A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was submitted to the Community High School District 117 on January 13, 2025. The request, sent by us at the Lake County Gazette, sought information about the number of non-U.S. citizens currently enrolled in the school district.
As a media organization dedicated to comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs, we believe that access to public records is crucial for fulfilling our professional responsibilities. These include holding public institutions accountable and providing transparency to the public.
In our request, we specifically asked for the number of "migrants" (e.g., illegal aliens/non-U.S. citizens) currently enrolled in the school district. We believe this data will help shed light on how many non-citizens are being served by our local schools.
To put this into context, 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, 58% of teachers in Illinois have a master's degree or higher.
We continue to advocate for transparency and accountability from our public institutions as part of our commitment to provide comprehensive news coverage. We eagerly await a response from Community High School District 117 regarding our FOIA request.
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