Wisconsin Council of Administrators of Special Services

What Wisconsin Council of Administrators of Special Services does

Wisconsin Council of Administrators of Special Services (WCASS) is a Wisconsin-domiciled non-profit professional association founded in 1994 (incorporated May 3, 1995) and headquartered in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin. The organization serves over 350 members who administer and support student services and special education programs across Wisconsin's 12 CESA-aligned regions, with tiered membership categories for Professional ($450/yr), Associate ($300/yr), Pre-professional ($75/yr), and Retiree ($50/yr) constituents. WCASS generates revenue through annual membership dues, conference and event registrations (Spring Conference $375 member/$475 non-member, Winter Conference, Legal Learning Series, Early Career Leadership Network, Special Education Budgeting Academy), and a Business Affiliate Membership / sponsorship program (sponsorship tiers from $500 vendor tables to $3,000 keynote packages, plus $1,200/year website and $250/newsletter placements).

WCASS operates a lean technology stack centered on a memberclicks.net member management platform for dues processing, event registration, and member-only content access; web conferencing for monthly virtual learning series; and a YouTube channel for advocacy video content. There is no proprietary software product, no API, and no disclosed AI/ML capability. Core deliverables are human-mediated: professional learning events (Spring and Winter conferences plus monthly virtual series), policy and legislative advocacy through its seat in the School Administrators Alliance (SAA) alongside WASDA, AWSA, WASBO, and WASPA, member-only resources (WCASS Principles and Competencies, Special Education Workload Toolkit, Position Papers, New Director Guidelines), and structured peer networking via 12 regional representatives and early-career coaching programs.

The organization is governed by an elected Board of Directors with Regional Representatives from each of 12 regions and Executive Officers (President, President Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, Past President). Day-to-day operations are run by Executive Director Jim Heiden and two Co-Directors of Member Learning (Danica Lewis and Deb), supported by an overall staff of 1-10. WCASS holds the Wisconsin affiliate designation from the Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE) and maintains operational relationships with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI), the Wisconsin Association of School Business Officials (WASBO), the Regional Special Education Network (RSN), and the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). Membership fees are eligible to be paid through IDEA Flow-through grants, and the fiscal year runs July 1 through June 30.

Name

Wisconsin Council of Administrators of Special Services

Legal name

Wisconsin Council of Administrators of Special Services, Ltd.

Website

https://wcass.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Wisconsin Council of Administrators of Special Services (WCASS) is a non-profit professional association serving 350+ special education and student services administrators across Wisconsin's 12 regions through tiered memberships, conferences, virtual learning series, policy advocacy via the School Administrators Alliance, and member-only resources.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Membership Dues: Annual membership dues provide full voting and board participation access for Directors/Assistant Directors of Student Services with WI DPI 80 or 81 license. Members receive Daily Wisconsin Education News, SAA Legislative Alerts, conference discounts, and access to member-only website resources.
2. Associate Membership Dues: Non-voting membership for non-director roles including principals, district administrators, coordinators, consultants, coaches, higher ed instructors, school psychologists, school social workers, and school counselors.
3. Conference and Event Registration: Revenue from Spring Conference ($375 member, $475 non-member) and various learning series including Legal Learning Series (8-session series for $350) and Early Career Leadership Network (7-session series for $50).
4. Business Affiliate Memberships and Sponsorships: Organizations can become Business Affiliate Members. Sponsorship opportunities include Keynote ($3000), Networking ($2500), Lunch ($1500), Breakfast ($1200), Badge ($1250), Break ($1000), Vendor Table ($500), Website Sponsorship ($1200/year), and Newsletter Sponsorship ($250/edition).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

WCASS provides tiered professional memberships and continuing-education programs (annual conferences, monthly virtual learning series, and early-career coaching) for special education and pupil services leaders in Wisconsin. It also delivers policy and legislative advocacy through the School Administrators Alliance and maintains a members-only resource library including the Special Education Workload Toolkit, WCASS Principles and Competencies, and position papers.

