Oswego School District 308 is applying for a $50,000 state grant to help pay for a $200,000 project to replacing flooring at three schools.

The Oswego School Board recently approved applying for the school maintenance project grant. The district’s Operations Department proposes a project to replace flooring in the gyms at Lakewood Creek Elementary School in Montgomery and The Wheatland Elementary School in Aurora as well as the second-floor hallway at Fox Chase Elementary School in Oswego with updated and more durable flooring materials.

“The flooring in all of these locations consists of extremely worn carpet, an inappropriate flooring material for school gyms,” District 308 chief financial officer and chief school business official Raphael Obafemi said in a memo to School Board members.

The project is estimated to cost $200,000 and is set for completion in the summer of 2026.

The School Board approved allocating $200,000 from local funds through the district’s Operations and Maintenance Purposes levy and to submit a grant application for $50,000 of the total project cost.

If the Illinois State Board of Education approves the application, the district will receive $50,000 toward the cost of the multi-school flooring replacement project.

“A project may involve different types of work on a single building or on several buildings or structures,” Obafemi said. “There is no limit to the cost of a project; however, grant awards shall not exceed $50,000 per grant award and applicants shall provide a match from local funds equal to the grant amount requested.”