FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT
Lori Johnson
FOIA Officer |
Board Recording Secretary |
Administrative Assistant to
the Superintendent
lajohnson@usd116.org
Notice of Procedure for Requesting Records
Public records, whether stored in physical form or as electronic data, may be requested in writing. The District provides non-exempt public records that are stored electronically, including records stored in databases, in a format that does not require knowledge of computer language or printout format. If it is not feasible to furnish the public records in a specified electronic format, then the District will furnish the records in the format in which it maintains those records, or in paper format at the option of the requester.
Requests for public records must be in writing and may be submitted on a Freedom of Information Act Request Form available at: Central Office, 1101 E. University Ave., Suite B, Urbana, IL 61802 OR Download a FOIA Request Form
Requests for records should be directed to Ms. Lori Johnson, 1101 E. University, Suite B, Urbana, IL 61802.
- Phone: 217-384-3636
- Email: lajohnson@usd116.org
- The District may charge any fees allowable by FOIA Section 6.
- No fee is charged for the first 50 pages of black-and-white, letter- or legal-sized paper copies furnished to a requester.
- The District may charge 15 cents per page for black-and-white pages beyond the first 50 or the actual cost of reproducing records in other formats.
- A fee reduction is available if the person requesting the record states a specific purpose for the request and indicates that a fee reduction is in the public interest by having as its principal purpose the general public’s health, safety, welfare, or legal rights and is not for the principal purpose of personal or commercial benefit. In setting the reduction’s amount, the FOIA Officer considers the amount of materials requested and the cost of copying them.
- The District may charge fees for electronic records responsive to a voluminous request consistent with FOIA Section 6(a-5), which may vary from $20.00 to $100.00 based on the size of the records and the PDF and/or non-PDF format. If the responsive electronic records are in both PDF format and non-PDF format, the District may separate the fees and charge the requester under both fee scales, as follows:
- Up to 2MB | $20 fee for PDF records | $20 fee for non-PDF records
- 2+MB to 4 MB | $20 fee for PDF records | $40 fee for non-PDF records
- 4+ MB to 80MB | $20 fee for PDF records | $100 fee for non-PDF records
- 80+MB to 160MB $40 fee for PDF records | $100 fee for non-PDF records
- 160+MB | $100 fee for PDF records | $100 fee for non-PDF records
- When responding to a request for commercial purposes, the District may charge:
- Up to $10.00 for each hour spent by personnel in searching for or retrieving a requested record or examining the record for necessary reductions. No fee is charged for the first eight hours spent by personnel in searching for or retrieving a requested record.
- The actual cost of retrieving and transporting public records from an off-site storage facility when the public records are maintained by a third-party storage company under contract with the District.
- The District may charge a $1.00 fee for certifying records.
The list below contains the categories of records kept by the District; some of the records within
these categories are exempt and, therefore, will not be disclosed in response to a FOIA request.
- Board governance records, including without limitation: Board meeting calendar and notices, Board meeting agendas and minutes, Board policies, Board resolutions, meeting recordings
- Fiscal and business management records, including without limitation: levy resolution and certificate of tax levy, audit, line-item budget, grant documents, account statements, accounts payable list, contracts, legal notices, bidding specifications, requests for proposals, vendor proposals
- Personnel records, including without limitation: employee contact information, salary schedules, employee benefits information, staff handbook, collective bargaining agreements, labor and employee relations records, professional development, personnel file materials
- Student services and instructional records, including without limitation: accountability documents, calendars, student handbooks, food services, transportation services, health services, extracurricular programs, learning outcomes, student school records
- Other administrative records, including without limitation: marketing and community outreach materials, information technology records, property and facilities records
- General correspondence, including without limitation: emails and other written communications about District business

