The average Elmhurst District 205 administrator earned $130,801 during the 2024-25 school year, roughly $32,000 more than the average teacher's $98,766 salary, according to Illinois State Board of Education data.
That 32.4% gap lands as D205 opens the 2026-27 school year with interim principals at both York High School and Sandburg Middle School, after two building leaders left for other jobs too late in the hiring cycle for the district to find permanent replacements.
How D205 compares statewide
The gap is narrower than the Illinois average. Statewide, teacher pay grew faster than administrator pay over the five years ending in 2024-25: teacher salaries rose 15.3% compared with an 11.1% increase for administrators, according to ISBE data cited in Illinois Valley Times reporting.
Nearly 3,900 teaching positions remained unfilled across Illinois during the 2024-25 school year, and 87% of school leaders reported difficulty hiring teachers, according to statewide workforce surveys.
Interim leadership at two schools
York's previous principal, Jessica Hurt, left to become director of high school curriculum at Indian Prairie School District 204 effective July 1, 2026. Her departure came after the typical administrator hiring season had ended.
"Recruiting and hiring a new high school principal ideally takes place earlier in the school year to attract the highest quality candidate," Superintendent Keisha Campbell said at the board's May 6 special meeting, explaining why the district opted for interim leadership rather than rushing a permanent hire.
The board voted 6-0 that night to appoint Dr. Linda Yonke and Stephan Bild as co-interim principals at York for 2026-27. Yonke earns $1,300 per day; Bild earns $1,100 per day. A full search for a permanent principal is expected to begin this fall, with a hire effective July 1, 2027.
At Sandburg, principal Joshua Louis informed the district in May that he was leaving for a principal's job elsewhere. The board appointed Michael Boraz, who previously oversaw 28 schools in Chicago Public Schools, as Sandburg's interim principal in July. Retired assistant principal Jeff Gail was also brought back at $525 per day for 50 days to help with the transition.
Board member Courtenae Trautmann acknowledged the community's unease at the July 14 meeting: "It provides angst in our community about what it looks like."
Pay raises approved for 2026-27
At its May 19 meeting, the D205 board approved a 2.7% raise for administrators and a 3% increase for non-union hourly employees. The district described the compensation plan as part of efforts to attract and retain staff, and also raised substitute teacher pay and starting hourly rates for administrative assistants and food service workers.
On June 23, the board approved a new four-year collective bargaining agreement with SEIU Local 73, which the district said would help attract and retain employees while remaining fiscally responsible.
D205 holds the state's top financial rating of "Recognition" as of its FY2025 audit reviewed at the March 24 board meeting. The district serves more than 8,500 students in grades PreK-12.
