Franklin Forward Archive

This ARCHIVE page contains a timeline of Franklin Forward long-range facility planning by Franklin Public Schools beginning at the bottom of the page with Spring 2023 and the top of the page being more recent additions.  This page contains presentations given to the board and details for the original plans.  The newest information about Franklin Forward planning can be found on our main "Project Updates" page here.

 

OVERVIEW
In November of 2024, Franklin Public Schools placed a referendum question on the ballot.  The $145M referendum is outlined in the details below.  This work was built upon the FPS School Board hearing from the community through an 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.  This adjusted scope is what resulted in the referendum of November 2024 and is comprised of these (2) projects: 

$21.9 (of $145M) To Update Buildings & Grounds

 

$123.1M (of $145M) to Update & Expand FHS

 

Banner: Updates

 

 

Thursday, November 20, 2025

At last week's Board Meeting, Dr. Annalee Bennin, Mike Hacker (Cadence Consulting), Devin Kack and Nick Kent (PRA), and Phil Jaskolski (C.D. Smith) presented “Franklin Forward Update #6” to the Board and shared an updated timeline and visuals related to the Franklin High School construction project.  Below are links to the related visuals:

 
 

Wednesday, November 12, 2025

FPS Leaders, Students, Partners and Community Members with shovels at groundbreaking

We held the FHS Groundbreaking Ceremony at 10am on Wednesday, November 12th.  To see images and video clips from the event, please click here.

Tuesday, November 11, 2025

The following slides are a Franklin Forward Update #6 presented at the Tues 11/11/25 School Board Meeting:

 

Monday, November 10, 2025

Due to this morning's cold and the inability for all aspects of our planned FHS Groundbreaking Ceremony to take place, we are postponing the event to this Wednesday, November 12th @ 10am.  You can view the updated invitation for the event here that contains all details.

Monday, November 3, 2025

Please join us for the FHS Groundbreaking celebration on Monday, November 10th @ 10am in front of Sullivan Stadium. Please enter and park near the baseball fields.  The day is predicted to have a high of 38 degrees so please dress warmly!  In the event there is a very inclement weather and changes have to be made, we will post on this webpage.  See you there!

Groundbreaking Ceremony Invite - Mon, November 10th at 10am at FHS Sullivan Stadium.

 

Monday, October 27, 2025  (Special Newsletter Update Here)

Dear Families & Community Members, 

CLICK HERE for a special update from FPS Administrator Dr. Annalee Bennin regarding our Franklin Forward work. 

Included in this message are details about:

  • What you will see occuring on the FHS grounds
  • Phases of the work
  • A timeline up to Winter Break
  • School board resolution information regarding the 2026-27 & 2027-28 school calendars
  • Details on the FHS Groundbreaking Ceremony on Mon 11/10 @ 10am
  • Updates about completed work this past spring and summer

Thank you,
FPS Communications

Monday, October 6, 2025

We hoped to provide more updates since our last update in June about the continued work of Franklin Forward including details about the start of construction at Franklin High School this fall.  While full site plan approval was expected in late July/early August by the City of Franklin, this has not yet happened.  We expected to have construction fences in place at Franklin High School in August, with groundwork to the north of the school following in August and September.  Simply driving by FHS, one can observe that this has not taken place and our groundbreaking has been significantly delayed. We are working to reschedule the demolition of the pool, which was originally scheduled for early October. The exact timeline of rescheduling these phases of work is contingent on City of Franklin Plan Commission action and a final site plan approval.  

Upcoming City of Franklin meetings around submitted FHS site plans:  

  • A third City of Franklin Plan Commission meeting will be held Thursday, October 9th to review the southeast corner of FHS property and the multiply-submitted plans for development with adaptations that take into account feedback from community and City personnel.  
  • Anyone wanting to speak to their interest around the submitted work is welcome to speak during the Citizen Comment Period at either meeting, or submit a note of project support to City officials.   

This project holds vital importance for our community; the School Board and District Administration continue to advocate for what we believe that decades of future Sabers and staff deserve to be able to equitably access across the High School site, including tennis courts, practice fields, and varied educational environments indoors.  Thank you for your understanding and support.

Wednesday, August 13, 2025

The following slides are a Franklin Forward Update #5 presented at the Wed 8/13/25 School Board Meeting and recent City Council Meeting:

 

Thursday, June 19, 2025

Provided below is the updated FHS Phasing Video that was provided during an update to the board at last night’s Wednesday, June 18, 2025 Board Meeting.  This video shows the updated scope, sequencing and timeline of the FHS project that will begin this August.  

