Lake County special ed co-op will learn fate of new school next week
Lake County school districts will decide next week whether to fund the Special Education District of Lake County's request for a $26.5 million construction plan.
Officials at SEDOL, the primary educator for students with learning disabilities, said the three-year project is needed to address rapid growth at its Gages Lake campus.
Enrollment is up by more than 200 kids in the past 10 years. SEDOL now educates about 550 students in center-based programs. Another 800 students are enrolled in SEDOL classes at public schools across Lake County.
The centerpiece of the plan is a new $18 million classroom building to accommodate students with severe behavioral disorders and emotional disabilities. It would be built in the project's second phase, while the first and third phases involve renovation projects.
"The school we are looking to replace has 125 students attending right now, but only has the capacity for 74 students," Director Bill Delp said. "In addition, we have 100 students in the behavior disorder schools, but only have a capacity for 86. So, we are currently out of space."
SEDOL will need approval from at least half its 36 public member districts to go ahead with the plan. Officials will meet at 7 p.m. May 28 in the Laremont School gym on the Gages Lake campus.
SEDOL administrators are visiting each member district to explain the expansion plan and funding proposal.
The special education district does not need referendum approval to sell construction bonds to fund the project. Its board of directors is made up of one school board member from each member district, who will cast a vote on the issue.
If approved, each member district would contribute money that will fund the entire project. That money would be in addition to student tuition each district pays to SEDOL annually.
Delp said the amount each district would pay fluctuates since it is tied to a formula based on a district's assessed valuation, population and the number of its students projected to be enrolled in SEDOL in 20 years.
Most districts would pay $40,000 to $50,000 annually for the construction project.
For example, under the formula, Big Hollow Elementary District 38 would pay an additional $600,000 over 20 years -- about $24,000 annually, Delp said.
Delp said the district could elect to make a one-time payment. Because there would be no interest on the one-time payment, District 38's contribution would fall to about $400,000.
"SEDOL has not expanded while Lake County has grown," he said. "Right now, we rent storefront space in strip malls for some of our students, and it costs us $100,000 a year."
The construction project would address SEDOL space needs for about 20 years, he said.
Jan Putbress, a representative from Lake Zurich Unit District 95 and the liaison to the SEDOL board, said the expansion faces some resistance from member districts because of the economic state of education in Illinois.
But, she said, the need is there and SEDOL is doing everything it can to reduce the financial burden on partnering school districts.
"We are well aware of the financial impact this will have on school districts, but serving these children is our primary concern at SEDOL," she said. "The building where these children are currently housed needs to be replaced and we can serve students better with a new facility that is more suited for them."