Deerfield Public Schools District 109’s Board of Education on Aug. 21 approved the superintendent’s recommendation to accept petitions from three member districts seeking to withdraw from the True North Educational Cooperative amid ongoing discussion about the cooperative’s future. The board voted to approve withdrawal resolutions for Northbrook District 27, Northbrook-Glenview District 30 and Bannockburn District 106.

The action follows weeks of meetings and a lengthy committee report that described two possible paths for True North: full dissolution over a multiyear wind-down or a reorganization that would leave a smaller cooperative serving fewer districts. Both pathways were presented to member districts, and board members said a special leadership-council meeting is planned between mid-September and October to gather clearer options before final decisions.

Why it matters: True North provides programs and related services for students with significant special-education needs. Board members and the cooperative’s presenters warned that changing the cooperative’s structure could affect placements, related-service contracts (occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech) and facility and asset distribution. Board discussion noted that District 109 currently has one student placed through the coop but pays a recurring membership fee that was described in the meeting as roughly “a little under half a million dollars.” Members said the district must weigh continuity of services, potential additional costs if districts withdraw early and the legal timetable spelled out in True North bylaws.

During discussion, board members asked whether other therapeutic day schools or outside placements (for example, Sedol-area programs) would accept students if True North services were no longer available. Presenters said alternatives exist for some students but are not guaranteed and that related-service staff are hard to recruit; several districts rely on True North for contracted therapists.

Board members and the district’s administration described reorganization options that could include: a tuition-based model for services, EBF (Evidence-Based Funding) support in early years, reexamined governance structures and revised articles of agreement to address equitable exit payments and asset retention. The cooperative’s dissolution pathway described in committee materials envisioned a multi-year wind down aimed at minimizing disruption to students and staff, including sale of property and accounting for assets and debts if dissolution proceeds.

The board approved the superintendent’s recommendation on each petition (items 9.5, 9.6 and 9.7 on the agenda) by roll-call vote; each motion was recorded as carried.

Board members said more financial detail — liabilities, assets, potential exit payments and scenarios for continued service delivery — is needed before the district finalizes a long-term position. The board’s leadership told members it will bring additional data back for deliberation after the special leadership-council meeting.

The next steps described in the meeting: a special leadership-council session in September (no sooner than Sept. 15 and no later than October) to present dissolution and reorganization scenarios, followed by member districts stating their intent (not a legally binding dissolution vote) so planning can proceed.

The district’s action on Aug. 21 does not itself dissolve the cooperative; it accepts withdrawal petitions and directs the administration to pursue the process described in the cooperative bylaws and state procedures for nonconsensual withdrawal where applicable.