Several community members used the board’s public-comment period on July 8 to say the district’s administration has undercounted the number of courses not running at Hinsdale South and to urge the board to require fuller disclosure.

Adolf Galinski told the board that community members had identified scores of courses not running at Hinsdale South that were not disclosed in administrative presentations and urged trustees to ask what incoming assistant superintendents should expect from the board. “Consider the exodus of staff our district has experienced over the last few years and ask yourselves this, to what extent will my conduct foster the toxic culture that leads to such departures?” Galinski said.

Alan Kirby, a second commenter, focused on a discrepancy he said exists between presentations made to the district’s academic and operations committee and the district’s records. Kirby said administrators had publicly claimed “only 29 courses will not run” at Hinsdale South, but that a FOIA response showed at least 33 additional courses that the administration did not list; he told the board that he had asked the superintendent to correct the public record and called for the academic and operations (A&O) committee to pause action until the superintendent’s presentations align with district records.

Linda Burke, a later speaker, asked the board to ensure equal access to courses and singled out a specific example: she said Hinsdale South is prevented from offering ninth-grade World History Honors while Central students receive an invitation to consider an advanced pathway and AP exam. Burke asked that South students receive “the same letter as Central students have just received, inviting them to consider taking the World History AP program at the close of their ninth grade year.”

None of the speakers reported a formal action taken by the board at the July 8 meeting to change course offerings; rather, callers requested that trustees demand fuller disclosure from administration and that A&O committee materials be aligned with district records. The speakers referenced a FOIA request and specific dates in which presentations were made (Kirby contrasted an April 30 internal figure and a May 19 public presentation).