What Tri-County Special Education does

Tri-County Special Education (TCSE) is a Special Education Cooperative jointly governed by 20 member public school districts in southern Illinois, with its principal office in Murphysboro. The cooperative delivers IDEA-compliant special education services across the full birth-through-age-21 continuum: early intervention coordination with Child and Family Connections offices (birth to 3), preschool screening and services (ages 3-5), Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) problem-solving for school-age students, comprehensive Case Study Evaluations across 13 disability categories, Individualized Education Plan (IEP) development and three-year reevaluations, and discipline-specific therapies (speech-language, occupational, physical, vision, hearing, audiology). Supplemental programs include the CHOICES classroom at Unity Point for grades 3-6, ASPIRE Academy as an alternative education setting, the PLATO online credit recovery program, Pre-Employment Career Training (PECT), and anti-bullying/anti-bias services aligned with board policies 7.20 and 7.180.

The technology stack is conventional EdTech SaaS rather than proprietary infrastructure: Google Workspace for Education and Google Classroom as the primary instructional platform, PowerSchool for student information, Frontline Education for absence management, SchoolOffice for SDS administration, RevTrak for fee collection, Character Strong for SEL curriculum delivery, GoTeachPoint for teacher evaluation, and ISBE SafeSchools for state-mandated compliance training. TCSE has designated Google Classroom trainers and representatives, and supports MTSS, IEP, and professional development workflows through these platforms. No proprietary software, AI/ML systems, patents, or branded intellectual property were disclosed.

The organization is structured as a non-profit joint agreement cooperative under Illinois law, not a venture-backed or publicly traded entity. Revenue flows from member district cooperative contributions supplemented by state and federal IDEA special education allocations; no direct customer fees or commercial pricing apply. Governance rests with an Executive Board of district superintendents and representatives (e.g., Dr. Andrea Evers, Chairperson; Dr. Paige Maginel, Vice-Chairperson; Supt. Kevin Westall, Executive Secretary for 2026-2027), with day-to-day operations led by Executive Director Zeppelyn Brewer, who also serves as Title IX Coordinator. Headcount is reported as 51-100 in firmographic data, but the public staff listing identifies approximately 200+ named personnel across teaching, paraprofessional, administrative, therapeutic, and support roles.

Name

Tri-County Special Education

Legal name

Tri-County Special Education

Website

https://tcse.us

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Tri-County Special Education is a non-profit Special Education Cooperative jointly governed by 20 member school districts in southern Illinois, delivering IDEA-mandated evaluation, IEP, and therapy services for students with disabilities from birth through age 21.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Special Education Cooperative Services

NAICS

Educational Services (61), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialized Programs & Classrooms (Autism, Emotional/Behavioral, Intellectual/Developmental, Multi-Disability) (EDAJAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Special Education Eligibility & Evaluation Support (EDAKACAC), Special Education Evaluation & Assessment (Psychoeducational, Speech/Language, OT/PT) (EDAJAKAA), Specialized Instruction & Resource Support (Inclusion, Pull-Out, Co-Teaching) (EDAJAKAC)

Keywords

• Special education services
• Special education cooperative
• Individualized education programs
• Special education evaluation
• Special education professional development

Headquarters

HQ city

Carbondale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Member District Cooperative Contributions: As a special education cooperative, TCSE is funded through contributions and agreements with its 20 member school districts. These districts pool resources to share specialized special education services, staff, and programs that would be cost-prohibitive for individual districts to provide independently. Funding is supplemented by state and federal special education allocations as part of IDEA compliance.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Tri-County Special Education is a Special Education Cooperative providing IDEA-compliant identification, evaluation, and ongoing special education services to students from birth through age 21 across 20 member school districts in southern Illinois. Its core offerings include Child Find identification, multidisciplinary Case Study Evaluation (CSE), Individualized Education Plan (IEP) development, related therapies (speech-language, occupational, physical, vision, hearing), specialized classroom programs (CHOICES, ASPIRE Academy), vocational training (PECT), credit recovery (PLATO), MTSS interventions, and ISBE-approved professional development for member district staff.

