11th-Hour Perk For Retiring Hinsdale D86 Official On Table

HINSDALE, IL – The Hinsdale High School District 86 board is poised to make a last-minute change to a retiring official's contract, so he can get a higher-than-usual raise.

Thursday is the last day for Keith Bockwoldt, the district's chief information officer.

On that same day, the board plans to vote on amending Bockwoldt's contract to pave the way for a 6 percent pay raise for his last contract year. As of last school year, he made $193,000.

Under the contract's previous wording, Bockwoldt would have been required to provide written notice of retirement at least one year in advance. He apparently did not do that.

Six percent is not an arbitrary number.

In many Illinois schools, including District 86, teachers negotiate 6 percent pay hikes annually for their final four years, provided they submit irrevocable notices of retirement.

Salaries for teachers and administrators in their final years are a big factor in how much they make during retirement.

The practice of 6 percent raises – which critics call "pension spiking" – is common around the state. That's largely because the state, not individual school districts, picks up the employer's share of pension costs.

If raises are above 6 percent in teachers' and administrators' final years, local districts must pick up the state's extra pension costs.

During a February board meeting, a critic listed a dozen administrators and board members who have left the district or announced their retirements since Catherine Greenspon became the board's president in May 2023.

Bockwoldt objected to the inclusion of his name. He said his departure had nothing to do with the board.

"I'm leaving because it's time to retire. I'm 64 years old now," he said. "We've lost some family members in the last year. It makes you rethink your life. When people use my name in public, they're not speaking for me. I speak for myself."

Before going to District 86, Bockwoldt served as the technology director for Arlington Heights-based Township High School District 214, according to his LinkedIn page.