Lake County Gazette

On January 28, 2025, a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was submitted to the Chadwick-Milledgeville Community Unit School District 399. The request was made by the Lake County Gazette, a media organization dedicated to providing comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs.

The FOIA request sought copies of all emails and memos from the past year that contained the keywords "Lucy Calkins" and "Units of Study". As a media outlet, we at the Lake County Gazette are committed to gathering and reporting news to the public. Access to these public records is crucial for us to fulfill our professional responsibilities, which include holding public institutions accountable and providing transparency to the public.

In addition to this request, we also asked for a fee waiver as a media professional. We believe that given our role in disseminating information, we qualify for such an exemption.

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 enough, 58% of teachers in Illinois have a master's degree or higher.

We await a response from Chadwick-Milledgeville Community Unit School District 399 regarding our FOIA request. Our goal remains clear - to provide our readers with accurate information about local government operations and ensure transparency within our community.