The North Judson-San Pierre School Board this week approved a new agreement as part of its existing special education cooperative. The new JESSE agreement allows for easier separation should a member school decide to leave.
Under the agreement, nine corporations share special education services that are not feasible for them to offer individually, including administration, psychological and therapy services, transition programming and counseling. Special education classroom staff were previously JESSE employees but are now employed by the individual corporation.
Member corporations include Argos, Culver, John Glenn, Knox, North Judson – San Pierre, Oregon-Davis, Plymouth, Triton and Union-North. The 29 area schools offer 70 special education classes and programs, according to information on the cooperative’s website. The base student population is approximately 14,000, and JESSE serves more than 1,600 students with disabilities.
The Plymouth Community School Corporation administers the program and pays the claims. All of the corporations have recently been tasked with ratifying the new agreement. N.J.-S.P. Superintendent Lynn Johnson says there are no significant changes over the original agreement that was signed to set up a Joint Service and Supply Fund Cooperative on July 1, 2012.
