A new superintendent has been approved for Oswego-based School District 308.
The recent approval by the District 308 Board of Education concludes a nationwide search for a new leader that began earlier this year with the announcement that current Superintendent John Sparlin will retire at the end of June.
The school board unanimously approved a three-year contract with Andalib Khelghati, assistant superintendent of Human Resources in Evanston/Skokie School District 65, to be the new superintendent.
Khelghati will begin work as District 308 superintendent July 1.
Board members recognized the involvement of students, parents, staff and community members in the search for a replacement for Sparlin.
“Dr. Khelghati is equally an educational systems and culture change agent, with a focus on fiscal responsibility,” Board of Education President LaTonya Simelton said in a statement.
Sparlin announced in January that he would retire. He has served at the helm for seven of the 11 years he has worked for District 308.
Khelghati began as assistant superintendent of schools in 2017 before becoming assistant superintendent of Human Resources in School District 65.
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“Dr. Khelghati is an experienced and proven educational leader and the board looks forward to the progress he will make toward the vision for our students,” Simelton said.
Khelghati was born in Togo and lived in various countries including Kenya, Canada and Israel. In addition to English, he speaks French and Persian.
“This diverse cultural journey allows him to connect with students, parents and staff from different backgrounds, fostering unity and a sense of belonging within the educational institutions he leads,” district officials said.
The incoming superintendent said he is looking forward to starting work in District 308.
“I am looking forward to working with all members of the community to celebrate and ensure the success of each and every child,” Khelghati said.
Khelghati’s post-secondary education began at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he earned his bachelor’s degree. He then pursued a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction in Elementary Education from Columbia University’s Teachers College in New York.
He added a doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Illinois at Chicago, officials said.
Early in his educational career, he taught third and sixth grade and served as an assistant principal on Chicago’s South Side.
Khelghati began in Evanston as a principal at Dewey Elementary School, a post he held for six years. District officials said he led a two-year initiative that improved vocabulary learning across grade levels, leading to improved student reading scores, as well as receiving state-level recognition for five consecutive years for a school culture built on emphasizing positive behavior.
As assistant superintendent of schools, he led multiple initiatives, including developing a new disciplinary policy aligned with the district’s racial equity policy, instituting new systems of learning for principals and redesigning the district intervention program, officials said.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.