 

The following slides are a Franklin Forward Update #4 presented at the Wed 6/18/25 School Board Meeting:

 
 

Wednesday, May 7, 2025

The following slides are a Franklin Forward Update #3 presented at the Wed 5/7/25 School Board Meeting:

 

Wednesday, April 9, 2025

The following slides are Franklin Forward Update #2 presented at the Wed 4/9/25 School Board Meeting:

 

 

Thursday, April 3, 2025 (update from District Newsletter #14 here)

  • Work continues as we are in the Schematic Phase of planning as shared at our January update to the FPS School Board. Within the next 4-8 weeks, the Core Planning Team and consultants plan to be in the design phase and closer to having architectural drawings to start working from as we build to our first bid package.
  • Our partners at PRA (Architects) will be conducting another round of meetings with district stakeholders, including staff, to collect further feedback on the current work developed during the Schematic Phase.
  • The Core Design Team met with Mayor Nelson, Kelly Hersch, and five additional city leaders in mid-March to share our tentative timeline that the Board saw at the January school board meeting. This information has also been shared recently in district newsletters and includes a rough outline of the building and developed spaces. The main purpose of the meeting was to get acquainted with who everyone is from the City departments, the district and the district consultants and to establish a regular meeting. In addition, we set recurring monthly meetings with the City to ensure we have everything they expect for upcoming Planning Commission and City Council meetings.

Thursday, March 6, 2025 (update from District Newsletter #13 here)

As we progress on our Franklin Forward work for the additions at Franklin High School and updates to the elementary buildings that were part of the $145M November 2024 referendum, we will regularly update families and the members of the community in our first district newsletter and website.

Here are some updates about the progress of that work:

  • Thank you to those that gave feedback through the stakeholder form we shared recently. We received 483 feedback submissions (text, video, or audio). As part of stakeholder feedback collection, we received many responses from current and future FHS students that will also help to inform the design process!
  • The FPS Core Planning Team has focused on the general layout of the addition and remodeling at Franklin High School. As that becomes more final, the team will turn to the interior portions of the facility and start generating more curricular area specific planning for spaces.
  • In regards to the capital projects at the elementary buildings, the district has been bidding out work and selecting partners for Roofing, Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing projects. Many projects such as roof replacements and boiler plant updates will be underway as soon as students are released for the summer.

Wednesday, January 15, 2025

The following slides are Franklin Forward Update #1 presented at the Wed 1/15/25 School Board Meeting:

Thursday, December 19, 2024 (update from District Newsletter #08 here)

Since the passing of the referendum, there have been a variety of collaborations taking place with CD Smith, PRA, and Cadence Consulting as we begin ‘molding the clay’ of the projects across FPS and set the timeline for the work over the next four years. We are also excited to incorporate voice from our students and you, our parents, and our community around these projects. Watch for more information in January on how you can be a part of this historic project!

Below are the important items to know and review as we all get eager to see the work come into action for our staff, learners, families and community!

The $21.9 million in maintenance across our five elementary schools and the high school will take place with leadership from our own Buildings and Grounds crew under Director Andy Daniels and the support of CD Smith, our construction manager. Much of this work is maintenance focused, therefore, not a lot of voice for staff for this work. However, this does include some playground adjustments or additions to a couple schools and that would be an area where the thoughts of staff will be incorporated. More details will be shared on these projects at a later date.

The $123.1 million in renovations and additions at Franklin High School is the bulk of the work and CD Smith will be the project manager. The Core Team will do the majority of the planning and final decisions for this work, however, there will be opportunities for input from staff, students, families and community members.

The flow to the work at FHS is complex; meaning as one area is complete, we will shift classes into the new space, renovate or remove the old space, and shift classes when the space is complete multiple times over the next four years. The complexity of the plan ensures minimal disruption to classroom learning environments and minimal classrooms that have to shift during construction. We will begin from North to South. A preliminary look at the phasing of these projects is included below, though this is fluid and will adjust as the team progresses the work:

  • Design Work: November 2024 - November 2025
  • Demo Pool: October 2025
  • Construction of Field House including Pool & Additional Parking: November 2025 - June 2027
  • Construction of Family & Consumer Science (FCS), Large Group Instruction Space (LGI) & Corridor: November 2026 - June 2027
  • Construction of Tennis Courts & Street to Neighborhood: April 2027 - August 2027
  • Demo Gym, Weightroom, Multipurpose Room, Locker Rooms, Wrestling Room, World Language & Special Education Classrooms: June-July 2027
  • Construction of FACS & Science Classroom: June-August 2027
  • Construction of Autos, Woods, Metals, & Fab Lab: June 2027 - March 2028
  • Demo Autos & CTE Space: March 2028
  • Construction of Special Education Spaces, World Language and Corridor to Field House: March - October 2028

