South Cook News

A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was sent to the Thornton Township High School District 205 in Illinois on January 28, 2025. The request was made by South Cook News, a media organization committed to providing comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs.

The FOIA request seeks copies of all emails and memos from the past year that contain the keywords "Lucy Calkins" and "Units of Study". As part of our role in disseminating information to the public, we at South Cook News believe access to these records is essential for us to fulfill our professional responsibilities. These include holding public institutions accountable and providing transparency to the public.

In line with this, we have requested a fee waiver as a media professional under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, 5 ILCS 140. We await a response from Thornton Township High School District 205 regarding this matter.

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. Interestingly, 58% of teachers in Illinois have a master's degree or higher.

This data highlights some important aspects of education administration in Illinois. The findings from our FOIA request will further contribute to understanding how educational decisions are made within our school districts.