On January 28, 2025, we at the Lake County Gazette sent a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to Warren Township High School District 121. The request pertains to all emails and memos from the past year that contain the keywords "Lucy Calkins" and "Units of Study".
As part of our ongoing commitment to providing comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs, we believe these records are essential in holding public institutions accountable and providing transparency to the public. Given our role in disseminating information, we have requested a fee waiver as a media professional.
The keywords specified in our request relate to Lucy Calkins, a well-known educator and author of Units of Study, a popular series of books for teaching reading and writing. The request is part of our effort to understand how her work is being utilized within the district.
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 await response from Warren Township High School District 121 regarding our FOIA request. As always, we will continue striving towards delivering transparent reporting on matters affecting our local community.
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