Franklin County board votes to keep five-school model, directs upgrades to three elementaries

The Franklin County Community School Corporation Board of Trustees on March 10 voted 5–2 to continue the district’s current five-school model and to pursue near‑term funding for upgrades to all three elementary schools rather than consolidating facilities.

Superintendent Dustin Gehring presented a master facility planning update and a formal recommendation that the district keep its five‑school configuration and invest in structural, safety and program upgrades at the three elementary schools. Gehring told the board, “I am recommending to continue our current 5 school model for the foreseeable future. Our near future focus for funding the master plan will be upgrading to all 3 elementary schools to ensure they are structurally sound, safe, secure, modern, and future ready.”

The recommendation followed a wide-ranging presentation that outlined enrollment trends, estimated construction and renovation costs, and a near‑term financing constraint the administration called a “debt cliff.” Gehring and district financial staff told the board the district previously estimated a no‑tax‑increase debt capacity of about $45 million but said that figure is uncertain while state property‑tax cap and school‑funding legislation remains unsettled.

Nut graf: The board’s decision keeps all current elementary schools open and directs staff to prioritize upgrades while the district awaits final state funding and October enrollment counts. That approach preserves flexibility — and postpones any consolidation discussion — but the district warned it may still face difficult choices if state funding or local assessed values change materially this year.

Most important facts

- The superintendent recommended keeping the five‑school model and directing near‑term funding to upgrades for the three elementary schools. The board approved that recommendation, 5 in favor, 2 opposed.

- The presentation included preliminary cost scenarios the district received from consultants: three new right‑sized elementary schools on current sites — $55,700,000; two new elementaries on neutral sites — $61,400,000; one new Brookville campus sized at 850 students — $46,400,000; and a renovation option to modify the existing Brookville building…