Sangamon Area Special Education District

What Sangamon Area Special Education District does

Sangamon Area Special Education District (SASED) is a public special education cooperative established on July 1, 1967, and operating under the regulatory authority of the Illinois State Board of Education. The organization pools special education resources across 13 member school districts — A-C Central, Athens, Auburn, Greenview, New Berlin, North Mac, Pawnee, Pleasant Plains, PORTA, Riverton, Tri-City, Virginia, and Williamsville — serving more than 10,000 students across approximately 3,600 square miles in Sangamon, Menard, Macoupin, and Cass Counties in central Illinois. SASED is governed by a Board of Directors composed of superintendents from the member districts and is headquartered at 1420 South 8th Street in Springfield.

The cooperative delivers a portfolio of programs anchored by SASED Central School, a public therapeutic day school approved by ISBE to serve students in grades K-12+ with emotional and behavioral disabilities and autism, using evidence-based practices such as functional behavioral assessment, reinforcement, prompting, self-management, computer-assisted instruction, social skills groups, social stories, video modeling, and visual supports. Supporting service lines include Supportive Resource Services (SRS), Supportive Resource Classroom (SRC), an Early Childhood Program for children ages 3-5, Community Based Education (CBE) for students with moderate to profound disabilities, Visually Impaired and Hearing Impaired Programs, Speech/Language services, and the Secondary Transitional Experience Program (STEP) for vocational training and supported employment. Technology infrastructure is modest: an Edlio-based website, Reading Plus for reading intervention, and the Embrace platform for student data management.

SASED operates as a non-profit government entity with no equity, venture, or parent-company ownership. Revenue is not publicly disclosed but is funded through state and federal special education allocations, IDEA grants, member district contributions, and local property taxes. Services are delivered at no tuition cost to families. The organization is led by Director of Special Education Mark Strawn and Director of Student Services and Professional Development Kelly Fraase, with Colleen Meadows serving as Principal of SASED Central School. Marketing is limited to a website, Facebook job postings, and engagement through the Illinois State Board of Education PD Plus system; outreach is primarily operational rather than commercial given the captive member-district model.

Name

Sangamon Area Special Education District

Legal name

Sangamon Area Special Education District

Website

https://sased.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Sangamon Area Special Education District is a public Illinois special education cooperative serving 13 member school districts and 10,000+ students across four counties. It delivers therapeutic day school, itinerant, early childhood, and transition programs funded by state aid, IDEA grants, and member district contributions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Special Education Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialized Inclusive / Co-Taught Special Education Programs (EDAKAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Transition Services (Secondary to Postsecondary/Employment, Life Skills) (EDAJAKAG), Special Education Resource Rooms & Pull-Out Programs (EDAKAAAJ)

Keywords

• Special education services
• Therapeutic day school
• Special education cooperative
• Transition vocational programs
• Disability support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Springfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: As a public school special education cooperative, SASED is funded primarily through state and federal special education funding, local property taxes from member districts, and IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) grants.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

SASED is a public special education cooperative that delivers therapeutic day school programming, supportive resource services, early childhood intervention (ages 3-5), community-based education for students with moderate to profound disabilities, sensory impairment programs, speech/language therapy, and the Secondary Transitional Experience Program (STEP) for vocational preparation. Services are provided to 13 member school districts across central Illinois for students aged 3-21 with disabilities, structured around Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).

Product overview

SASED is a special education cooperative offering a comprehensive portfolio of programs and services to 13 member school districts. The core service is SASED Central School, a public therapeutic day program for K-12+ students with emotional/behavioral disabilities and autism. Supporting services include Supportive Resource Services (SRS), Supportive Resource Classroom (SRC), Early Childhood Program (ages 3-5), Community Based Education (CBE), Visually Impaired Program, Hearing Impaired Program, and Speech/Language Program. The Secondary Transitional Experience Program (STEP) provides vocational training and employment preparation. The website is powered by Edlio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SASED Central School: Public Therapeutic Day School providing structured educational environment for students with unique abilities and behavioral challenges, serving grades K-12+. Approved by Illinois State Board of Education.
• STEP

Products and services

• SASED Central School A public therapeutic day school approved by the Illinois State Board of Education serving students in grades K-12+ with emotional/behavioral disabilities and autism. Uses evidence-based practices including functional behavioral assessment, reinforcement, prompting, self-management, computer-assisted instruction, social skills groups, social stories, video modeling, and visual supports, with curriculum aligned to Common Core Standards.
• Supportive Resource Services (SRS) Support services provided to member districts for students with special education needs.
• Supportive Resource Classroom (SRC) Classroom-based resource services for students requiring additional educational support.
• Early Childhood Program Early intervention special education services for children ages 3-5 with developmental delays or disabilities.
• Community Based Education (CBE) District-based classes for students with moderate, severe, and profound disabilities providing instruction in community settings, including the SASED Transitional CBE located at the Capital Area Career Center.
• Visually Impaired Program Specialized instruction and services for students with visual impairments.
• Hearing Impaired Program Specialized instruction and services for students with hearing impairments.
• Speech/Language Program Therapeutic services for students with speech and language disorders.
• Secondary Transitional Experience Program (STEP) A training and placement program helping students with disabilities prepare for employment and community participation through career exploration, job training, supported employment, and independent living services.

Named customers13 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 1967SASED is a special education cooperative approved by ISBE to serve students in grades K-12+. The cooperative was established July 1, 1967 and operates under ISBE regulations and oversight for special education programs.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Tri-County Special Education Cooperative: Regional Illinois cooperative providing special education services to multiple member districts — directly comparable multi-district pooling model to SASED.
• SEDOL (Special Education District of Lake County): Illinois special education cooperative serving multiple school districts in Lake County with therapeutic programs, transition services, and itinerant staff — the closest direct peer to SASED in structure and mission within Illinois.
• CASE (Cooperative Association for Special Education): DuPage County, Illinois special education cooperative pooling resources across member districts — operates the same shared-services model as SASED for special education staffing and programs.
• Bureau Valley Special Education Cooperative: Illinois regional special education cooperative serving multiple rural districts with itinerant and centralized special education services — closely comparable to SASED's rural multi-district structure.
• NWSE (Northwest Special Education Cooperative): Illinois special education cooperative serving member districts in the northwest region with shared special education staff and programs — comparable governance and funding model.

Regional players

• Pace Academy (Chicago): Private therapeutic day school in Illinois for students with learning disabilities — operates similar therapeutic day school model to SASED Central but in a different Illinois region.

Broad incumbents

• NYC Department of Education – District 75: New York City special education district serving students with disabilities across all five boroughs — operates on a similar shared-services/cooperative model at much larger scale, often cited as a benchmark for urban special education delivery.
• Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE): State-level regulatory authority that approves and funds SASED — provides the policy framework and pass-through funding for all Illinois special education cooperatives including SASED.
• Regional Office of Education (ROE) – multiple Illinois regions: Illinois Regional Offices of Education provide broader oversight and services across all educational domains, including some special education coordination — broader incumbent in the same geography.

Emerging players

• Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago – School Programs: Hospital-affiliated educational programs serving students with significant medical and developmental needs — comparable therapeutic and clinical integration but more medical in orientation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/Sangamon-Area-Special-Education-District/571026126297638

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 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 Sangamon Area Special Education District