On January 28, 2025, a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was sent to the Erie Community Unit School District 1. The request, made by NW Illinois News, a media organization dedicated to providing comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs, sought access to specific records under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act.
The requested records include copies of all emails and memos from the past 12 months that contain the keywords “Lucy Calkins” and “Units of Study”. As part of our role in disseminating information to the public, we at NW Illinois News believe that access to these public records is crucial for us to fulfill our professional responsibilities. These responsibilities include holding public institutions accountable and providing transparency to the public.
In light of our role as a media organization involved in gathering and reporting news to the public, we have also requested a fee waiver for this FOIA request.
According to the Illinois Report Card, the average state teacher salary in 2023 was $73,916, and the state average Administrative Salary was $116,908. The average student-to-administrative ratio is 141:1, and the average student-to-teacher ratio is 17:1. Interestingly enough, it appears that 58% of teachers in Illinois have a master's degree or higher.
We await response from Erie Community Unit School District 1 regarding our FOIA request. We believe that such transparency will further enrich our coverage on local governmental affairs.
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