Sunday, January 31, 2010

Budget Workshop Collection - 1/25/10

Franklin held conducted a budget workshop on Monday, Jan 25, 2010.  This is the collection of live reporting and audio recordings from the workshop.


Live reporting from the workshop can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/live-reporting-special-meeting-budget.html

and here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/live-reporting-budget-workshop.html


Parts 1 through 4 cover the Town portion of the budget with Jeff Nutting, Susan Gagner and Jim Dacey leading the discussion.

Part 1 of the workshop recording can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/fm-budget-workshop-12510-part-1.html

Part 2 of the workshop recording can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/02/fm-budget-workshop-part-2-12510.html

Part 3 of the workshop recording can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/02/fm-budget-workshop-part-3-12510.html

Part 4 of the workshop recording can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/02/fm-budget-workshop-part-4-1252010.html


Parts 5 through 8 cover the Schools portion of the budget with Maureen Sabolinski, Miriam Goodman, Sally Winslow, and Beth Fitzmaurice leading the discussion.

Part 5 of the workshop recording can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/02/fm-budget-workshop-part-5-12510.html



Part 6 of the workshop recording can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/02/fm-budget-workshop-part-6-12510.html


Part 7 of the workshop recording can be found here

Part 8 of the workshop recording can be found here

In Part 9, Jeff Nutting provides some closing remarks and Bob Richer (citizen at large) provides some good feedback on the session.

The final segment, Part 9 of the workshop recording, can be found here



In the News - Haiti, cyberbullying

Network needed for aid in Haiti

from The Milford Daily News News RSS 

The New England Chapel is located in Franklin

------


Cyberbullying too real for teens


Teen Angels is a group of middle school students working to raise awareness amongst their peers on cyberbullying. The TeenAngels presented to the School Committee earlier this month. You can see what they did here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/live-reporting-teen-angels.html

and here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/teen-angels-pledge-text-think-send.html





Saturday, January 30, 2010

FM - Budget Workshop 1/25/10 - Part 1

Franklin held conducted a budget workshop on Monday, Jan 25, 2010. This is part one of the session. Susan Gagner, Town Comptroller, reviews the first pages of her presentation.

Time: 28 minutes, 30 seconds


MP3 File


The files discussed in this segment of the workshop can be found here

Susan Gagner - Overview Page 1

Susan Gagner - Overview Page 2

Susan Gagner - 6 Year Operating Revenue Summary

Susan Gagner - 6 Year State Aid History

Thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit FranklinMAtters.blogspot.com/

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission
I hope you enjoy!

Note: email subscribers will need to click through to the website to listen to the audio version.

Budget workshop documents

The documents from the Budget Workshop held on Monday, Jan 25, 2010 can be found stored within a folder on Google Docs. You should be able to view the files and print each individual PDF on your printer should you want a copy for more detailed review.

The files can be found here

Susan Gagner - Overview Page 1

Susan Gagner - Overview Page 2


Susan Gagner - 6 Year Operating Revenue Summary

Susan Gagner - 6 Year State Aid History


Susan Gagner - 6 Year Estimated Local Receipts


Susan Gagner - 6 Year State Assessment History

Susan Gagner - 6 Year Budget Breakdown

Susan Gagner - 6 Year Fixed Cost History

Susan Gagner - School Budget Chapter 70 History

Susan Gagner - Net School Spending - Page 1

Susan Gagner - Net School Spending - Page 2

The files uploaded and available now are from the presentation by Susan Gagner, Franklin Town Comptroller. I will be adding the remaining files as time allows.

I want to share the recording of the presentation and discussion from this workshop and will be releasing sections of the workshop as time permits.

Note: as is was checking the files to ensure that you would be able to view them without a Google Account, I did see an error - "Sorry we are unable to retrieve the document for viewing. Please try again later." I was able to refresh and view the document on the second try.


Gov Patrick's budget for FY 2011

Gov Patrick released his budget on time. The budget home page can be found here:

The full process steps starting with the release of the Governor's budget can be found here

There is a budget guide to read about how to find out what you want to know. The guide can be found here

The home page for the FY 2011 budget can be found here

Respectfully, this is a whole lot of good information.

