'Oswego' making a comeback in SD308's official name

After much debate last fall and an online petition drive that garnered more than 650 signatures, SD308 has slowly but surely been including "Oswego" in communiques, press releases and, most recently, on district buses.

Controversy over the school district's official name began in August 2014 when the then-serving Board of Education voted to drop "Oswego" from the name of the district in an attempt to be more inclusive towards the other communities that feed students into the district: Aurora, Montgomery, Boulder Hill, Plainfield, Yorkville and Joliet.

But a petition to undo the change began circulating online last August, started by retired district teacher and coach Dave Elko, and former superintendent Terry Tamblyn. The two brought their petition before the school board in October and asked the board to reinstate the word "Oswego" to the district's buses and documents over time.

“We want to get our name back, our identification back,” Elko said.

During the board's discussion, it was determined that the official name of the district had never been changed from Oswego Community Unit School District 308 - just the logo, which no longer included "Oswego." As a result, the board's policy development committee drafted language to use "Oswego" in documents, and on the sides of district buses as they come up for new leases, as long as the change came at no cost to the district.

Director of Communications and Public Relations Theresa Komitas confirmed the district has started using the full name of the district in communications. She also said the district has accepted delivery of 29 buses for the 2018-19 school year that feature "Oswego Community Unit School District 308" on the sides.