Colin Boivare, director of operations for Franklin Public Schools, told the School Committee on Aug. 8 that the district completed the main phase of its summer moves and is wrapping up follow-up moves and facilities work ahead of the school year. “The main move started on July 7, and ended on July 19,” Boivare said, describing the large-scale transfer of furniture, technology and classroom supplies between Lincoln Street, Franklin Middle School, Washington Street, Pond Street and other sites.

The move used four moving trucks and about 20 movers and was staged to avoid disrupting summer programs, Boivare said. He described a continuing program of “touch up” moves during the week of Aug. 20 so teachers who see their rooms for the first time can request additional items or return surplus pieces. The district will provide a Google form for those requests and Sterling Movers will be on-site for two follow-up days to collect or deliver items.

Boivare outlined completed and in-progress capital and reorganization projects including playground fence work at Pond Street, wall repair and painting at multiple sites, updated signage reflecting new school names, and a locker replacement project scheduled to begin in late August with an expected early-September finish. He said library books identified for retention have been moved to their new sites and recataloging will start the week before school.

On transportation, Boivare said initial bus routes have been developed and the district expects to post routes “early next week.” He also reported that, as of Aug. 7, “we have cleared the wait list” for busing. The district presented summary statistics showing projected students per site and bus capacity; Franklin Middle School projections prompted a planned increase from 13 to 14 buses to keep ride times and coverage within targets.

When asked about maximum ride times, Boivare said the district is still fine-tuning stop details and does not expect ride times to exceed earlier projections presented in March. He cautioned that arrival and dismissal will have an adjustment period and the district will closely monitor traffic and routing during the first weeks of school and adjust as needed.

Discussion items the committee flagged for ongoing tracking included locker availability, final painting and wall repairs, library recataloging, and the transportation fine-tuning process. The superintendent and operations team said principals will communicate arrival and dismissal procedures directly to families before school starts.

Looking ahead, Boivare said district staff will finish phase 1 projects in time for the school year and will develop a phase 2 plan for future capital work. The committee did not take any formal votes on facilities or transportation at the meeting.

The district plans to publish bus routes and related communications to families once routes are finalized.