November 14, 2024
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Oswego SD308 to have enrollment analysis done in face of district’s continued growth

‘We’ve had some significant growth’

By Eric Schelkopf
At a special school board workshop June 14, Oswego School Board board members voted 6-0 to approve a three-year contract with Andalib Khelghati as the district's new superintendent.

“We’ve had some significant growth in the area that was not anticipated last year,” SD308 Superintendent Andalib Khelghati told board members. (Eric Schelkopf)

The Oswego School Board wants to know where the district’s enrollment is headed so it knows how to plan for its future.

At its Jan. 8 School Board meeting, board members unanimously approved renewing a two-year contract with RSP Associates. The enrollment analysis will be for the next two school years at a cost of $22,000 per school year, for a total cost of $44,0000.

“We’ve had some significant growth in the area that was not anticipated last year,” SD308 Superintendent Andalib Khelghati told board members. “And there are some significant questions that have come up regarding our enrollment size. And so to be more thoughtful in that planning, it’s really important that we do this, this year.”

According to its website, RSP Associates utilizes a customized Student Forecast Model to project future student enrollment in a five or 10 year time frame. The projections can be viewed at a district-wide level, by geographical area or by an individual facility.

Assistant Superintendent of Student and Staff Services Heather Kincaid said the district “did see a dip in enrollment of close to 1,000 students during COVID and then over the last few years there’s been growth in certain sectors of the district.”

Kincaid noted that not only does the enrollment analysis provide information about where growth is occurring in the district, it also helps in programmatic planning.

“We have specialized programming in different buildings,” she said.

That includes such programs as English Learner, Special Education and Early Childhood. According to the latest Illinois Report Card, the district’s enrollment is 16,797.

Oswego School District is one of the largest school districts in Illinois.

“To Dr. Khelghati’s point, we have had a lot of construction that we weren’t anticipating,” School Board member Jennifer Johnson said.

Board member Dominick Cirone agreed the enrollment analysis is needed in face of the continued growth of the district.

“It’s probably a good time to make sure that we’re staying ahead,” he said.