Board minutes are the official legal record of every board decision — including attorney contract approvals, legal fee authorizations, executive session discussions (where attorney-client privilege issues arise), superintendent contracts, bid awards, and policy changes.
Policy manuals reveal: ethics policies, conflicts of interest rules, procurement policies, attorney retention procedures, and whether districts follow IASB model policies or have customized (and potentially compromised) governance frameworks.
Ten years of records enables detection of patterns — when law firms changed, when spending escalated, when policies were weakened, and whether board composition changes correlate with governance changes.
Format Request: All records should be requested in digital/electronic format (PDF or native format). This avoids per-page copying fees (5 ILCS 140/6) and allows automated analysis of large document sets.
Rationale: Sending to all 851 districts simultaneously creates an unmanageable response volume. A batch approach lets you process and track each wave before the next arrives. Start with Cook County (highest stakes, most scrutiny) and work outward.
| Date | Action | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| May 16–30, 2026 | Preparation: Compile district FOIA officer email list; build mail merge spreadsheet | Use ISBE district contact list + individual district websites |
| June 2, 2026 | BATCH 1 SEND — Cook County (144 districts) | 5-day deadline: June 9. Max deadline: June 16. |
| June 9, 2026 | BATCH 2 SEND — Collar Counties (~200 districts) | 5-day deadline: June 16. Max deadline: June 23. |
| June 16, 2026 | BATCH 3 SEND — Downstate Metro (~80 districts) | 5-day deadline: June 23. Max deadline: June 30. |
| June 23, 2026 | BATCH 4 SEND — Remaining Downstate (~435 districts) | 5-day deadline: June 30. Max deadline: July 7. |
| June 9 – July 15 | Rolling response processing — PST extraction, document indexing | Same workflow as April 2026 legal fees campaign |
| July 1 – 15, 2026 | PAC complaints for non-responsive districts (past max deadline) | Illinois AG Public Access Counselor |
| August 2026+ | Analysis phase begins — vote patterns, attorney appearances, policy changes | See Analysis Plan tab |
| # | District Name | County | Batch | FOIA Sent | Due Date | Response Rcvd | Minutes | Agendas | Policy Manual | Status | FOIA Compliant | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago Public Schools (CPS) SD 299 | Cook | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Pending | — | |
| 2 | Evanston CCSD 65 | Cook | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Pending | — | |
| 3 | Oak Park ESD 97 | Cook | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Pending | — | |
| 4 | ETHS Township HSD 202 (Evanston Township) | Cook | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Pending | — | |
| 5 | Oak Park THSD 200 | Cook | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Pending | — | |
| 6 | Argo Community HSD 217 | Cook | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Pending | — | |
| 7 | Bremen CHSD 228 | Cook | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Pending | — | |
| 8 | Rich Township HSD 227 | Cook | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Pending | — | |
| 9 | Naperville CUSD 203 | DuPage | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Pending | — | |
| 10 | Wheaton CUSD 200 | DuPage | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Pending | — | |
| 11 | Waukegan CUSD 60 | Lake | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Pending | — | |
| 12 | Aurora East USD 131 | Kane | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Pending | — | |
| 13 | Joliet Public SD 86 | Will | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Pending | — | |
| 14 | Springfield SD 186 | Sangamon | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Pending | — | |
| 15 | Peoria SD 150 | Peoria | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Pending | — | |
| 16 | Bloomington SD 87 | McLean | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Pending | — | |
| 17 | Champaign CUSD 4 | Champaign | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Pending | — | |
| 18 | Rock Island-Milan SD 41 | Rock Island | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Pending | — | |
| 19 | Rockford SD 205 | Winnebago | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Pending | — | |
| 20 | Edwardsville CUSD 7 | Madison | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Pending | — |
Goal: Transform raw board minutes, agendas, and policy manuals into a structured governance database that reveals patterns across all 851 Illinois school districts over 10 years. This is the analytical foundation of the audit's governance chapter.