What does it mean for Franklin? 
The key dollars for the Franklin budget comes in the Local Aid section

The totals for FY 2011 proposed by Governor Patrick are:

Municipality
     Chapter 70
 Unrestricted
General
 Government
Aid

FRANKLIN      $28,371,695         $2,177,055

This totals to $30,548, 750 which is $852,318 less than the $31,401,068 Franklin received for FY 2010.

What does this mean? Too earlier to tell. This is only the first step in the long State budget process. It is not good that we are starting with less than last year. I don't think it likely that either the House or Senate will increase what the Governor has already proposed, but that is my two cents.

What comes next?
  • The House Ways and Means Committee reviews the Governor's budget and then develops its own recommendation.
  • Individual representatives submit budget amendments which are then debated on the House floor.  Once debated, amended and voted on by the full House, it becomes the final House budget bill and moves to the Senate.
  • The Senate Ways & Means Committee reviews both the Governor's and House budgets and develops its own recommendation.
  • Individual representatives submit budget amendments which are then debated on the Senate floor.  Once debated, amended and voted on, it becomes the final Senate's budget bill.
  • State Finance law requires the Governor to submit budget revisions to his proposed budget if revenue forecasts predict a shortfall after the original submission.
  • House and Senate leadership assign members to a "conference committee" to negotiate the differences between the House and Senate bills. The conference committee report can only be approved or rejected - no additional amendments can be made.
  • Once approved by both chambers of the Legislature, the Governor has ten days to review it. The Governor may approve or veto the entire budget, or may veto or reduce particular line items or sections, but may not add anything.
  • The House and Senate may vote to override the Governor's vetoes. Overrides require a two-thirds roll-call vote in each chamber.
  • The final budget is also known as the General Appropriations Act (GAA) or "Chapter xxx of the Acts of 2010."
All of this should happen by June 30th in order to start the fiscal year on July 1.


Stay tuned in to the budget discussions. 

Franklin has a similar process. Each department prepares their budget. It is reviewed by the Town Administrator and presented to the Finance Committee. The Finance Committee hold public hearings to review, adjust and recommend a budget to the Town Council. The Town Council holds budget hearing to solicit input from any interested Franklin residents before voting on a budget. Franklin also needs to pass a budget to begin operations on the new fiscal year July 1.


How cold is it?

very cold, as evidenced by the frosted windows at Berry Insurance on Friday morning




Democratic Party donation

Michael Walker Jones (center), Chairman of the Franklin Democratic Party, presented a check for $200 to a teacher (left) representing the Franklin High School Democrat's Club. School Committee Chair, Jeff Roy (right) observed.



Friday, January 29, 2010

Now at your service

Let's face it, you are busy. Time is short.

You may not have time to read all that is posted here.

Yes, there is a whole lot happening and I do post quite a bit.

But you'd still like to keep up with what matters in Franklin.

Now you have two new options.


1 - Franklin Matters Weekly
Once a week, I'll post the summary of what has happened the prior week with a brief look at the week ahead. You can subscribe to this new site via email or RSS Feed or iTunes

Franklin Matters Weekly can be found here:
http://franklinmattersweekly.blogspot.com/


2 -  Facebook Fan page

Along with this move to the weekly version, I will eventually disable the Facebook group. But no worry, there already is a new fan page - "I believe Franklin, MA Matters" to join or become a "fan" of.

You can search on Facebook for Franklin Matters, follow this link or visit the new Franklin Matters Weekly and find the Facebook widget to take to you the new Facebook page.


What won't change?
The attention to detail in posting here from the Town Council, School Committee, Finance Committee and other important town events will continue.

If you want all the details on all that matters, stay here. You'll still get notification that the weekly summary is ready. You won't miss anything.

But for those who want the shorty and skinny version, Franklin Matters Weekly is now available just for that purpose.

As I close this posting, let me remind you that
  • If you like what I am doing, please tell your neighbors
  • If you don’t like something, please tell me
Thank you for stopping by to read!

Winter Street

This street is well named for the conditions as I was walking home Thursday evening.

