On January 28, 2025, we at the Lake County Gazette submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Deer Park Community Consolidated School District 82. The request was made in an effort to obtain copies of all emails and memos from the past year that contain specific keywords.
The two keywords specified in our request were "Lucy Calkins" and "Units of Study". These terms are believed to be pertinent to ongoing research into local governmental affairs. As a media organization committed to providing comprehensive and accurate news coverage, access to these public records is essential for us to fulfill our professional responsibilities.
We believe that holding public institutions accountable and providing transparency to the public is a vital part of our role as journalists. Given this role in disseminating information, we have requested a fee waiver as media professionals under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, 5 ILCS 140.
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. It's worth noting that 58% of teachers in Illinois have a master's degree or higher.
Our team at Lake County Gazette will continue working diligently to provide comprehensive coverage on this matter and other local governmental affairs. We await response from Deer Park Community Consolidated School District 82 regarding our FOIA request.
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