(click on image below for larger view if needed)

FHS Project Overview Timeline pieces

 

  • As with any construction project, especially over a span of four years, the timeline will ebb and flow depending on pace of work, accessibility of supplies, weather, fluctuating timelines to receive permits, among a myriad of other items that can speed up or delay construction.
  • The Phasing Video gives an overview of where these spaces are located and the flow to the construction.
  • Athletic Director Cordell Smith will be working to partner with an area school to utilize their pool for our swim teams during these construction phases. Principal Mike Vuolo will work with our team to identify temporary classrooms during construction of new classrooms. All of this will be communicated ahead of time.
  • The preliminary draft drawings of Franklin High School, when completed, are below and clickable to see larger versions.
Wideshot of expected new FHS campus
Draft - Conceptual Rendering of new entrance from front
Draft - Image of new athletic spaces from sitting in stadium

 

Most importantly, we want to ensure safety throughout the entire construction. Our beginning Core Meetings have included walking through how our Raptor System, which is also utilized by CD Smith, will capture those on property, assign badges to workers and outline access areas to the school.

We will continue to share updates with the School Board and our community through our Board meetings, District Newsletter, the Franklin Focal Point (all city mailer), and through the Franklin Forward website.

Thank you for your support which will allow our learners and staff the ability to create spaces to reach beyond today but decades into the future to ensure they are college or career ready.

Proud to be a Saber!
Annalee Bennin
FPS District Administrator

Tuesday, November 5, 2024

The Franklin Community voted to approve the $145M referendum.  Now that the referendum has been approved, we move to our planning stages.  You can see the message from FPS District Administrator Annalee Bennin in our November 14th Newsletter here.  You can expect to see updates on this page and through our District Newsletters.  Thank You, Franklin!

 

To help plan for Franklin Forward the district is collaborating with (4) key partners.

Partner Logos: PRA, CD Smith, MD Roffers, Cadence Consulting

 

SPOTLIGHT VIDEOS FALL 2024
Additionally, we have created these 3 short videos highlighting the work that needs to be done at Franklin High School in the Career & Technical Education, Physical Education/Athletic, and FACS Culinary spaces.   THIS LINK will take you to a playlist of all videos -or- you can view them below and use the menu at the top right to jump to the next video if you wish.

 

PLANNING RESOURCES SPRING 2023 THROUGH JUNE 2024

Image: Click Here for Guiding Principals
"Click here for Gantt Chart"
Click here for timeline
Submit A Question here


COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SESSION RECORDING FEBRUARY 2024
In February, we held (3) Community Engagement Sessions where district leaders and partners shared findings and recommendations from Franklin Forward with the community to inform and seek feedback.  This video below (and the link to it is here) is a recording from the February 20th session.  The video has been edited down to just the presentation content.  Links below the video will take you to specific parts of the video if you wish.  In addition, this is a link to the full slide presentation if you would rather view those details.

If you would like to jump to specific points in the presentation, please use the timecodes and links below:

  • 00:16 - FPS District Administrator Annalee Bennin shared FPS History & Timeline
  • 04:48 - What is "Franklin Forward?"
  • 05:50 - Celebrating the work and design of Forest Park Middle School (with Nick Kent, PRA Architect)
  • 12:59 - Elementary Schools Review & Recommendations (Enrollment & Capacity, Maintenance Needs, Geography & Location, Educational Suitability)
  • 26:07 - Franklin High School Review & Recommendations (Enrollment & Capacity, Maintenance Needs, Geography & Location, Educational Suitability)
  • 37:12 - Districtwide Planning (Financial Impact & Planning)

 

The video below shows a high level overview of the FHS project and timeline for completion as of Fall 2024. This is a working draft and not a final rendering.  PLEASE NOTE that as we have updated the phasing video, the most current on the FHS Phasing Video here showing the detailed scope, timeline and sequencing of this project.

 

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!

  • Wednesday, May 22, 2024 Update 
    The FPS School Board heard from Bill Foster with School Perceptions about the data that was collected from the community survey. The Board will further examine this data and work towards resolution at an upcoming workshop on Wed 6/12 and the next Board Meeting on Wed 6/19.
  • Thurs, April 18, 2024 Update
    Today, we shared this Franklin Forward updates newsletter with all district families, collected community member email addresses and staff. The purpose of this communication was to remind everyone of the Monday 4/22 survey deadline and also provide some newly finished short videos that highlight the spaces we hope to address at FHS through this work.  Please help us to share these updates with members in the community as we want to collect as many responses through this survey as we can to help inform our next steps.  Thank you.
      
