Copyright Joliet, IL Patch
The circumstances of his departure were a mystery. He appeared to have differences with the superintendent. HINSDALE, IL – Hinsdale High School District 86's human resources chief left under unclear circumstances five years ago, but he landed on his feet in a big way. In September, Domenico Maniscalco, who was District 86's top human resources official from 2013 to 2020, became the chief human resources officer for the Milwaukee Public Schools. The Milwaukee district's enrollment is about 65,000, far more than District 86's 4,000. Maniscalco's salary is now $201,000, more than the $172,000 he got in Hinsdale. In 2021, Maniscalco was named head of human resources official with the Chicago Housing Authority, where he served until taking the new job. In an email to Patch on Monday, Maniscalco said that at 44, he is just getting started. "Hinsdale was more than just a job, it was my home for seven years and I miss it every day," he said. "I built friendships there, I grew as a leader there, and I had the honor of serving a community that believes deeply in excellence in education. An excellence that is unmatched." He continued, "Truth is, I didn’t want to leave, but sometimes life takes you to places you didn’t know you needed to be at." Maniscalco said he feels the same fire in his new job, "just on a bigger stage with a greater purpose." "We serve 65,000 students who deserve opportunity, access, and hope," he said. "I'm here to help build systems that support our educators, empower our schools, and give every student a chance to succeed." According to Urban Milwaukee, Maniscalco took over a department "plagued by its inability to hire and maintain teachers for the district." On June 18, 2020, the District 86 board voted to accept Maniscalco's resignation after closing its doors for a half hour. His resignation was the only topic during the special meeting that day. The board kept the circumstances of Maniscalco's situation a secret. At the time, Prentiss hailed Maniscalco as a "trusted colleague and a valuable member of our team." In response to Patch's public records request later in the summer, District 86 provided communications between then-Superintendent Tammy Prentiss and Maniscalco after his resignation. Four days after the board voted, Maniscalco emailed Prentiss that he would like to withdraw his resignation. He requested that she forward that information to the school board. In a text message to Maniscalco, Prentiss said she received an email from a Hinsdalean reporter about the email in which Maniscalco asked to rescind his resignation. The reporter wanted to confirm that the board was planning to honor Maniscalco's request that week, Prentiss said. "I am unclear why you believe it is an agenda item for this week. As I shared last Friday — the (school board) had a special meeting last week and approved your resignation," Prentiss wrote, adding that Maniscalco's employment was not an agenda item for the upcoming board meeting. A part of Prentiss' text was redacted by the district. It resumes with the words, "You should not be representing the district." Maniscalco responded, "I'm not representing the district in any capacity." At the June 18 meeting, officials said Maniscalco's last day was Sept. 15. A later public records request produced documents showing that Maniscalco was already away from his job for a few days before the June 18 meeting. He took one vacation day and then sick time for the rest of the month. Maniscalco was on sick leave for most of the time until Sept. 15. He never appeared to have returned to work. The board has seen high administrative and board turnover in recent years. For instance, none of the seven current board members were serving in 2020.
