, and he has done it with kindness and generosity," she said.
She noted his three decades of experience in education, including at the federal level.
Lach said it was an honor to serve the district and that he was grateful and appreciative to families, teachers and administrators.
"I have a vacation planned and nothing else, and I have been very much looking forward to that," Lach said.
Over the last few years, the district has seen a lot more administrative turnover than its neighbors. The district itself acknowledged the problem in 2024 before Lach took the helm.
Last August, Lach announced he would retire June 30, a year early under his three-year contract.
In an internal February email, Greenspon told administrators that Lach would work remotely four days a week with limited duties.
The changes to his employment were kept secret from the public until Patch reported on them in April.
Under Pettit's agreement with District 86, the incoming superintendent can work on certain issues before he arrives July 1. He makes $1,267 a day.
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