Product overview

WCASS offers a suite of professional membership services and learning programs for special education and student services leaders in Wisconsin. The organization provides tiered membership categories (Professional, Associate, Pre-professional, and Retiree), annual conferences, monthly virtual learning series (Legal Learning Series, Elevate! Leadership Learning, Leadership Lab, Peer Connection Network), early career coaching, and members-only resources including the Special Education Workload Toolkit and WCASS Principles and Competencies. The organization also offers Business Affiliate Memberships for organizations seeking to partner with WCASS.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WCASS Professional Membership
• WCASS Associate Membership
• WCASS Pre-professional Membership
• WCASS Retiree Membership
• WCASS Spring Conference
• Legal Learning Series
• Elevate! Leadership Learning Series
• Leadership Lab: Transformative Practices Network
• The Peer Connection: Early Career Leadership Network
• Early Career Director Coaching
• Special Education Budgeting Academy
• Business Affiliate Membership

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• School Administrators Alliance (SAA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1994WCASS formally joined SAA in 1994. SAA is a lobbying organization comprised of WCASS, WASDA, AWSA, WASBO, and WASPA. It provides government relations services and unified political voice for Wisconsin school administrators. WCASS executive director and SAA director of government relations are registered lobbyists advocating for students with disabilities at state and national levels.
• Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEC is the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving educational success of individuals with disabilities and/or gifts and talents. WCASS members have access to CEC publications, professional development, and advocacy resources.
• Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCASE is an international professional educational organization affiliated with CEC dedicated to enhancement of worth, dignity, potential, and uniqueness of each individual in society. WCASS is the Wisconsin Affiliate of CASE and has a unit representative on CASE board meetings annually.
• Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWCASS has close working relationship with DPI evident at Annual State Superintendent's Leadership Conference held each fall. DPI contacts include Special Education Department and Student Services Prevention and Wellness.
• Wisconsin Association of School Business Officials (WASBO)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWCASS partnered with WASBO and DPI to present the Federal Funding Conference for teams from school districts to focus on Title 1 and IDEA funding compliance issues. Also partnered for Special Education Budgeting Academy.
• National Association of Pupil Services Administrators (NAPSA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAPSA is a national association of student services administrators with members across the nation and two foreign countries, committed to cultivation of leadership, advocacy, and professional development in pupil services.
• Regional Special Education Network (RSN)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWCASS partners with WDPI and RSN Network for the Special Education/Pupil Services Leadership Academy, a series of virtual sessions specifically designed for directors in their first three years of leading.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators (WASDA): Wisconsin statewide association for school district administrators and a fellow SAA coalition member alongside WCASS. Comparable in membership-association structure, geographic scope, and advocacy delivery, though serving superintendents rather than special education directors.
• Association of Wisconsin School Administrators (AWSA): Wisconsin statewide association for school administrators and SAA coalition member. Operates a parallel professional membership, conference, and advocacy model for principals and building-level administrators in Wisconsin.
• Wisconsin Association of School Business Officials (WASBO): Wisconsin statewide association for school business officials and fellow SAA coalition member. WASBO co-delivers WCASS's Special Education Budgeting Academy, indicating overlapping membership, governance, and learning-product models.
• National Association of Pupil Services Administrators (NAPSA): National professional association for pupil services administrators. NAPSA directly mirrors WCASS's persona at a national level, focusing on leadership, advocacy, and professional development for student services leaders.
• Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE): International professional organization for special education administrators; WCASS is the Wisconsin state affiliate of CASE and has a unit representative on CASE's board. CASE is the direct national counterpart to WCASS, serving the same professional persona at a broader geographic scope.
• Wisconsin Association of School Personnel Administrators (WASPA): Wisconsin statewide association for school personnel and human resources administrators and SAA coalition member. Closely mirrors WCASS's membership-association structure within an adjacent educational personnel domain in the same geography.

Broad incumbents

• Council for Exceptional Children (CEC): Largest international professional organization dedicated to improving educational outcomes for individuals with disabilities. WCASS is a partner affiliate; CEC serves a broader audience including teachers and parents rather than specializing in administrator-only services.
• ASCD: National association for supervision, curriculum, and instructional leadership in K–12 education. ASCD is a broader incumbent that overlaps with WCASS in serving district-level instructional and supervisory leaders and competes for the same Wisconsin district-level membership dollars.
• School Administrators Alliance (SAA): Lobbying coalition that includes WCASS along with WASDA, AWSA, WASBO, and WASPA. SAA is the broader advocacy umbrella within which WCASS operates; comparable in mission but a coalition entity rather than a single-membership association.

Emerging players

• Learning Forward: National professional association focused on professional learning for educators. While not administrator-specific, Learning Forward competes for the same professional development budgets and member attention that WCASS targets with its virtual learning series and academies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@WCASSOfficial

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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