Glenbard District 87 teachers averaged $131,606 in the 2024-25 school year, just 11.1% less than the district's average administrator salary of $146,236, according to Illinois State Board of Education data.
That $14,630 gap is notably slim compared to neighboring districts. Glen Ellyn CCSD 89 administrators earned a 66.7% premium over teachers the same year, as we reported Aug. 11. DuPage High School District 88 posted a roughly 32% gap, and Community High School District 99 in Downers Grove came in at about 34%, according to a DuPage Policy Journal analysis of ISBE records.
The numbers land as D87 enters the 2026-27 school year carrying a projected net operating deficit of $2,633,484, as we reported Wednesday. Chief School Business Officer Dr. Seth Chapman presented the figure at the board's July 29 meeting, explaining that a required $2.8 million transfer from the Operations & Maintenance Fund to cover an ARS bond payment pushes the budget from a slim $168,521 surplus into the red.
Teacher pay growing faster statewide
Across Illinois, average teacher salaries grew 15.3% over the five years ending in 2024-25, outpacing administrator salary growth of 11.1% over the same period. D87's narrow gap reflects that broader trend.
The state reported a teacher retention rate of 89.5% for 2024-25. Unfilled teaching positions statewide fell 24% to 2,943 as of Oct. 1, 2025, dropping the vacancy rate to 2.1%.
New contract locks in raises through 2031
The salary structure sits within a new five-year collective bargaining agreement the board approved in May with the Glenbard Education Association. Annual teacher raises under the deal are pegged at 84% of the Consumer Price Index, a slight reduction from the prior contract's 85% of CPI.
"The support of our associations allows us to do such great things within the district," assistant superintendent for human resources Joshua Chambers said at the May 11 board meeting when the contract was adopted.
GEA President Kevin Sutton thanked the board at the same meeting, citing the relationship between the union and administration as key to the deal's success.
Local pipeline
At Glenbard East, 23 seniors signed commitments in May to pursue education degrees through the Educators Rising program. New Trier Township High School District 203, by contrast, topped the state with an average administrator salary of $200,839 against $141,632 for teachers, a 42% gap.
D87's board is expected to formally approve the 2026-27 budget later this fall.
