Lake County Gazette

On January 28, 2025, a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was submitted to the Crab Orchard Community Unit School District 3. The request, made by us at the Lake County Gazette, sought copies of all emails and memos from the past year that contained specific keywords.

The requested records are expected to shed light on internal communications within the school district. The keywords specified in the request were "Lucy Calkins" and "Units of Study". These terms may be related to educational materials or teaching methods used within the district.

As a media organization committed to providing comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs, we believe access to these public records is essential for fulfilling our professional responsibilities. This includes holding public institutions accountable and providing transparency to the public.

In addition to this, it's worth noting some statistics about education in Illinois. According to the Illinois Report Card, the average state teacher salary in 2023 was $73,916, while 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, 58% of teachers in Illinois have a master's degree or higher.

We await a response from Crab Orchard Community Unit School District 3 regarding our FOIA request. As we continue our work in gathering and reporting news to the public, we remain hopeful that our request will be granted in full compliance with Illinois' Freedom of Information Act.