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HR Committee endorses tiered athletics staffing framework, recommends small stipend and FTE adjustments
Summary
The Hinsdale Township High School District 86 HR Committee reviewed a new four-tier, risk-based Athletics & Activities Staffing Framework on April 15, recommending program-specific coach adjustments and a net increase of one full-time equivalent and $6,041 in stipends; the committee will report the plan to the full board for approval.
On April 15, 2026, the HR Committee of the Board of Education for Hinsdale Township High School District 86 reviewed a newly developed Athletics and Activities Staffing Report and recommended that the district advance the framework and related stipend changes to the full board for approval.
The report proposes a four-tier risk classification for all sports that factors participation, competitive level, sport-specific risk, supervision complexity and travel demands. According to the committee presentation, baseline coach-to-athlete ratios range roughly from 18±2 athletes per coach in the lowest-risk tier to 10±2 athletes per coach in the highest-risk tier; the presentation identified football as the only tier‑4 (highest risk) sport.
The framework groups sports by risk and program size and then applies a level‑based staffing standard (for example, two coaches at the varsity level plus one for each additional level in a program). Committee members and athletic staff said the system produces program-by-program recommendations rather than a one-size-fits-all rule and that it will be reviewed annually each April.
Specific recommended changes discussed at the meeting include adding a girls swimming and diving coach at Hinsdale Central, adding coaches for competitive cheer and some aquatic and lacrosse programs, and reducing staff in select South programs (including a proposed one‑coach decrease in South boys baseball). Presenters told the committee that, after the proposed additions and closures of some clubs, the net financial impact to the district would be an increase of $6,041 and the model results in one additional FTE overall.
The committee also discussed data inputs and outreach: presenters said they used a three‑year average of participation drawn from the district data system to populate formulas that output recommended staffing levels, and they suggested sharing the framework with colleagues at the Illinois High School Association and at athletic‑director conferences after a pilot year.
Public comment earlier in the meeting asked the board to consider course offerings in light of participation thresholds; that comment was taken under advisement but did not change the athletics recommendations.
Next steps: the HR Committee will present the Athletics and Activities Staffing Framework, the stipend adjustments and the support‑staff job descriptions to the full board for consideration and will post the staffing framework online as directed by the committee. The committee said it plans to revisit the framework after one year of implementation.
