Former Superintendent Hector Garcia was District 181's highest-paid employee during the 2025-26 school year, earning $350,566.

Garcia, who led the roughly 3,500-student elementary district since July 2018, retired at the end of the 2025-26 school year. The salary figure, which includes retirement enhancements, was first reported by Patch on Oct. 19.

Of the district's 20 highest-paid employees, 17 were administrators, not classroom teachers. Only three were teachers.

That ratio tracks with broader compensation patterns in the district. In the 2024-25 school year, the average D181 administrator earned $134,705, while the average teacher earned $102,583, according to the Illinois State Board of Education. The DuPage Policy Journal reported that gap at 31.3%.

Garcia's successor, Jim Wipke, started as superintendent on July 1 under a five-year contract approved 7-0 by the D181 board in December 2025. Wipke's first-year salary is $270,000, plus a $20,000 signing bonus, according to the Chicago Tribune. That puts him roughly $80,000 below Garcia's final-year compensation.

Wipke came from the Ladue School District outside St. Louis, where he earned $264,000 as of the prior school year, according to Patch. The Ladue district serves more than 4,000 students across eight schools. District 181 has seven elementary schools and two middle schools, feeding into Hinsdale High School District 86.

At the Sept. 14 board meeting, Wipke outlined his priorities for the 2026-27 school year: academic success, organizational excellence, operational integrity and a culture of community and safety. He told the board the district would soon begin a comprehensive strategic planning process.

"Listening to others' insights has allowed me to clearly identify and streamline our immediate priorities," Wipke said at the Sept. 14 meeting, as The Hinsdalean reported on Sept. 24.

Patch noted that some employees on the top-20 list may have since retired or moved to other positions. District 181 Board President Bill Cotter said in December 2025 that Wipke stood out among 34 applicants for the superintendent job.

Hinsdale education week ahead

No District 181 board meetings or public hearings for the coming week were identified in available public records as of publication. Families can check the district website at d181.org for updated meeting schedules and public comment sign-up information.