An agreement is on the board's meeting agenda for Thursday.
Teachers give their retirement letters years early, so they can get 6 percent increases.
"Greed and prejudice" guide the staffing of South and Central high schools, a longtime watchdog said.
One member called it a "conundrum." Several pushed lower South class sizes.
South is still on the short end of the stick. The district, however, says the schools' offerings are "remarkably similar."
Smaller class sizes can lead to higher achievement, the state says.
Hinsdale District 181's rate is near the state average.
Central and South are in the ballpark of similarly wealthy schools in the area.
The board rejected its former firm's August bill and hasn't even voted on September's.
The district historically conceals the South-Central gap, the critic said.
For months, the school district's attorney costs were abnormally high.
American Sign Language is being added to Central's curriculum, the school board decided.
Nine firms vied to replace the one that terminated its relationship with the district.
A Hinsdale District 86 official called the new tax district "pretty fantastic."
One was shown the door at Lyons Township High School after a land sale controversy.
The board plans to hear presentations from three of the nine firms.
Just 2 percent of the district's students come from low-income families, according to state data.
The district cited two exceptions to the state's public records law.
The records reveal a personnel investigation at Hinsdale Central in August.
District 86 directly confronted a downward trend, while Elmhurst's district ignored its own.
The bus company learned of the misconduct, but did not tell the district, a lawyer alleged.
Nine years of documents were taken offline from a popular public records portal.
The district is on track to spend nearly $250 per student on lawyers.
The board member said he wanted "to continue this great work."
The district's law firm told officials why it wanted to cut ties.
The doors opened after the facility passed a state inspection, an official said.
His education career spans 34 years. Before Hinsdale, he headed Plano's schools.
The district's explanation for designating an acting superintendent last year was unclear.
The elimination was the result of a change in procedures last year, the district said.
Requiring students to keep their phones in lockers would be an "uphill battle," the superintendent said.
No recordings can be taken before or after meetings, unless everyone agrees, the district said.
The district released information on District 86's highest-paid teachers and administrators.
The school board is secretive about the law firm's status. The latest information came through a public records request.
Over the years, the board has raised the tax levy by the maximum allowed under state law.
The latest monthly bill was more than $75,000. At that rate, annual legal spending would exceed $900,000.
The superintendent doesn't like seeing "our attorneys on the front page of the newspaper."
The principal doesn't want to smell a bunch of "sweaty high schoolers," the leader said.
An official said he didn't want to overpromise, but it appears the project is on track.
Board members are silent about the district's current law firm. But they apparently want a new lawyer, possibly one hired in-house.
Off-duty officers will be at the school through the end of the week to make sure students feel safe, the principal said.