Lake County Gazette

On January 28, 2025, a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was submitted to the Cornell Community Consolidated School District 426. The request, made by us at the Lake County Gazette, sought copies of all emails and memos from the past year that contained the keywords "Lucy Calkins" and "Units of Study".

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

In accordance with the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, 5 ILCS 140, we requested these records preferably in electronic format. As a media organization involved in gathering and reporting news to the public, we also stated our eligibility for a fee waiver.

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 aim is to provide an insight into how these figures relate to communication within educational institutions such as Cornell Community Consolidated School District 426. We look forward to sharing more information once we receive a response from the school district regarding our FOIA request.