On January 28, 2025, a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was sent to the Waltonville Community Unit School District 1. The request, issued by North Egypt News, a media organization committed to comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs, sought access to all emails and memos from the past year containing specific keywords.
The keywords specified in the request were “Lucy Calkins” and “Units of Study”. As a news organization, we believe access to these public records is crucial for fulfilling our professional responsibilities. These include holding public institutions accountable and providing transparency to the public. Given our role in disseminating information, we consider ourselves eligible for a fee waiver as media professionals.
According to the Illinois Report Card, the average state teacher salary in 2023 was $73,916, while the state average Administrative Salary stood at $116,908. The report also revealed that the average student-to-administrative ratio is 141:1 and the average student-to-teacher ratio is 17:1. Notably, it was found that 58% of teachers in Illinois have a master’s degree or higher.
As we continue our efforts to provide comprehensive news coverage on local governmental affairs, we remain committed to ensuring transparency and accountability within public institutions.
