The Lincoln‑Way 210 Board of Education unanimously approved Aug. 18 the fiscal year 2026 budget for Special Education Cooperative District 843, after administrators summarized cost pressures tied to staffing, contract services, transportation and student placements.

The cooperative’s budget overview was provided in the informational packet and discussed by Mike (staff member) and Dana Berthold, board member and cooperative representative. Berthold said the cooperative faces “significant increases” in costs even though enrollment has remained relatively stable and noted specific areas to monitor, including utilities and contracted services. She said some contract services were converted to direct cooperative employees to improve quality and retention.

Officials flagged several items that could affect the cooperative’s net cost. The state has not yet released the percentage for S‑fund reimbursements for public facility placements, and administrators said that unknown could reduce cooperative costs once confirmed. Pioneer Grove was noted as an approved site; administrators estimated current enrollment there at roughly 22–24 students. The cooperative also reported that it ended more than 3% over budget last year and that some cooperative salaries and benefits were reported as increasing by “over 11%,” which the district said was a driver of the budget increase.

Transportation and leasing were repeatedly described as market‑sensitive. Board members and staff said the current transportation leasing market is tight, that leasing and purchase timing require a multi‑month lead time, and that the cooperative must continue to analyze transportation costs and options going forward.

The board moved and seconded approval of the District 843 FY2026 budget; the vote was unanimous. Administrators said they will continue to review utilities, per‑student costs and special‑education transportation in the weeks ahead and will revisit cooperative programming and transportation strategies as part of multi‑year planning.

Discussion versus decision: the board formally approved the District 843 FY2026 budget at the Aug. 18 meeting; staff described areas for further study and monitoring but no amendments to the approved cooperative budget were recorded at the meeting.

Next steps: cooperative and district administrators will continue to analyze transportation leasing strategies, utility usage and reimbursements tied to S‑fund rates when the state releases those figures.