District 210 human resources staff reported that the district hired 53 new employees for the 2025–26 school year and described recruitment strategies to address anticipated vacancies from retirements. The presentation highlighted both near-term hiring and longer-term succession concerns.
The HR presenter said the district’s recent hires cover teachers, support staff and administrators and that new-to-Lincoln Way teachers averaged about five years of experience. Staff noted that only four newly hired teachers were first-year, straight-out-of-college teachers; most new hires brought prior experience.
Officials emphasized a notable retirement pipeline: 47 teachers are currently identified as intending to retire in the coming years, and a substantial portion of current staff is in upper experience quartiles. HR staff said the district is tracking retirements by department and anticipates replacing teachers across subject areas in the next four years.
To address staffing needs, HR described ongoing recruitment through the district website, professional associations, and college job fairs. The presenter said the district has hosted student teachers from about 25 universities over the last four years, that Illinois State University has been a primary source of candidates, and that roughly 20% of student teachers have been hired by the district over the past three years. Staff said they will expand screening and application steps for student-teacher candidates and continue relationship-building with university partners.
Board members raised retention and succession questions, including mentorship and leadership pipelines for department chairs and building administrators. The HR presenter said the district has identified areas for development and that staff are working on plans for mentorship and targeted recruitment to fill anticipated vacancies, particularly in critical-need areas such as world languages and special education.
The HR report was informational; no formal board action was taken. The board asked staff to continue refining recruitment and retention efforts and to bring targeted recommendations as needed.