Board members heard a presentation on Aug. 14 about a proposed governance change at the Northwest Suburban Special Education Organization (NSSEO), the cooperative that provides specialized services for District 211 and seven neighboring districts.

The proposed change would add a two-tier governance structure: the existing elected governing board would remain, and an additional operational board composed of member-district superintendents would be created to make operational decisions and meet in compliance with the Illinois Open Meetings Act. A recorded presentation from the NSSEO superintendent said the operational board would have authority to set operational policy in areas such as e-learning policy, program design, staffing models and transportation services—while the elected governing board would continue to set the budget and provide oversight.

Board President Steven Rosenblum told trustees the NSSEO memo and draft revised articles of organization are in board packets and that the cooperative will follow a timeline: the NSSEO governing board will formally approve sharing the draft at its Sept. 3 meeting, a 90-day public comment period will follow, and adoption would not occur until the NSSEO governing board meeting in December. Rosenblum also said he would make the video of the NSSEO presentation available on the district website for public viewing.

NSSEO presenters argued the change would increase transparency and accountability by moving some operational decisions into a public, superintendent-led forum rather than keeping them entirely at the advisory level. The cooperative said an operational board could reduce informal off-line decision-making and ensure that decisions reflect the diversity of member districts.

Trustees were given a redlined draft upon request for easier comparison, and Rosenblum encouraged board members to review the draft articles and forward questions. No vote by the District 211 board was requested; the item was presented for information and local review prior to NSSEO's internal timeline and the cooperative's public comment process.