Oswego D308 approves $380K contract to look into future facilities needs

Oswego School District 308 officials want to know the district’s current and future facility needs.

At the Oct. 7 Oswego school board meeting, board members unanimously approved a $380,000 contract with Wight & Company to develop a master facility plan for the district.

“This is something that a school district should do periodically, I would venture to say probably every 10 years,” Raphael Obafemi, the district’s chief financial officer and chief school business official, told Oswego school board members in talking about the project at the Sept. 23 board meeting. “And as far as we know, we’ve never done this before. So this is an attempt to do what we believe is absolutely necessary for us to do.”

The district covers about 68 square miles, with students not only in Oswego, but also Aurora, Joliet, Montgomery, Plainfield and Yorkville. The master plan will contain individual building solutions “but also an overarching solution for the entire district,” Wight & Company Senior Vice President Brad Paulsen told school board members.

“And then it gets into funding needs and what are the best ways to implement those,” Paulsen said. “We want to assess your buildings and figure out what the needs are.”

Plans are for the school board to adopt the master facility plan by December 2025.

As part of the process, the company will get feedback from parents, school board members, district and school leaders, teachers/staff and students through workshops, surveys and public meetings.

“This is a process for the community, for everyone who has a stake in the school district,” Obafemi said. “They should have a voice to be able to make a determination about how our resources are allocated.”

Paulsen emphasized the importance of working with the community.

“In the end, hopefully you build a lot of engagement and trust with your community and staff to have everybody on board with the direction you take,” he said.

Oswego D308 operates 22 facilities, which includes 13 elementary schools, five middle schools and two high schools, along with a early learning center and a therapeutic day school. The project is divided into three phases – facilities condition and assessment, space and programming needs assessment and development of a district long range facility master plan.

Outdoor spaces, including athletic fields, also will be looked at part of the facility master plan. District Deputy Superintendent Heather Kincaid said there will be a need for continued discussion about enrollment considerations at Long Beach and Southbury elementary schools over the next year or so.

“With the growth along Wolfs Crossing in terms of subdivision additions, we’re looking at some capacity issues for Southbury and potentially Long Beach,” she said.

She said the school district in the future might have to look at some student assignment changes in regards to those schools.

In addition to the master facility plan, a strategic plan is also being done for the district. District Superintendent Andalib Khelghati said the plan will examine the district’s strengths along with areas of improvement.