  • Fri, April 5, 2024 Update
    Beginning this week, all families and community members will receive in their mailboxes a survey from School Perceptions.  This survey will also be emailed to all district families.  The feedback from this survey will be presented to the FPS Board in May so the Board can make decisions about next steps for our long-range facility planning. If you would like to hear more information about our long-range planning before completing the survey, we invite you to attend the Community Engagement Session on Monday, April 15th @ 6pm at the Saber Center at Franklin High School.  You may also view a previous Community Engagement Session we recorded near the top of this page and the slides from the presentation are here.  
Image showing icons for Enrollment, Maintenance, Geography, Educational Sustainability

 

  • Fri, March 1, 2024 Update
    In February, we held (3) Community Engagement Sessions to share the work of Franklin Forward and recommendations with members of the community.  The slides for these sessions are here and below.  In addition, we recorded and are sharing this video of a session for your viewing (also displayed higher on the page).

 

  • Thurs, February 1, 2024 Update
    At last week's 1/24/24 Board Meeting, the Board heard a presentation from Andy Chromy, Assistant Superintendent of Business & Operations, titled “School Finance Overview.” You can view the slides here (or below). The purpose of this session was to share historical property values, mill rates and total tax levy breakdowns over the last ten years.  In addition, a review of the level of funding that will fit within the existing mill rate and potential tax impacts on the mill rate based on Franklin Forward facilities planning was discussed.  

  • One key takeaway from this session as we start to engage conversations with community members is that due to FPS’s great financial positioning, FPS can assume around $85 million in debt without any change to the mill rate.

  • Thurs, January 10, 2024 Update
    The FPS School Board met in December and discussed during a Future Facilities Work Study the next steps as part of Franklin Forward. District Leadership and the FPS School Board will be presenting Community Engagement Opportunities where families and members of the Franklin community can come listen, learn, and engage around long-range facility planning for the future of FPS.

    The upcoming sessions are:

    • Thurs, February 15th - 8:30 am @ ECC District Office
    • Tuesday, February 20th - 6 pm @ ECC District Office
    • Thursday, February 22nd - 10:30 am @ Franklin City Hall (as part of the Senior Dine event)
       
  • In addition, we are developing a spring community survey to share information more widely and to invite feedback from all members of the community in regards to long-range facility planning. We will share more information as that survey is ready to launch.
     

  • Wed, November 8, 2023: High School Visioning
    Click Here For School Board Meeting video

    The Board heard a presentation from district leadership, PRA, and some of our high school administration about the visioning for the high school building in Franklin. The presentation included:

    • The vision of what a high school can look like in Franklin tied to guiding principles the Board discussed during a previous session

    • Current state and desired state examples

    • Current building deficiencies as defined by the master facility study

Click here (or through the slides below) to view those details.

 

  • Wed, October 25, 2023: Elementary School Visioning
    Click Here For School Board Meeting Video

    The Board heard a presentation from district leadership, PRA, and some of our elementary principals about the visioning for the model elementary school building in Franklin. The presentation included:

    • The vision of what a model elementary school can look like in Franklin tied to guiding principles the Board discussed during a previous session

    • Current state and desired state examples

    • Current building deficiencies as defined by the master facility study

Click here (or through the slides below) to view those details.

 

 

 

 

 

  • Mon, September 11, 2023:  FPS School Board Tours Facilities     (Shared in District Newsletter #3 9/21/23)
    After being presented with the information from the study of our facilities, members of the FPS School Board took part in Building Tours to most of our facilities to get a better hands-on look at the work needed to maintain and possibly improve our facilities.  A debrief from these tours will occur at the next FPS School Board meeting.
  •  Wed, August 16, 2023:  Master Facilities Study Presentation to the Board     (Shared in District Newsletter #3 9/21/23)
    Click Here For School Board Meeting Video

    FPS District Leadership is embarking on Long-Range Facility Planning (“Franklin Forward”) to evaluate the conditions of our existing facilities so we can properly plan for the future.  The first part of our Long-Range Facility Planning process was to go through all buildings and to create a master planning list of facilities projects and prioritize them over the next 10 years. We partnered with CD Smith as our construction management firm for this work.  The findings from this study, along with growth projections  for the Franklin community conducted by MD Roffers, were shared with the FPS School Board in August.  You can click here to see the study (or click through the slides below).