Product overview

Tri-County Special Education is a Special Education Cooperative serving 20 member school districts in Illinois, providing a comprehensive suite of programs from birth through age 21. The core offering is special education coordination including Child Find identification, Case Study Evaluation, and IEP development. Related programs include the PLATO Credit Recovery Program for credit-deficient students, CHOICES classrooms for grades 3-6, ASPIRE Academy for alternative education, and MTSS problem-solving interventions. Professional development services support member district staff with ISBE-approved training and PD resources. All services operate in coordination with member districts, Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) requirements, and federal IDEA guidelines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Child Find Process Federal and state-mandated identification process for locating children from birth to age 21 who may have disabilities and need special education services, including developmental screening and case study evaluation. Provided by TCSE to its member school districts.
• Case Study Evaluation (CSE) Comprehensive individual assessment process conducted with written parental consent, including psychological, achievement, adaptive behavior, speech/language, OT/PT, vision/hearing screenings, health history, and social developmental study; used to determine special education eligibility. Completed within 60 school days.
• Early Intervention Program (Birth to Age 3) Early intervention services for infants and toddlers with developmental concerns, coordinated through local Child and Family Connections (CFC) offices.
• Preschool Program (Ages 3-5) Developmental screening and early childhood special education services for preschool-aged children before kindergarten entry, provided through member district partnerships.
• Special Education Services (Cooperative Member District Delivery) Comprehensive special education programs delivered to 20 member school districts, covering 13 IDEA disability categories with related therapies (speech-language, occupational, physical, vision, hearing), school psychology, and ongoing support for students with disabilities from birth to age 21.
• PLATO Credit Recovery Program Online credit recovery program allowing students to earn missing credits through self-paced digital coursework; includes program referral process and full course catalog on the PLATO Learning platform.
• Professional Development Services ISBE-approved professional development opportunities for educators, including training modules, PD event calendar, credit tracking, G-Suite training, and connections to external ISBE-approved PD providers across the Illinois PD ecosystem.
• CHOICES Program Special education classroom program serving students in grades 3-6 at Unity Point, with dedicated teachers and administrators for students with special needs.
• ASPIRE Academy Alternative education program providing specialized support for students requiring alternative educational settings.
• MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports) Pre-evaluation problem-solving process for school-age students involving intervention strategies developed with teacher, student, and parent input before case study evaluation is initiated.
• PECT (Pre-Employment Career Training) Program Vocational training program for transition-age students directed by the PECT Director and coordinated by the PECT Coordinator; supports pre-employment and career readiness outcomes across member districts.

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISBE is the state regulatory body governing special education in Illinois. TCSE operates under ISBE guidelines and complies with IDEA requirements. The organization follows ISBE-mandated processes for Child Find, case study evaluations, and professional development requirements. TCSE staff complete ISBE Title IX training and use ISBE-approved forms and procedures.
• Member School Districts (20 districts)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTCSE is a cooperative organization owned and governed by its 20 member school districts. Districts include those in Jackson, Union, and surrounding counties. The cooperative model allows districts to share specialized staff and services, with member districts represented on the TCSE Executive Board.
• Child and Family Connections (CFC) OfficescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFC offices are Illinois early intervention service coordination offices. TCSE partners with CFC offices for the Child Find process for children birth to age 3, referring families to early intervention services and coordinating with early childhood programs.
• Illinois Approved PD Providers NetworksupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerTCSE connects member district staff to a network of ISBE-approved professional development providers including SIU Behavior Assessment Training, Illinois Council for Children with Behavior Disorders, Illinois Learning Disabilities Association, Illinois Council for Exceptional Children, and numerous other state-level professional organizations.
• Google for EducationsupportingTechnology or IntegrationTCSE utilizes Google Workspace for Education and Google Classroom as its primary digital learning platform. The organization has designated Google Classroom trainers and representatives, and staff receive G-Suite training through Google's learning resources.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Therapy Travelers: Therapy Travelers places school-based therapy and special education professionals on contract assignments nationwide, comparable to TCSE's itinerant SLP/OT/PT staffing across member districts but via a temporary-contractor model.
• PresenceLearning: PresenceLearning delivers online speech-language, occupational, and mental-health services to K-12 schools, overlapping with TCSE's related-services delivery but as a national digital platform rather than a regional cooperative.
• Public Consulting Group (PCG): PCG provides consulting, staffing, and technology services to state education agencies and school districts on IDEA compliance, Medicaid billing, and special education administration — adjacent to TCSE's regulatory and compliance support role.

Direct peers

• The Menta Group: The Menta Group operates alternative and special education schools serving students with emotional, behavioral, and learning disabilities in partnership with public school districts — directly comparable to TCSE's alternative-education and specialized-classroom offerings.
• New Story Schools: New Story Schools operates private special education schools for students with autism, emotional disabilities, and behavioral needs referred by public school districts — closely parallel to TCSE's specialized classroom programs serving district-referred students.
• Catapult Learning: Catapult Learning provides special education, intervention, and professional development services to K-12 schools and districts nationwide, directly comparable to TCSE's cooperative model of delivering specialized instructional and related services to public schools.
• ChanceLight Behavioral Health & Education: ChanceLight provides behavioral health, special education, and therapy services to K-12 schools through both in-person and teletherapy models, comparable to TCSE's full continuum of evaluation, IEP, and related services for students with disabilities.
• Specialized Education Services Inc (SESI): SESI operates private special education schools and provides related services to public school students with disabilities, mirroring TCSE's specialized classroom programs (CHOICES, ASPIRE, Ward, Center) and related therapy services.
• Invo Healthcare Associates: Invo Healthcare supplies school-based related-services personnel (SLPs, OTs, PTs, school psychologists) and behavioral health staff to public school districts — directly comparable to TCSE's itinerant therapy and evaluation staffing model.

Broad incumbents

• Stride (formerly K12 Inc): Stride is a large publicly-traded online K-12 education provider that includes special education and credit-recovery offerings (overlapping with TCSE's PLATO program) as part of a broader curriculum and school-management portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TCSE2013
• Xx.com/special_tri

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tri-County Special Education