Redistricting Analysis

Redistricting Analysis Vote

On May 9th, 2023, the School Committee voted 6-1 to approve Option 1, which proposes that “current district attendance boundaries remain the same while a School Facilities Master Plan is conducted. ASMS/Keller spaces will continue to be used flexibly. Both administrative teams at the complex will continue to work together to utilize the available space to accommodate the needs of all students.” You can read Superintendent Giguere's full letter to the community here.

 

*The following information below is archived for reference*

Redistricting Analysis DefinedFPS School Committee Space Needs 6.14.22

The Franklin Public School District begun a Redistricting Analysis, which is a data driven, community informed process that will allow the Franklin School Committee and Administration to evaluate the distribution of students and optimize facility utilization to best support educational programming within the district for the foreseeable future.

The results and recommendations were presented at the conclusion to the School Committee in the Spring of 2023. The School Committee pursued continuous engagement with the public prior to reaching a final decision on any boundary adjustments. Any recommendations that may have been approved by the School Committee would not go into effect during the 2022-2023 school year. The Space Needs Subcommittee presentation to the School Committee on June 14th, 2022, frames the purpose of the redistricting analysis. You may watch the video of the presentation here.

Space Needs Subcommittee Presentation to School Committee (6/14/2022)
Franklin Public Schools District Map
Population and Enrollment Forecast 2020-2021 through 2029-2030 McKibben Study
Facilities Assessment Report 2020
Redistricting Advisory Committee Members

Rationale

The Franklin Public Schools District and School Committee has launched a comprehensive redistricting analysis during the 22-23 school year. The decision to pursue a redistricting analysis was a result of the following findings…
  • Franklin’s last redistricting effort was in 2002 with the opening of the Helen Keller/ Annie Sullivan complex, 20 years ago.
  • Usage of space has evolved to prepare students with the essential skills outlined in the Franklin Public School’s Portrait of a Graduate, promote student engagement and support student learning with a variety of specialized programs designed to meet evolving student needs.
  • The Davis Thayer School was closed in 2021, Davis Thayer students were then transferred to Helen Keller Elementary school.
  • Total enrollment is forecasted to decline until 2026-2027 and it is anticipated there will be an gradual increase through 2029-2030*

*Referencing data outlined in the Franklin Public Schools Population and Enrollment McKibben Demographics Study (2019)

Redistricting is a necessary process that ensures Public School Districts continue to have the ability to strategize and adapt operations to fully meet student needs as they evolve in the foreseeable future. The District and School committee has approved Applied Geographics Inc. (AppGeo) to act as the Redistricting Analysis consultant. It is anticipated that the Redistricting Analysis process will take 5-6 months. At the conclusion of the process, the results and recommendations will be presented to the School Committee. The committee will continue to engage the public and redistricting advisory committee through April 2023 prior to reaching a final decision on final boundary adjustments.    

Additional Information

Redistricting Analysis FAQ's (Updated 12.15.2022)
Guiding Principles
Proposed Scenarios Story Map
Proposed Scenarios Option Input Survey (Open until 3.15.2023)
Redistricting Analysis Report (4.25.2023)
Redistricting Vote - Superintendent's Letter to the Community
Please note: All scenarios, boundary adjustments and other recommendations are presented in draft stage to the Redistricting Advisory Committee during the analysis process. All recommendations presented are therefore subject to change following feedback from the Redistricting Advisory Committee. Community forums will offer the community an opportunity to provide feedback on scenarios once those scenarios have been refined by the Redistricting Advisory Committee for presentation. Forum dates are scheduled for March 7th and March 13th of 2023.

 

As we continue our efforts in this process, we will update this page with information as it is made available.