District 21 will hire its own special ed staff

Wheeling Township Elementary District 21 plans to save money next school year by hiring some of its own special-education employees instead of paying an area organization for those services.

While the district will still be using the North Suburban Special Education Organization, it will be paying directly for six positions in 2008-2009 that were otherwise provided by the co-op.

Pat McAndrews, assistant superintendent for human resources, said that when the district pays NSSEO, it's putting up money for program fees as well as salary. This way, the district will save money by paying only salaries.

While NSSEO is deemed necessary for certain students, some positions -- such as three occupational and physical therapists, two adaptive physical-education teachers and a technology specialist -- can be handled by District 21.

But board member Arlen Gould said he feared that the district using fewer NSSEO services would put that organization in jeopardy.

"Sometimes cost savings may not be as important as the functions it supports," he said.

District 21, along with Northwest Suburban High School District 214, are the two main users of NSSEO, he said, and if the big districts pull out, the organization may not be able to function.

But Kathy Edmonds, a board member who is also on the special-education organization's board, said she does not get a sense that NSSEO is worried about the district's actions.

"We're not attempting to pull out of NSSEO by any means," Superintendent Gary Mical said.

McAndrews said the plan is to use the money saved from the former NSSEO hires and spend part of that on two more psychologists at the middle school.

Mical said the board has asked the staff to find ways to fill needs in the district without spending extra money, and he said internally hiring some special-education staff does just that in order to hire the necessary psychologists.

Overall, the district is projected to have about 124 fewer students next year, which McAndrews said is relatively stable.

The district is projected to have nine more staff members in the upcoming school year, including the six NSSEO replacements and the two psychologists.