2 Lyons Township HS Educators Retiring In 6 Years

LA GRANGE, IL – It may seem odd in many occupations to give retirement notice six years early.

But that's the way it sometimes works at Lyons Township High School.

Just in time for an Oct. 1 deadline, counselor Alexander Ip and English teacher Gretchen Kulat informed the school that they would retire at the end of the 2030-31 school year. That would be more than halfway through the next U.S. president's term.

Under the teachers union contract, the educators' letters are considered irrevocable. Patch obtained the letters through a public records request; the school said no others were turned in by the Oct. 1 deadline.

With their letters six years early, Ip and Kulat will get 3 percent raises annually. That applies to all their compensation, including for extra duties such as activities, according to the contract.

And the school will pay their full individual health insurance premium to the Teachers Retirement System until they are eligible for Medicare.

In Illinois, the last four years are crucial for determining the amount of pensions, a system that critics call pension-spiking.

The state pays the employer portion of teacher pensions, so local districts don't feel the long-term direct effect of the end-of-career raises.

Some suggest shifting the employer's cost of pensions to local districts, so they can be held accountable for salary decisions.