 

It was a pleasant walk. Everything around was sugar coated and white again!




Thursday, January 28, 2010

School Preliminary Budget - FY 2011

The presentation document was added to the post for Tuesday evening's School Committee meeting and copied here to save you clicking through to find it.



For the text to accompany this document, click through here


In the News - high school renovation planning moves along

Take a step at a time and you make progress towards your goal. With the selection of a project manager, one that has worked with the Town on other major projects (Fire station, Senior Center, etc.), the next step is to select an architect.

Franklin inches closer to renovating high school

from The Milford Daily News News RSS





Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Senator-elect Scott Brown plans for six 'Citizen Open House' events

U.S. Senator-elect Scott Brown today announced the dates and locations for a series of "Citizen Open Houses" starting this Friday in Chicopee.

In a press release, Brown's office said the senator-elect would make six stops over three days to thank the people of Massachusetts for his victory in last week's special Senate election. He invited all members of the public to attend.

"We won this election thanks to the grassroots support of the people, and I want to personally show how much I appreciate that support and tell them that I will always strive to be an independent voice in Washington," said Brown.

The open houses scheduled include:
Friday, Jan. 29, at noon at the Hu Ke Lau restaurant, 705 Memorial Drive, Chicopee
Friday, Jan 29 at 7 p.m. at the Falmouth Inn, 824 Main St., Falmouth.

Saturday, Jan. 30, at 1 p.m. at the Kowloon Restaurant, 948 Broadway Street – Rt. 1 North, in Saugus
Saturday, 3:30 p.m. at Lenzi's Catering, 810 Merrimack Ave. – Rt. 110, Dracut.
Saturday, 6 p.m. at the Maxwell–Silverman Restaurant, 25 Union St., Worcester.

Sunday, Jan. 31 at 5 p.m. at Christina's Function Facility, 2 Washington St. – Rt. 1, Foxboro.

Horace Mann/Oak St complex closed today due to gas leak

Heard via a phone call from Mrs Sherlock (who teaches at Oak St) and then confirmed with the Franklin Fire Dept Twitter update.

Thayer Scoreboard Restored

Updated 1/27/10 12:25 PM - The scheduled presentation has been canceled for today. When the new date/time has been finalized, it will be posted here.


A letter from Glenn Jones:

The Davis Thayer School has had an antique scoreboard hanging in the corner of the gym unused for over 30 years. It dates back some 50 years or more. I spoke with a gentleman who claims it worked when he went to the DT 50 yrs ago. It was slated to be thrown away, but I took it upon my self to remove the old scoreboard and refurbish it. With some great help and contributions, I have been able to restore it back to it original grandeur.

I will be presenting it back to the Davis Thayer School on Wednesday January 27th @ 2pm.

All are welcome to come and see history come back to life.
Thanks Glenn! Wish I could be there myself.

All photos provided by Glenn:

work in progress

 
The finished product with the lights on

 

The finished product in daylight

 




Importance of Kindergarten registration

As a follow-up to the announcement here yesterday on the Kindergarten registration scheduled for next week, I received this letter from a Franklin parent:
I was at my school's PCC meeting and one piece of information that I did not realize was that the registration for Kindergarten in February helps determine the staffing of the Kindergarten teachers for the next year. Even if a parent is not sure if the child is going to the public school they should register them in February and then if they change their mind let the school know. From my understanding what happened last year is many students were not enrolled by their parents until July so it brought the counts in the class to 25 students.

It would be helpful for parents just starting the school process to understand why they need to register their child in February even if they are not 100% sure that is where they are going to get a better grasp of staffing needed for the next school year. Of course a class might still be this large if they cut kindergarten teachers in the budget but the forecast of how many teachers are needed is not truly shown in the February registration statistics if we have such a large number of parents registering in July.
It was also discussed at the School Committee meeting Tuesday evening that full-day kindergarten is desired, expected, a goal but is not guaranteed at this time due to the uncertainties in the budget.

Stay tuned for updates on the budget as the situation develops over the next couple of months.

