A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was submitted to the Mascoutah Community Unit School District 19 on January 28, 2025. The request, made by Metro East Sun, a media organization committed to providing comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs, sought access to emails and memos from the past year containing specific keywords.
The requested documents are expected to contain the keywords “Lucy Calkins” and “Units of Study”. As part of our commitment to holding public institutions accountable and providing transparency to the public, we at Metro East Sun believe these records will provide valuable insights into the operations within the school district.
In addition to this request, it’s important to note some key statistics about education in Illinois. 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 reported as 141:1, and the average student-to-teacher ratio is pegged at 17:1. Furthermore, it’s noteworthy that 58% of teachers in Illinois have a master’s degree or higher.
As we continue our journalistic pursuit for transparency and accountability in local government affairs, we look forward to shedding light on important issues through access to such public records.
