Two of the top employees at Oak Park and River Forest High School announced they’ll be retiring in four years.
On March 7, the District 200 Board of Education approved the notices from Principal Lynda Parker and Executive Director of Communications and Community Relations Karin Sullivan effective June 30, 2028.
Why put in for retirement a little more than four years from now?
Because at OPRF, administrators are allowed to take advantage of a provision in the faculty contract, which does not cover administrators. It permits educators who put in an irrevocable written notice of their retirement by March 1 up to four years before to the year of retirement to get 6% raises during those final years of their career.
Those above-average raises boost the pension that the retiring employee will receive because Illinois Teacher Retirement System pensions are based on the average of a worker’s highest paid years. The so-called “pension spike” is limited to 6% by the state.
Pension spikes are common in teachers’ contracts. School districts generally like them because they provide an incentive for highly paid veteran teachers to retire. The school district can then replace the highly paid retiring teachers with younger, cheaper teachers. Because the increased pension costs are covered by TRS and taxpayers, the school district pays the higher raises only during the final four years of an employee’s career.
A similar provision exists in the contract for Oak Park District 97 teachers.
School board President Tom Cofsky said that the board permits this arrangement because there are similarities between administrators and teachers.
“An administrator has a number of the rights and privileges of a teacher,” Cofsky said. “They’re subject to same pension group.”
Three OPRF staffers retiring this year have received the 6% bump in salary. Next year, one will. But in 2026, the numbers swell to 13. For 2027, it’s 14 and for 2027, it’s 15.
One reason for the jump is that teachers retiring in 2027 who are receiving the 6% raises had to agree to have their salary frozen for the 2021-22 school, and those getting the bump in 2028 agreed to have their salaries frozen for two years.
Parker’s salary is $185,610.20. Next year, she will earn $196,746.81. With the 6% raises compounded over four years, her final salary is calculated to be $234,339.95. She’ll be 56. Usually, TRS employees hired before 2011 must have worked 35 years and be at least 55 years old.
Parker said that she has not yet thought about what she will do in retirement.
“I love what I do,” Parker said.
As for Sullivan, she earns $130,402.83. OPRF pays for Sullivan’s employee pension contribution. But because Sullivan is not a certified staff member, she is not covered by TRS and instead is covered by the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, which covers mainly those who work for local government. IMRF workers pay into and receive Social Security. Sullivan will be 62 when she retires, and will receive a discounted IMRF pension. Under IMRF rules, employees are eligible to retire at 67 to receive a full pension. Sullivan has worked for OPRF since 2012 and worked for River Forest District 90 two years before that.
“Twelve years in and I still love my job,” Sullivan said. “But it’s feasible for me to go out at 62 and there are things I want to do and I’m going to do it.”
“I feel fortunate to have a pension,” Sullivan said. “That’s a retirement benefit of the past in most instances.”
Parker said that giving notice of her intent to retire four years in advance gives the district a long time to plan to replace her.
“I feel it’s important that we plan and make moves so that we’re prepared for the continued flourishing of our school,” Parker said. “So, I recognize that there’s young talent and individuals who probably have great ideas so I want to make sure that we’re preparing the way for that to happen.”