A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was sent to the Orion Community Unit School District 223 on January 28, 2025. The request, filed by Rock Island Today, a media organization committed to comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs, seeks access to emails and memos from the past year that contain specific keywords.
The keywords specified in the request are “Lucy Calkins” and “Units of Study”. The intent behind this request is to gather information for reporting news to the public. As a media outlet, Rock Island Today asserts that access to public records is crucial for fulfilling its professional responsibilities which include holding public institutions accountable and providing transparency to the public.
Rock Island Today believes it is eligible for a fee waiver as a media professional under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, 5 ILCS 140. The requested records are preferably in electronic format.
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. Furthermore, it’s worth noting that 58% of teachers in Illinois have a master’s degree or higher.
We at Rock Island Today are dedicated to ensuring transparency in our local government institutions and will continue our efforts in this regard. We await a response from Orion Community Unit School District 223 regarding our FOIA request.
