5 New Things You'll See At Oak Creek-Franklin Schools This Fall

OAK CREEK, WI — As students walk through the doors of several schools in the Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District for the start of the 2019-20 school year, they'll notice a few changes that were made over the summer.

Over the summer, construction crews made renovations as part of the Oak Creek-Franklin School District's $60.9 million referendum that passed in Nov. 2018. Voters narrowly approved the referendum in November by less than 2,500 votes. The cost of the referendum equals an estimated annual tax increase of $118 per year (or $9.81 per month) on a $225,000 home.

Over the last nine months, a three-year project schedule has been established, design and bid work for five school buildings has been completed and construction at five schools has begun.

This summer the District took its first steps toward building the vision created by the community and as the new school year quickly approaches, work on the projects from this summer is quickly coming to an end. Some of the most noticeable project highlights from this first phase include:

1) Edgewood & Meadowview Elementary Schools' interior updates are wrapping up. Staff and students will return to a remodeled main office area and renovated classrooms – many with fresh paint and new flooring, ceilings, sinks, and cabinetry. Both schools also underwent Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) upgrades this summer to improve accessibility to classrooms, bathrooms, and sidewalks.

2) New parking at Meadowview (with improved traffic flow) will be ready for use at the beginning of this school year, however, work on the new gym additions at these two schools will continue through the school year. Concrete foundations are in place, walls are going up and the gymnasiums are scheduled for completion during the summer of 2020.

3) Deerfield Elementary School interior remodeling will be finished this month and provide more educational support spaces for students in the upcoming school year. Exterior improvements to the main parking lot and traffic circulation are also complete.

4) East Middle School safety and security updates – including new security doors in corridors for building compartmentalization and protective fencing around classroom courtyards – was completed this summer.

5) West Middle School interior remodeling is finishing up this summer to create additional small group breakout spaces in the Library, as well as flexible spaces for large group instruction. Staff and students will return to a remodeled main office and refreshed classrooms/hallways – many with fresh paint, new flooring, and ceilings. Like East, new security doors were also added in corridors for security compartmentalization.

Additionally, these school buildings received LED lighting updates to gain energy efficiencies and improve student focus and concentration in learning environments.