Hinsdale D86 Reveals New Superintendent

HINSDALE, IL – The Hinsdale High School District 86 board has yet to vote on a new superintendent.

But the district is already calling an official in another district the new superintendent.

In a public statement Tuesday evening, the district revealed that Michael Lach, assistant superintendent of curriculum for Highland Park-based Township District 113, is taking the helm.

A vote is set for Wednesday's special board meeting.

In District 113, Lach answers to Superintendent Bruce Law, who held the same position in District 86 for more than six years before leaving in 2019. Law is retiring this summer.

District 113, which serves high school students, recorded an enrollment of 3,145 last school year. District 86 is more than 20 percent larger, with 3,850 students.

Lach became an assistant superintendent in District 113 in 2019. Before that, he worked for the University of Chicago as the director of STEM and strategic initiatives for eight years. (STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math.)

From 2009 to 2012, Lach was the special assistant for science, math, engineering and technology education for the U.S. Department of Education.

From 2006 to 2009, he was the director of math and science and then the officer of high school teaching and learning for the Chicago Public Schools.

Lach has his doctorate in education from the University of Illinois Chicago, his master's degree in education from Columbia University in New York and a bachelor's degree in physics from Carleton College in Minnesota.

According to the district's statement, the school board will introduce Lach at 5 p.m. Thursday during a welcome reception in Hinsdale Central High School's library. The regular board meeting follows at 6:30 p.m.

Lach is coming to a district that, in the space of eight months, saw the ouster of a superintendent, the departure of an interim superintendent, the exits of two frustrated board members and a pair of controversies involving basketball programs.

Editor's note: An original version of this story stated that Township School District 113 serves elementary and middle school students. It actually serves high school students.