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NSSEO outlines $55 million budget; Wheeling 21 faces higher tuition costs as placements rise
Summary
NSSEO leaders told the Wheeling CCSD 21 board that the cooperative's preliminary 2026-27 budget is about $55 million while District 21's NSSEO tuition bill is projected to rise by roughly $1.1 million next year as placements increase to an estimated 59 students.
Dr. Meg Schnoor, superintendent of the Northwest Suburban Special Education Organization (NSSEO), and Gavin McGinn, NSSEO's assistant superintendent for business services, presented NSSEO's preliminary 2026-27 budget to the Wheeling CCSD 21 board on April 16.
NSSEO's projected budget for next year is "about $55 million," McGinn said, a figure he described as "a 4.34% decrease from our current budget," largely because a capital HVAC project is concluding. NSSEO operates a zero-balance budget, McGinn said, meaning projected revenues and expenditures are matched and any year-end surpluses are returned to member districts.
For District 21, the presentation identified program-by-program enrollment and the tuition-based charges the cooperative bills to member districts. NSSEO's materials and presenters showed District 21's projected NSSEO placements at roughly 59 students next year (an increase of about 13 to 18 students from current-year usage in different programs), and McGinn estimated that "based on the large increase in students and the slight increase in purchase services, it's projected to be about a $1.1 million increase from this current school year." (speakers: Dr. Meg Schnoor; Gavin McGinn.)
Presenters outlined NSSEO's revenue sources: tuition from member districts, modest state Evidence-Based Funding and some Medicaid reimbursement; NSSEO does not levy taxes. McGinn also walked through program tuition lines (Timber Ridge, Miner, DHH itinerant services) and purchase services (vision, physical therapy, assistive technology) that together drive district charges.
Schnoor and McGinn flagged two key uncertainties that could change final costs: ongoing NSSEO staff contract negotiations and a new state-level initiative dubbed the "S fund," which shifts how the state reimburses districts for certain placements (presenters said there are outstanding questions on tuition-rate impacts and that NSSEO and member districts are monitoring state guidance).
Board members and staff asked clarifying questions about enrollment projections, which programs drive the biggest changes, and how NSSEO handles capital project timing. Schnoor emphasized the cooperative's long history and role in serving students whose needs exceed what home districts can meet.
The presentation concluded with a reminder that figures shown were early projections (April) and that final billing is based on actual usage during the school year; districts will receive updates as negotiations and state policy details are finalized. Next steps include continuing dialogue among superintendents and business managers as NSSEO finalizes its budget.
