Turn the New FHS into a Reality

Dear Franklin Friend,

Happy Friday! In just four days, Franklin voters will have the power to turn the vision of a new Franklin High School into a reality. On Tuesday, March 27, we have an historic opportunity to vote YES in the town-wide debt exclusion vote to build a $104.5 million high school facility costing taxpayers only $47 million.

Mark your calendars now and set reminders on your phones to go to the polls at Franklin High School to place your YES vote. Every Single YES vote is important. Do NOT assume the debt exclusion will win approval without YOUR VOTE on March 27. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. School is in session and some parking spaces will be reserved for voters, but patience will be required. The best time to vote will be before 7 a.m. or after 3 p.m. If you are not able to get to the polls Tuesday, you can vote in person at the Town Clerk's Office until noon, Monday, March 26 by absentee ballot.

Your YES vote is vital to bringing our town a brand new, fully equipped and furnished high school that will open in the fall of 2014. The new FHS will remove the high school off accreditation warning status and deliver a modern and safe academic environment dedicated to preparing students to compete in a technologically advanced, global economy. Students and teachers will have the chance to thrive in a school built for the 21^stcentury that will feature enhanced academic, technological and extra-curricular offerings, including:

·The best possible learning environment with 20 percent more core academic space.The new FHS will have 82,770 square feet of classroom space – 13,700 square feet more than the current school. But, thanks to the model school design, the building's total footprint will be 6,000 square feet smaller, resulting in less travel time and more classroom time for students.

·21st century classrooms and science labs with integrated technology.The modern science labs in the new model FHS will be 1,440 square feet each and designed for maximum flexibility and safety. Each science lab space can be adjusted to meet any instructional style and any subject, including Environmental, Biology, Chemistry or Physics.

·Project Team Rooms adjacent to the Science Labs to facilitate learning.This dedicated space for students will allow them to engage in long-term science and research projects. The flexible design is conducive to general classroom instruction, as well as intensive teacher instruction.

·An 830-seat auditorium/theater with state-of-the-art acoustic and lighting capabilities. The theater will feature stadium-style seating, LED stage lights and a dedicated control room. The auditorium will also be a revenue-generator since it will be made available to outside groups. And, it will prolong the life of the auditorium at Horace Mann.

·A 17,700-square-foot gym and 6,000-square-foot indoor walking track. The Physical Education area will have direct access to the football stadium and multipurpose athletic field. Locker rooms will be overhauled and there will be bleacher seating for 1,192 fans. The overall size of the gym and walking track will be equivalent to the useable space in the existing Field House. Restrooms will be adjacent to ball fields for after-hours/weekend use.

·Dedicated, expanded space for our award-winning performing arts program. The allocated space will increase from 3,885 to 6,830 square feet and will feature three additional practice rooms, expanded ensemble and choral space, and new areas for the Drama Program and band and choral storage.

·Equal access for all special education students. The new FHS will include two elevators, handicapped accessible bathrooms, classroom audio amplification systems, counseling and therapy space, substantially separate and inclusion classrooms and resource rooms on each floor, and accessible lab benches.

For more information on the new design and specific program highlights, please see the New FHS Presentation to School Committee from February 28 here: http://www.franklin.k12.ma.us/co/supt/NewFHSPresentation%202-28-12.pdf

Franklin High has served our students, teachers and the community well for 40 years. In fact, the MSBA gave Franklin a higher reimbursement rate because of town's facility maintenance program. But the building is now suffering from four decades of heavy use, outdated systems buried in concrete, and antiquated educational spaces and furnishings.

There is a real need for a new facility and this is the right time to take advantage of a generous state reimbursement, and low borrowing and construction costs. Our model school has been built many times before and the construction budget has been professionally reviewed in detail. The total cost of the project and the cost to taxpayers are both capped.

You have the power to impact the educational opportunities and future success of the children in our community by voting YES on March 27.A YES vote means the project goes out to bid later this summer – and industry professionals expect those bids to reduce the taxpayer cost even further. A YES vote means construction begins this fall so the new FHS can open to students in the fall of 2014.

We are counting on your vote, and we will need every single vote to win! If you have last-minute questions, please visit our website at http://www.newfhs.com/or email us at voteyesforfhs@gmail.com. Please also "Like" and visit our Facebook page often for updates: http://www./facebook/newfhs.

Please forward this email to your friends, neighbors and social networks so that everyone can helpmake the new FHS vision a reality. Please urge your friends to vote YES on March 27. Make no mistake: There is a Real Need and this is the Right Time!

Thank you for your support. We'll see you at the polls on March 27!

Citizens for a New Franklin High School
Vote Yes for FHS on March 27! A Real Need. The Right Time.