Four Oswego School Board incumbents not running for reelection in April

Four incumbent Oswego SD308 School Board members are not running for reelection in the April 1 consolidated election.

Oswego School Board President LaTonya Simelton, School Board Vice-President Eugene Gatewood, Board Secretary Jared Ploger and board member Jennifer Johnson did not file their nominating petitions by the Nov. 18 deadline. There are four seats open on the board.

Eight candidates have filed to run for the four seats. They include Oswego Library Board trustee James Marter of Oswego, who also is running for reelection to the Oswego Library Board. Marter lost in his recent race against U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Naperville.

Other candidates include Katie Heiden, of Oswego; Rovel Pollock, of Oswego; Erika Sieh, of Aurora; Dawn Marquis, of Oswego; Kari Foulk, of Oswego; Brandi Robinson, of Aurora and Heather Martin, of Montgomery.

Oswego SD308 covers about 68 square miles, taking in parts of Oswego, Aurora, Joliet, Montgomery, Plainfield and Yorkville.

The new board work on a new strategic plan for the district. The plan will examine the district’s strengths along with areas of improvement.

In addition, board members recently unanimously approved a $380,000 contract with Wight & Company to develop a master facility plan for the district.

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.

The plan’s first phase began on Nov. 4, including a comprehensive walk through of the buildings to evaluate the condition of all physical facilities and systems. The second phase will assess the educational use of spaces and the third phase will plan for future improvements and enhancements.