Let me restate what I wrote earlier this week (bold added for emphasis):
In summary, the next several months can be very interactive. Franklin citizens can provide their input to the charter, the downtown project, and ultimately the Franklin budget. If you were waiting for a good time to get involved, the time is now.
Kindergarten registration information can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/franklin-ma-kindergarten-registration.html

School Committee Mtg 01/26/10

The collection of posts that were reported live from the School Committee on Tuesday Jan 26, 2010 can be found here:




Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Live reporting - closing items

Subcommittee reports
We have a proposal to establish email addresses for the committee members. Can proceed with that one. Need clarification on the option of a group mailbox.

The Building Committee interviewed on the 13th of Jan the finalists for the Owners Project Manager (OPM). The selection Daedelus (sic) will be entering into contract negotiations, they have been involved with our prior major Franklin projects.


New business
Q - is full day kindergarten on or not?
A - if we get the full service budget of 53.5 we expect to have a full day kindergarten
At this point it is a desire, an expectation, a goal but it cannot be counted on.


Roy and Sabolinski to attend the Rotary Club

motion to enter executive session, roll call vote, passed 7-0



Live reporting - Superintendent

5. Information Matters

Superintendent’s Report
a. Finance Workshop Training
 well attended last night by Town Council, FinCom and a couple of residents

b. MSBA/FHS Project
looking to clarify the request and provide the data

c. Kindergarten Registration
forms available on the website

d. MASBO Compensation Study

e. Data Team
instructional data team working to understand the data and prepare action plans


Live reporting - action items

4. Action Items
a. I recommend acceptance of the donation of 5 digital cameras and one camcorder from Mr. Robert Salzberg of Resh, Inc. for the Davis Thayer Elementary School.  removed as duplicate from prior meeting
b. I recommend acceptance of a check for $1148.00 from the Oak St. PCC for a Gr. 2 field trip to Stony Brook in May as detailed.  motion to accept, passed 7-0
c. I recommend acceptance of a check for $1000.00 from the Panther Lacrosse Association to be used towards the fitness center at FHS. motion to accept, passed 7-0
d. I recommend acceptance of a check for $500.00 from the Singleton Family Foundation for the FHS Special Education Department.  motion to accept, passed 7-0
e. I recommend acceptance of a check for $3000.00 from the Davis Thayer PCC for field trips as detailed.  motion to accept, passed 7-0
f. I recommend acceptance of the donation of a Visual Presenter from Mr. Robert Salzberg of Resh, Inc. for the Davis Thayer Elementary School.  motion to accept, passed 7-0
g. I recommend approval of the request of Ms. Leardi & Mrs. Waters of the FHS for a trip to London, England on June 25, 2010 as detailed.  motion to accept, passed 7-0
h. I recommend adoption of Policy ADA – School District Goals & Objectives.  motion to accept, passed 7-0
i. I recommend approval of the request of Peter Light for an additional Assistant Track coach at a cost of $1,467.00 to be funded from the Athletic Revolving Account to assist with increased student participation.   motion to accept, passed 7-0
j. I recommend adoption of Policy ACE – Non-Discrimination on the basis of Disability.  motion to accept, passed 7-0




Live reporting - Discussion only items

3. Discussion Only Items

• Second Reading:

Policy ADA – School District Goals & Objectives
Policy ACE – Non-Discrimination on the basis of Disability
no further discussions needed, moving to action items


Live reporting - Q&A - Preliminary budget discussion

Glynn - what are ramifications of not going for the NEASC accreditation?
Sabolinski - we will no longer have an external evaluation of our standard educational processes



Glynn - The technologists that we cut hurt our development as a 21st Century
Sabolinski - yes, those folks would help the teachers learn and implement technology into their classrooms


Cafasso - Q on tying the numbers back to the last year budget documents
Goodman - carefully explained the difference in the numbers to tie them together


Trahan - is the wage deferment in these?
Sabolinski - no, that was last year, nothing for this year at this point.


