Franklin Forward Update 10/27/25

This “special edition” of the District Newsletter is to bring you an update to the ongoing referendum work, specifically at Franklin High School. Following the successful referendum in 2024, our core team of district leadership and our consultants have been busily engaged in the work of designing the demolition, renovation and addition to Franklin High School. Since February, we have also engaged in proactive conversations with the City of Franklin to ensure we are all engaged in the work to move Franklin Forward.

We have now entered an exciting moment for our students, staff and entire community as we are underway with the beginning phase of this work!

Below is an artist rendering of the new facade of the north end of FHS when this work is complete.

Last week marked the beginning of the demolition. If you have been by FHS, you will see that one panel of the exterior wall (to the pool) has been taken down and the site is prepared for continued demolition and foundation work. Safety is always our number one priority. CD Smith has spent the last couple of weeks ensuring fencing is properly installed around the perimeter of the project and all personnel are properly checking into the work site each day.

The first phase of the work is on the north side of FHS. It involves demolition of the existing pool and adjacencies on the north side of the school. Soon thereafter, the foundation will be set for the physical education spaces to be built. The entire project will take place in about nine phases between now and the Fall of 2028. As the new physical education spaces are built, the team will be able to demo the existing physical education areas to make way for the Career and Technical Education spaces along with Special Education and Science renovations.

Provided below is an outline of the work to take place over the next couple months, leading up to Winter Break.

• Week of October 13th – Fences installed on the north perimeter of the FHS property.
• Week of October 20th – Demolition began and will continue for approximately 3 weeks.
• November 3rd (approximately) – Earthwork to begin on the property which includes mass excavation and foundation excavation to prepare the site for the start of foundations. This work will approximately wrap up around mid December.
• Friday, November 7th – Approximate completion of demolition.
• Monday, November 10th @ 10:00 am - Groundbreaking Ceremony outside Sullivan Stadium (open to the public – invitation below).
• Wednesday, November 12th @ 6pm at the ECC District Office - Franklin Forward Update #5, Board Meeting.
• Week of December 1st – Anticipated beginning of concrete foundations.

With the phases of work ahead during this complex referendum work, it has been identified by our consultants that the summer of 2027 will see a major portion of disruption to complete this work in alignment with our timeline. Due to this phasing of work, the Board of Education passed a resolution last Wednesday to apply to the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) for an early start to the 2026-2027 school year so that we can also complete the year earlier than normal while still meeting the DPI’s requirement of instructional minutes. You can read the resolution here.

Once we receive approval from the DPI, in the weeks to come, we will create the school year calendars for the 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 to bring to the Board on November 12th, with final approval on December 3rd. At that time, we will share the Board approved calendars with our families.

As has been leading up to and post referendum, the Franklin Forward website will continue to house all updates, photos, videos, and Frequently Asked Questions. This will be the best place to continue to stay informed on this exciting work. In addition, we will give updates about major milestones through our monthly electronic District Newsletter and weekly electronic Building Bulletins, all of which you can find links to from the Communications Hub page of our website.

Thank you for your continued support and excitement as we engage in this work to ensure FPS is a Better Place to Learn, Better Place to Work and Part of a Better Community for decades to come.

With gratitude,

Dr. Annalee Bennin

FPS District Administrator

Franklin Public Schools, in partnership with our partners at Cadence Consulting, Plunkett Raysich Architects (PRA), and CD Smith Construction are proud to announce the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the new spaces at Franklin High School (FHS).

• WHO: Community & Public are welcome to attend

• WHAT: Groundbreaking Ceremony for construction at Franklin High School, followed by light refreshments on the Sullivan Stadium grounds

• WHEN: Monday, November 10th @ 10am

• WHERE: Franklin High School (8222 South 51st Street, Franklin - in front of the entrance to Sullivan Football Stadium). Enter near the baseball fields where limited parking spots will be available along the field fences.

• This event, including post-ceremony refreshments, will be entirely outside so please dress accordingly. If a change needs to be made due to very inclement weather, we will post updates and share details at tinyurl.com/fpsforward

Please contact Chad Kafka, FPS Communications Specialist if you have any questions at chad.kafka@franklin.k12.wi.us or 414-525-7603

See our formal invitation below
Click for larger view if needed

COUNTRY DALE PLAYGROUND ADDITION (Spring 2025)

This past spring saw the addition of playground space at Country Dale Elementary for our 4K and 5K learners to play, explore and socialize. This new playground structure provides adaptations for physical movement and activity along with game, numerical, alphabetical and cooperative features. We are thankful for the PTO’s support through this project.

ROBINWOOD PLAYGROUND ADDITION (Spring 2025)

Robinwood Elementary added another playground space to provide safe play and socialization for our learners ages 4-12. This new addition provides physical movement adaptations for those with special needs. The structure features over 44 different features to engage our learners. By having distributed playground spaces outside the building, there are more options for learners at recess and throughout the day as we expand our classrooms to the outdoors. We are thankful for the Robinwood PTO and their collaboration in the design and ribbon cutting process.

ELEMENTARY BUILDING UPDATES COMPLETED (Summer 2025)

Part of the 2024 November referendum work was to address work that falls under the scope of our Buildings & Grounds Department. This past summer, essential updates were performed at each of our five elementary schools including roofing, mechanical, and electrical upgrades. These foundational improvements will help to ensure the longevity, safety, and efficiency of our schools.

Thank you to our Buildings & Grounds teams for overseeing, coordinating and performing this work.

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(Note: Any imagery containing students, staff, events, or FPS logos shared by FPS are the property of Franklin Public Schools and are solely for district use. Reproduction or reuse of these images without written permission is not allowed.)