OVERVIEW
The FPS School Board heard from the community through the April 2024 survey about our Franklin Public Schools long-range facility planning efforts. After reviewing the survey results, the Board examined the costs, scope and timeline of these projects and adjusted based on community feedback. The FPS School Board passed a June 2024 resolution in support of pursuing $145M for the purpose of completing maintenance projects at 5 elementary schools and the work proposed at Franklin High School.

The adjusted scope of the plan going to referendum in November 2024 is comprised of these (2) projects:

 

 

The video below shows a high level overview of the FHS project and timeline for completion (currently within Fall 2028). This is a working draft and not a final rendering. 

The table below shares the tax impact expected from the community support for this project. You can view more financial details, including a tax impact calculator, on our FINANCIAL page here.

 

Please know these updates are listed with the newest and most current updates at the top.

In addition, we regularly share Franklin Forward updates in our bi-weekly District Newsletters and weekly Building Bulletins. Access to all of our past newsletters are linked up on our Communications Hub page here.  Parents, Guardians, and Staff are set to automatically receive our newsletters. If you are a community member that would like to receive any of our newsletters, please complete our SUBSCRIBE FORM.

Thursday, August 22, 2024

Dear Franklin Public Schools Families & Community Members,

This message is to share with you that the Franklin High School spaces to be addressed through the November 5th referendum now have “virtual tours” and planned in-person tour hours set up where you can explore these spaces at home on your device or in-person at designated times.  The first in-person offering is this Friday before the FHS Sabers take on Catholic Memorial High School in the first home football game of the season!  

ONLINE VIRTUAL FHS TOURS FROM ANYWHERE
Click here to see our new TOURS page on our website where the map is displayed that you can click into and see short videos about each space’s current state.

SELF GUIDED IN-PERSON FHS TOURS: FRI 8/23 4:30p-7p
This Friday from 4:30pm-7pm, Franklin High School will be open for self-guided tours of these spaces. You can enter either at the Community Education & Recreation entrance, the FHS Main Entrance or the Saber Center entrance.  You can use the virtual map linked here -or- grab a paper map at the entrance and travel to the spaces on the map.  At each space, you will find some talking points about the current state of that space and a QR code to scan for the short video you can watch on your phone about that space.  ProTip: You can also tap on the location icons or links in the map to see the video right from the map! :)  

DISTRICT LEADER/BOARD MEMBER LED IN-PERSON FHS TOUR: FRI 8/23 @ 6pm
If you are interested in a district leader led tour this Friday evening, please meet at the FHS Main Entrance at 6pm.  Our team will take you to each space and speak a little about the current state of those spaces.  

FUTURE OFFERINGS
We hope that by providing options to visit these spaces (in person and virtually), our community will take the time to be informed before you vote on the referendum question on the November 5th ballot. We will be updating our tours page with more offerings prior to school events and activities that you may already be attending.  We will also have tours around our planned Community Engagement Sessions coming up in October.  The October sessions will consist of a presentation in the Saber Center and in-person school board and district leader-led tours of the spaces.  

Mark your calendars if you plan to attend:

  • Sat, October 12th @ 12pm | FHS
  • Wed, October 16th @ 5pm | FHS
  • Fri, October 25th @ 10am | FHS

Thank you for being informed and for voting on November 5th!
FPS Communications

Wednesday, July 3, 2024

During the month of June at both the June 12th Board Workshop and the June 19th Board Meeting, the FPS School Board reviewed and discussed the data collected from the April 2024 School Perceptions Survey to best plan for the next steps of Franklin Forward.  

A key takeaway from the April 2024 survey, is that there is clear support for most of the proposed plan.  In listening to the voice of the community through survey data, the FPS School Board opted to focus on the specific pieces that had the highest level of support.  The long-range facility plan scope and timeline will be adjusted to re-examine where replacing Country Dale can best fit at some point in the future.  

During the June 19th Board Meeting, the Board examined the costs, scope and timeline of these projects to come to a resolution to add a referendum question on the November 2024 ballot.  This resolution reduced the overall scope of the project from the original $185 million by $40 million, to an adjusted $145 million project.  

The question (shown below), was voted on and approved by the Board and will be presented to voters on the November 5th ballot.

Shall the Franklin Public School District, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin be authorized to issue pursuant to Chapter 67 of the Wisconsin Statutes, general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed $145,000,000 for the public purpose of paying the cost of  a school facility improvement project consisting of:  Americans with Disabilities Act compliance updates, capital maintenance, building systems, safety, security and site improvements at the Elementary Schools and Franklin High School; construction of additions and renovations at Franklin High School, including for technical education space improvements, classroom and special education  areas, science lab improvements, new indoor physical education spaces and a field house, a pool, and  tennis courts; and acquisition of furnishings, fixtures and equipment? 

You can see the full resolution presented to and approved by the FPS School Board here.  

Over the next few months, Franklin Public Schools will work to share about the needs these projects address with the wider community through various engagement materials and opportunities including direct mailings, videos, sessions, and tours of our facilities.  For now, you can review these videos that address some of the current needs at Franklin High School that this referendum would support:

You can visit our Frequently Asked Questions page here for more information or submit a question here using this form about our planning efforts.  We thank the community for providing this feedback and for being involved so we can best plan for the future of Franklin Public Schools.  Look for us to share more with you through the time leading up to the November 5th vote!

For updates further back in time, please visit our ARCHIVE page here