Decision making tree


Rohrbach - I put some thoughts down (handout to be added later)


1 - District wide impact on staff/program reduction
  • number of students affected
  • K-12 continuum - feeder program considerations
2 - Impact to or conflict with the following
  • FPS educational philosophy
  • Educational policy i.e. DESE
  • Financial savings
  • Financial costs i.e. unemployment
  • Grant funding
  • School Committee guidelines i.e class size
  • Space needs
  • Collective bargaining
add 
accreditation
community priorities

Communities needs to provide some guidelines on how much we can cut and how low we can go

Roy - FY 2006 we spent more in 2 catagories, FY 2007, we only did one category, in FY 2008 we are under in all eleven categories, we expect to be under in FY 2009 numbers. The amazing thing is that we are still a high performing district despite that.

What is a broad definition for core academic areas? Should music and art get equal treatment with the other core subject matters.

It is a balance between the core and the extra-curriculars as we are trying to educate the whole child.

Starting the discussion now gets a better chance to keep to it.

Are these ranked in order of priorities? or are these just a general listing

It would be interesting to see where the principals and administration would come up with their listing and how close it would be to this

I am not a fan of going through a death by 1,000 cuts

If I can live with a program going away, if it is gone it is gone. You need to be able to live with it going away and not coming back.

You can start talking about reductions until you know what the magnitude is?

Possible Saturday working session with Principals to get to hear from them directly


Live reporting - FY 2011 Preliminary Budget Discussion

Maureen Sabolinski, Sally Winslow, Miriam Goodman

The State numbers are not yet available, these factors will change over time
The goal for tonight is to provide a historical overview, where we are, and where we would like to be



teachers peaked at 517 - 2006, now down to 399 for 2010

110 FTE since FY 06
administrative 3 asst principals, 4 central office administrators

K-5 Spanish reduced to 1x a week
Elimination of French at the Middle School
K-5 health eliminated
K-5 PE reduced
Grade 4-5 instrumental eliminated

Curriculum and instructional services
Textbook line item elminiated, rely on capital to obtain books
Eliminated 10 custodial positions cut (separately from the Facilities transfer to DPW)

Pay to ride fees ass and increased
Sports fees added and increased

Per pupil expenditures  $9,751    State avg $12,449

good chart comparing us to 20 other districts of similar enrollment (i.e. 5,000 to 7,000 students)
we are in the middle of the districts on school size, we are on the bottom of this set on per student spending

Special Education costs have increased from 16% in 1998 to 21% in 2010

FY 2000 to FY 2003 health increased at 13.86%, however we have done better in avoiding rising costs as much as possible. The increase was only 3.91% FY 2004 to FY 2010

saved tens of thousands of dollars in printing and ink costs by going electronic where ever possible

FHS Wireless Technology helps to allow students to bring their own systems into the school environment

Edline K-5 report cards being piloted
ConnectEd software enhanced communications to parents, reduced flyers

Food service point of sale program now more accurate and accountable

In house special education programing, slows the rate at which the budget needs to grow by servicing the students in house where possible

Chapter 70 funding - 56% in 2010, in 1998 only 28%


Potential, level service needs $53,500,000

The value of all of our homes is directly related to the school performance

Live reporting - FHS London Trip

Peter Light, Principal Franklin High School
Tina Leardi, Marushka Waters

A week in London , time at the West End theaters, chaperoned with ratio of 1-8
If 35 students from Franklin go, it will be "our" trip.

75 brochures were handed out so far.

this is on the action items later this evening.





Live reporting - Sidewalk Snow Removal Presentation

2. Guests/Presentations
a. Snow Removal / Sidewalks – Robert A (Brutus) Cantoreggi


The presentation is similar to what was shown to the Town Council reviewed earlier this month. You can view that presentation here


Roy - How are the decisions reached on school cancellations?
Sabolinski - Process starts in October, meeting with DPW to plan for the process, notifications, etc. Decisions on school closings rely on the safety officials (Police, Fire). Timeline is an issue. High school and middle school staff report at 6:45, need to make decision before 5:30 AM to alleviate unnecessary travel. Responsibilities further refined between Facilities and custodians based upon experience. In a town this size, we heard from about 10 people, considering our size, that is good.

