Hinsdale D86 Leader Fades From Public View, Misses Meetings

HINSDALE, IL – Hinsdale High School District 86 employs a superintendent who makes $264,000 a year. But he is dropping from public view.

Superintendent Michael Lach, who started in 2024 and is retiring in June, has been a no-show for months during the school board's committee meetings, according to minutes.

During a 2½-hour board meeting last week, Lach sat next to the board's president, Catherine Greenspon. But he remained silent while other administrators spoke during the lengthy session.

Officials mentioned the incoming superintendent, Chip Pettit, more than 20 times during the meeting. No one referred to Lach.

Perhaps the starkest indicator of Lach's lack of involvement is the committee meetings.

Until Oct. 1, Lach attended nearly all meetings of the Academic, Finance, Policy, Human Resources, and Availability and Opportunity committees.

Since then, meeting minutes available on the district's website indicate that he has attended none.

On Aug. 22, Lach announced his retirement as of June 30. This followed several controversies over the summer, which Patch documented at the time.

Despite his announcement, Lach continued to attend committee meetings for more than a month afterward.

Records show that his last such attendance was at the Oct. 1 meeting of the Availability and Opportunity Committee. The minutes for the latest committee meetings have not been posted online yet.

Lach and Greenspon have not returned Patch's messages.

He has continued to attend regular board meetings.

Early last month, the board unanimously appointed Chip Pettit, a superintendent in northwest Indiana, for the same role in District 86, starting July 1.

A few days later, the board amended the contract to let Pettit work $1,267 a day over the next few months, with Greenspon's approval.

At a board meeting last month, members directed administrators other than Lach to work with Pettit on a strategy to deal with AI.

During last week's meeting, board members requested that specific administrators, not including Lach, cooperate with Pettit on next year's staffing.

The board's public notes on the meeting said the district would work with Pettit to "temporarily pause hiring and filling vacancies, review proposed reductions and their potential impact on students and return with a plan" at the board's March 26 meeting.

The board also asked two administrators, not including Lach, to work with Pettit on handling a consultant's recommendations for efficiency in the Transition Center.