The top 10 highest-paid teachers in Breese ESD 12 each earned more than $54,000 in total compensation in 2014, according to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).
The amount reflects teachers' full adjusted pay - a calculation which includes benefits and all pension contributions by taxpayers for each teacher, and reflects a full year of work instead of the nine months teachers actually worked.
Records show that in 2014, Beth B. Grapperhaus, a reading teacher at Breese Elementary School at 777 Memorial Drive, received $64,122.49, the highest full adjusted pay among all teachers in the district.
No benefits were included in that amount.
Overall, the total amount Breese ESD 12 spent on its 10 highest-paid teachers in 2014 was $578,621.77.
Breese ESD 12 had 39 teachers in 2014.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2014 Census American Community Survey, the median household income for Illinois was $57,444 in 2014.
ISBE is responsible for administering public education in Illinois and consists of nine board members appointed by the governor and approved by the Senate.
*Editor's note: A previous version of this story incorrectly noted the teacher benefits data was from fiscal year 2015 when it was actually from fiscal year 2014. We have updated the story accordingly.