How Much Hinsdale D86 Inquiry Cost

ELMHURST, IL – Hinsdale High School District 86 spent nearly $40,000 last year on the investigation into then-Superintendent Tammy Prentiss' handling of an anti-racist consultant, according to public records.

Recently, former Board President Erik Held, whose term expired in May, filed a public records request for documents showing the costs of the inquiry. The district paid $39,810 to its usual law firm, Itasca-based Hodges Loizzi.

The payments were for work on the investigation from March to October last year.

Asked why he sought the documents, Held told Patch in an email, "I believe the public has a right to know what we spent on the investigation overall last year, proving that it was substantive and not just a cursory review of the situation."

The investigation came to the public's attention in January. That was when the board's majority amended Prentiss' contract to prevent her from being fired over the report from the investigation.

Patch then sought the report through a public records request, but the district denied it, citing attorney-client privilege.

In May, a new board opposed to Prentiss took office. Even under its leadership, the district has kept the document secret.

No law forbids the release of the document, but the board does have the legal option to keep it under wraps because of attorney-client privilege.

In May, the board hired a special counsel to look into Prentiss, but it is unclear what the investigation entailed.

Prentiss' handling of the anti-racist consultant in January 2022 outraged many in the community. Kay Gallo, who was elected to the board in April, led a petition movement calling for Prentiss' ouster, largely based on the controversy.

Last month, the board entered a severance agreement with Prentiss. She is no longer the superintendent, but will get her full year's salary of $277,000 through March 2024.