On January 28, 2025, a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was sent to the Lebanon Community Unit School District 9. The request, issued by Metro East Sun, a media organization dedicated to providing comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs, seeks copies of all emails and memos from the past year that contain specific keywords.
The two key phrases requested for search are “Lucy Calkins” and “Units of Study”. As part of our journalistic responsibility at Metro East Sun, we aim to provide transparency to the public by holding public institutions accountable. Access to these public records is essential in fulfilling this duty.
As we disseminate information to the public, we believe that we qualify for a fee waiver as a media professional under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act. We await a response from the Lebanon Community Unit School District 9 regarding this request.
In related news, 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 average student-to-administrative ratio is 141:1, and the average student-to-teacher ratio is 17:1. Interestingly enough, it was found that 58% of teachers in Illinois have a master’s degree or higher.
At Metro East Sun, we remain committed to shedding light on such issues and ensuring that our readers are informed about matters concerning their local government institutions.
