Franklin to close a school, realign elementary schools by grade level this fall

Under the realignment, each school building will host a smaller set of specific grade levels, rather than students from across the K-5 range.

School officials said the realignment is necessitated by the failure of the operating levy in March.

“We know that families are eager to know which building their children will attend, so we wanted to get this information out as soon as possible,” said Superintendent Michael Sander.

Starting in August for the 2024-25 school year, the building configuration will be:

“Moving to grade-level buildings has a number of benefits,” Sander said, pointing to evenly distributed class sizes; consistency of curriculum across the grade level; dedicated space for specials like art and music and a dedicated media center.

Media centers in several buildings are currently housed on the stage. The change will also allow the district to maintain open enrollment, and every building will qualify as a federal “Title” building, which means the district will receive additional funding.

The “intermediate campus” behind the junior high school is a collection of temporary modular buildings containing the classrooms that serve grades 3-5. Those buildings will remain in place until the new elementary schools are built in future years.

Sander said a playground will be installed at the modular campus, while the back gym at the junior high will be used for indoor recess. In addition, each elementary facility will include classroom space for tiered instruction and support services, he said. Support services for the district include occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech services.

District officials said bus routes and building start and end times will be released closer to the start of the school year, but that start times will not differ significantly from this year’s times.

Sander said after the realignment, cost savings are estimated to be $2.25 million annually due to staff reductions and removal of the modular buildings at Gerke and Hunter. He said the district will have 13 fewer teachers next year, with reductions accomplished via retirements and attrition.

In November 2020, district voters passed a bond issue for the construction of new facilities (new high school, three new elementary buildings, and renovation of the old high school into a middle school). While the district will eventually receive money from the state to construct new elementary buildings, no timeline has been given. If the district were to receive funds today, it would be a minimum of three years before a new elementary building could open.

Also due to failure to approve the operating levy, the district is also closing the Anthony Wayne Elementary building on Farm Avenue at the end of this school year. Sander said the board has not decided what to do with that building as of Monday.

The Pennyroyal school building on Pennyroyal Road was already designated to close at the end of this school year as the district is realigning the buildings by grades. Sander said the board has approved putting the building and the approximate 13.5 acres up for auction in the coming months. He said the district “would accept a fair offer” when asked if there was a specific amount being sought.

“We’re going to be a lot more efficient and still give kids the best education possible,” Sander said.

He also said the district is not planning to go on the ballot for a tax levy in 2024 and the earliest the board might consider placing an issue on the ballot will be May 2025.

Sander said anyone with questions about the realignment should call the superintendent’s office at (937) 746-1699.