Lawrence “Larry” Wyllie, the long-serving former superintendent whose 24-year tenure at Lincoln-Way High School District 210 transformed a single-school system into a four-high-school district before ending under the cloud of a federal fraud indictment, died on Oct. 25 at the age of 88, according to the DuPage County coroner’s office.
Superintendent Expands District During Long Tenure
Wyllie arrived at District 210 from York Township High School in 1989 and led the New Lenox-based district until his retirement on June 28, 2013, making his run the longest in district history, as reported by wjol.com. During the height of his career, Wyllie earned widespread community respect and was widely regarded as a financial wiz. Under his leadership, the district expanded from one school to Central and East in the late 1990s, and later pushed for a $225 million referendum to build two new schools to accommodate projected population growth.
A community group campaigned against the double-school proposal at the time, arguing that the district should build just one school and wait to see if a fourth was truly necessary. Wyllie successfully pushed for two, leading to the construction of Lincoln-Way North in Frankfort and another school. Between 2006 and 2009, the district issued $204 million in bonds to fund the construction boom, eating up cash reserves when the anticipated population surge failed to materialize.
Federal Authorities Indict Retired Superintendent for Fraud
Years after Wyllie retired with one of the state’s largest superintendent pensions—reaching $351,250 in 2020 with a guaranteed 3% compounding annual increase, according to wjol.com—investigations by the Daily Southtown and federal authorities revealed severe financial distress. In September 2017, federal prosecutors filed an 11-page indictment charging Wyllie with multiple felony counts, including five counts of wire fraud and one count of embezzlement.
Federal prosecutors alleged that Wyllie concealed the true financial health of District 210 by misusing millions in bond funds. The indictment detailed allegations that Wyllie used $45,000 of district money from the 2009 bond sales to purchase Superdog Obedience School, which was considered by many as his own personal pet project. The indictment stated that Wyllie made material false statements to the school board, bond purchasers, and the public regarding the use of bond proceeds to hide the district’s true financial condition.
The financial strain eventually forced the school board to land on the state’s financial watch list and make the painful decision to shutter the brand-new Lincoln-Way North High School in Frankfort to cut expenses. Wyllie never spoke publicly about the controversies.
Dismissal of Charges and Final Years
As legal proceedings dragged on, federal prosecutors and defense attorneys reported in January 2023 that Wyllie’s health status had deteriorated to the point where he could no longer meaningfully participate in his own defense. Citing ongoing and serious health issues for Wyllie—who was living in Naperville, where he and his wife had purchased a five-bedroom, three-bathroom home in the White Eagle neighborhood for $512,500 in 2016—the criminal charges were ultimately dismissed in 2024.
Wyllie’s last known address remained in Naperville. His visitation and funeral services are planned to be private, closing the final chapter on a complex career that stretched from athletic fields in Downers Grove to the pinnacle of suburban public education administration.
