Two OSD 308 Board of Education members file petitions to run for full terms in April election

Board members Dominick Cirone and Jared Ploger

Two appointed members of the Oswego School District 308 Board of Education will seek to retain their seats in the April 4 consolidated election.

Board members Dominick Cirone and Jared Ploger presented their nominating petitions Dec. 12, the first day for candidates to file for a place on the ballot in the spring election.

Cirone’s appointment to the board was to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Ruth Kroner, who left the board in December 2021 because she and her family were moving out of state.

Cirone, of Oswego, took the oath of office Feb. 10 during a raucus board meeting that was attended by more than 200 parents and students at the Oswego East High School performing arts center.

The crowd was there to protest the continuing mandate at the time for masks to be worn in school buildings. Oswego police stood between the board and the audience.

Only days after Cirone was seated as a member, President Donna Marino resigned from the board, saying her decision was “very difficult” but “necessary for the well-being of herself and her family.”

LaTonya Simelton assumed the role of president, while the school board appointed former member Jared Ploger to fill the vacancy created by Marino’s resignation.

Ploger, of Aurora, was elected to the board in 2015, serving one term until 2019. He did not run for reelection. His appointment runs until the next board election in spring 2023. Board seats up for election also include those now occupied by Lauri Doyle and Alison Swanson.

Terms of office for Simelton, Eugene Gatewood and Jennifer Johnson run to 2025.

The last day for candidates to file petitions to have their names placed on the April ballot is Monday, Dec. 19.