Lake Zurich schools may be first to leave SEDOL
The Lake Zurich school district has until July 1, 2009, to officially gain approval and develop the programming it needs to pull out of the Special Education District of Lake County.
Lake Zurich Unit District 95 officials filed a letter of intent well before Monday's deadline to withdraw all of the roughly 22 students enrolled in the cooperative program.
The move stems from district officials being upset with what they say was the agency's hasty decision to push through a $26.5 million building project for a new school and renovations to existing facilities.
To withdraw, District 95 needs approval from the Lake County Regional Office of Education, SEDOL's governing board, and the Illinois State Board of Education. That process takes nine to 12 months.
But it's not a done deal until the district proves it has the appropriate services, programs and placements for students receiving SEDOL support, said Nancy Rosenfeld, District 95 assistant superintendent for student services.
"You must show that you have a full continuum of services for your children," Rosenfeld said. "Can we deliver, or create or provide different programs for those students closer, perhaps within the district? There are so many variables that we have just begun to research."
It's possible District 95 may stay with SEDOL if it cannot provide adequate in-house services or find out-of-district programs for those special-education students. But the goal is to quit.
"We're pretty committed to getting out," District 95 school board member Jim Hussey said.
SEDOL educates about 550 students with learning disabilities at its Gages Lake campus, just south of Gurnee. Another 800 children are served by the agency at Lake County public schools.
None of SEDOL's other 35 member public school districts opted to pull out by next year, officials confirmed. They, too, would have had to file similar letters of intent to withdraw by Monday.
SEDOL's construction plan was approved by a 19-8 vote, with one abstention, by its 36-member governing council late May.
District 95's leaving won't hurt the cooperative's future plans, SEDOL director Bill Delp said.
"They are a large district and could have the capabilities to serve their own population," Delp said. If District 95 successfully pulls out, it won't pay SEDOL any tuition. Yet the district still would be on the hook for $3.3 million - its share of the SEDOL building project cost to be paid from the district's operating budget over 20 or fewer years, or by a lump sum.
Despite that, Hussey said, the school board was not about to throw good money after bad.
"The organization is out of control," Hussey said. "As reckless as this thing was, Lord knows what they will do next."
District 95 has a total of 900 students who receive special-education services. Yet, only a small portion of those students attend SEDOL programs outside the district because they have severe medical and behavioral issues.
At one time, a majority of the district's special-education programs were run by the cooperative.
"Over time, we have brought children back from not only SEDOL programs but private placements," Rosenfeld said. "We want to make sure that we can provide the most logical, efficient and effective means of support for these kids."