District administrators in Glen Ellyn's Community Consolidated School District 89 earned an average of $156,663 in the 2024-25 school year, 66.7% more than the district's average teacher salary of $93,974, according to Illinois State Board of Education data reported by the DuPage Policy Journal as part of its salary series across DuPage County districts.

The gap works out to $62,689 per year. A CCSD 89 teacher would need to work nearly 1.7 years to match what an administrator earns in one.

CCSD 89, which serves 2,239 students across four elementary schools and one middle school, ranked 43rd out of 50 districts in the ISBE comparison group by average administrator pay. Nearby DuPage High School District 88, which draws students from CCSD 89 communities, reported a smaller gap: its administrators averaged $156,685 while teachers averaged $118,590.

Across Illinois, average administrator salaries rose 11.1% over the five years ending in 2024-25, while average teacher salaries grew faster at 15.3% over the same period. That narrowing trend has not erased the structural gap between the two roles.

New Trier Township High School District 203 topped the comparison at $200,839 in average administrator pay. Evanston Community Consolidated School District 65, a larger elementary district with 6,047 students, posted a roughly 63% gap between its administrators ($154,874) and teachers ($94,901).

Illinois reported a statewide teacher retention rate of 89.5% for 2024-25, according to the Illinois Report Card. Unfilled teaching positions statewide fell 24% to 2,943 as of Oct. 1, 2025, with the vacancy rate dropping to 2.1%, ISBE reported.

What the district has said

Neither superintendent Doug Eccarius nor board president Yannick Koger has commented publicly on the salary gap. In a June 15 announcement celebrating the district's 26th consecutive Certificate for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Association of School Business Officials, Eccarius said the award "should provide an additional layer of reassurance to all our residents that their tax dollars are being used wisely to support student learning."

The district's next regular board meeting is Monday, Aug. 17, at 7 p.m. at the district office, 22W600 Butterfield Road in Glen Ellyn. The meeting is open to the public.