Hinsdale Township High School District 86 taxpayers are looking at a nearly balanced budget for the coming fiscal year: $146.86 million in projected revenue against $146.60 million in expenses, a razor-thin $260,000 surplus.

Chief Financial Officer Josh Stephenson presented the fiscal year 2027 tentative budget at the board's Thursday, June 25 meeting, a session that ran more than four and a half hours. The board also approved a wage adjustment schedule for administrative assistants and science lab aides and signed off on the 2026-2027 student handbook.

Vote counts on those approvals were not included in the district's official board briefs. Full meeting minutes had not been posted as of Tuesday, July 1.

Nvidia pilot still on hold

The district's proposed partnership with Nvidia, which would give Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South students access to AI tools and coursework not available at the high school level, remains stalled over a data privacy agreement. The district said the pilot could return to the board in late summer or early fall, pending resolution of data security, cost, and evaluation questions.

Board member Jeff Waters said the district needs to communicate "aggressively" about the pilot, citing what he called "misinformation and uninformed comments on social media with respect to the need for a bidding process." Board President Catherine Greenspon said no bidding process is required because no money is changing hands.

The pilot has drawn scrutiny beyond the boardroom. Former board member Kay Gallo filed a complaint with the Illinois Attorney General's office in April, alleging the board violated the Open Meetings Act when it formed an Nvidia committee in February without adequate public notice. The attorney general's office confirmed it is investigating. No resolution or timeline has been reported.

Retaliation allegation

Near the end of the meeting, board member Liz Mitha, a Darien resident elected in April 2025, alleged she has experienced retaliation since the board's April 30 reorganization, when she was nominated for president but lost 5-2 to incumbent Greenspon.

"Over the last few months, I've experienced a shift in how I am treated as a board member," Mitha said. "Since the most recent reorganization, there's been a real disregard for my feedback and input, as well as a seeming intentional disregard for any questions or requests I share."

Mitha did not detail specific acts of retaliation at the public meeting but said she could present evidence.

Greenspon pushed back, saying disagreement is not the same as disregard, and that repeating a position does not compel others to agree.

Other board members said the allegation would be more appropriately discussed at the board's planned retreat on Tuesday, September 15.

New superintendent on the job

Dr. Chip Pettit officially joined the district as superintendent on Wednesday, July 1, six days after the meeting. Pettit, previously superintendent of Duneland School Corporation in Chesterton, Indiana, was approved by the board on Wednesday, February 4. He replaces Michael Lach, who departed the district in early June. In his superintendent's report at the June 25 meeting, Pettit highlighted summer capital projects, data-sharing agreements with feeder districts, and an expanded partnership with Argonne National Laboratory.

What's ahead

The board does not meet again until Tuesday, August 25. The self-evaluation session and the Mitha retaliation discussion were both pushed to the Tuesday, September 15 retreat.