Lake County Gazette

On January 28, 2025, we at the Lake County Gazette sent a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to Hinsdale Community Consolidated School District 181. The request was made in an effort to gain access to copies of all emails and memos from the past year that contain the keywords “Lucy Calkins” and “Units of Study”.

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

We have requested these documents in electronic format under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, 5 ILCS 140. As a media organization involved in gathering and reporting news to the public, we have also requested a fee waiver for this information.

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. It's noteworthy that 58% of teachers in Illinois hold a master's degree or higher.

We await a response from Hinsdale Community Consolidated School District 181 regarding our FOIA request. We remain committed to providing our readers with transparent and comprehensive coverage of local government affairs.