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NSSEO presents FY26 budget to District 57 board; tuition increases and membership benefits explained
Summary
NSSEO Superintendent Meg Schnorr presented the cooperative's proposed FY26 budget to the District 57 board, outlining tuition increases at Kirk Miner and Timber Ridge, projected student placements for District 57, and the capital fund formula. The board will vote on the NSSEO budget at a future meeting.
NSSEO Superintendent Meg Schnorr briefed the Mount Prospect School District 57 Board of Education on the proposed NSSEO fiscal year 2026 budget and how it affects District 57, including projected placements, tuition increases and the cooperative’s capital fund formula.
The briefing matters because NSSEO provides special-education tuition programs and purchase services to member districts; changes in rates and projected enrollments directly affect district budgets and placements for students with severe needs.
Schnorr said NSSEO’s overall budget shows a 7.3% increase year over year, but when auditors’ TRS “on behalf” payments (about $9 million) and a one-time Kirk HVAC project (about $3 million) are removed, the recurring increase for operating items is about 1.5%.
For District 57 specifically, NSSEO projects two students at Timber Ridge and three at Minor for the coming year. Schnorr described district-specific purchase services the district uses: roughly 0.1 FTE vision services, 0.4 FTE physical therapy (PT) and assistive-technology support, Deaf/Hard of Hearing itinerant services, and some coaching services. She said the district’s projected direct cost for next year shows a decrease of about $35,000 compared with the current year, driven mainly by a small change in student placements.
Schnorr explained the cooperative’s capital-improvement fund was added late in the prior budget year and is invoiced to districts. The fund’s allocation formula is: one-third based on each member’s NSSEO usage, one-third as an equal share across the eight member districts, and one-third based on AFR revenue across members. NSSEO also bills a per-member building fee of $4,000 per student into that reserve.
On membership, Schnorr said NSSEO charges nonmember districts an additional 30% on tuition (and nonmembers also contribute to Sunrise and technology programs), which she said results in a net cost to nonmembers that is roughly 40–45% higher than member tuition. Schnorr added that membership guarantees member districts an automatic placement for students with severe needs; nonmembers may be subject to space and staffing availability.
Board members asked for district-specific visualizations and asked NSSEO to provide the pie chart comparing last year to next year for District 57’s portion. Schnorr and staff confirmed they will provide the requested charts and that the NSSEO budget will be scheduled for a board vote at the next meeting.
Schnorr closed by reminding the board that NSSEO budgets are built early (January–April), and actual billing is adjusted based on the students who attend in August.
