Oswego Dist. 308 School Board approves new 5-year contract with superintendent

In approving a new five-year contract with Oswego SD308 School Superintendent Andalib Khelghati, Oswego School Board members said they are firmly behind the direction he is taking the district.

Khelghati started with the district in July 2023. He previously had served as Evanston/Skokie School District 65′s assistant superintendent of human resources.

At the Aug. 5 Oswego School Board meeting, board members unanimously voted to approve a new performance based five-year contract with Khelghati and terminate the previous three-year contract the board had approved in June 2023. The previous contract was set to expire in 2026.

Under the previous contract, Khelghati received a base salary of $245,000 in the first year of the contract and was to receive $258,660.28 in the third year of the contract. The new contract, which is retroactive to July 1, has him receiving $251,737.50 this year, which is the first year of the new contract.

In the final year of the contract – July 1, 2028 through June 30, 2029 – Khelghati will see his base salary increase to $280,591.97.

Board members commended Khelghati for the work he has done since becoming school superintendent.

“This is an investment in our district and in our community,” Oswego School Board President LaTonya Simelton said following the vote. “It’s an opportunity for us to send a message that we solidly stand behind Dr. Khelghati and the vision that he has for our district.”

Simelton said she hears on a regular basis that the community appreciates the direction of the district.

“I’m just getting such accolades and praise for the direction that we’re going and what we’ve accomplished so far,” she said. “We have a clear direction and focus.”

School Board member Jared Ploger echoed those remarks.

“When I came on this board in 2015, people were afraid,” he said. “I don’t know if anyone wants to be honest about it, but there was a lot of fear in a lot of places and a lot of division. And so I am thankful for the board that sits up here. I’m thankful for Dr. Khelghati and I’m thank for his entire team. What I see are good things.”

Khelghati thanked the board members.

“This truly is a team sport in our efforts to serve children,” he said. “This is not about me, this is about our students...Thank you for your trust and your confidence in my leadership and really in the team that has come together. And we are excited to serve together and really build a platform. We’re just getting started. This is not the end, this is the beginning. And this is laying a foundation.”