Cantoreggi - The Facilities transfer was a good thing, we have learned along the way. The Police call us when the road conditions turn bad. We are prepared and on standby until we get the call. At night we can be ore efficient as no one is on the road, once the day starts, it gets more difficult as our trucks are in with the traffic.

Sabolinski - inclement weather notice sent out, posted on Schools website (PDF) There is a regular practice for the buses to pick up students walking along the road.

Glynn - How do you determne when to stop?
Cantoreggi - After the snow has stopped and after we have cleared the roads, we'll also do the push back to clear the road to the gutters. If another storm came along, the gutters would be blocked, we could get drainage problems. Can't have that so we clear it to the gutter.

Rohrbach - could you go into the process on the sidewalk routes?
Cantoreggi - I did not bring the map, it is on the DPW website, as is this presentation. (Note: The presentations can also be found here)

Rohrbach - You mentioned that you have vacancies, does that mean you use more contractors?
Cantoreggi - We have folks out that we have not backfilled. We do have some Franklin equipment that sits idle during a storm as we don't have manpower to run it. We do use contractors more, it is a more expensive option.






Live reporting - School Committee

Attending: Douglas, Cafasso, Rohrbach, Mullen, Roy, Trahan,  Glynn


Vision Statement
The Franklin Public Schools will foster within its students the knowledge and skills to find and achieve satisfaction in life as productive global citizens.

Mission Statement
The Franklin Public Schools, in collaboration with the community, will cultivate each student's intellectual, social, emotional and physical potential through rigorous academic inquiry and informed problem solving skills within a safe, nurturing and respectful environment.


1. Routine Business
• Citizen’s Comments - none

• Review of Agenda - add FHS London Trip to agenda

• Minutes: I recommend approval of the Open Session and Executive Session minutes from the January 12, 2010 School Committee Meeting.
correction on meeting date should be Feb 5th not 4th

page 4 - FY 2011 budget, add a sentence referencing a one page summary
page 6 - should say "fiscal review" instead of "financial audit"

motion to approve, excluding the minutes from the Executive Session, passed 7-0

• Payment of Bills - Mr. Glynn  motion to approve, passed 7-0

• Payroll - Mrs. Douglas

• FHS Student Representatives

• Correspondence:  none



Franklin, MA: Kindergarten registration

For students entering Kindergarten in September 2010, registration will occur on 
  • February 2
  • February 4
  • February 8
For more information, please visit the Franklin Public School kindergarten registration page here:
http://www.franklin.ma.us/auto/schools/FPS/KInfo/default.htm


In the News - financial discussion

A brief write-up for the budget workshop held on Monday for Town Council, Finance and School Committee members appears in the Milford Daily News



Franklin finances look grim


Additional info from the workshop can be found here and here


The workshop provided extensive details on the finances and budget process. The information gathered will be shared overtime to help us all prepare for Fiscal Year 2011. We are currently operating within Fiscal Year 2010 which ends June 30th.





Monday, January 25, 2010

Live reporting - budget workshop continued

Part 1 for this meeting can be found here:
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/live-reporting-special-meeting-budget.html


Jim Dacey covered the debt and interest explanations. Susan and Jeff combined to discuss the stabilization fund, the calculation of "free cash" and its use for capital expenses (one time, not recurring).

The group took a break and then resumed to pick up with the School budget.

Maureen Sabolinski and Miriam Goodman presented the initial overview on the budget and Federal/State mandates.

Sally Winslow and Beth Fitzmaurice are now covering Special Education and its requirements.
I am taking good notes but will spend some time to write them up before sharing them here.

Franklin belongs to two collaboratives to provide enhanced purchasing options to provide special education requirements at a reasonable expense.

Live reporting: Special Meeting - budget workshop

Town Council:
Scott Mason, Tina Powderly, Glenn Jones

School Committee:
Bill Glynn, Cindy Douglas, Sue Rohrbach

Finance Committee:
Jim Roche, Linda Huempfner, Pat Goldsmith, Phyllis Meserve, Jaun Rivera, Mark Cataldo, Rebecca Cameron, Craig Maire, Robert Texiera


Town administration
Jeff Nutting, Susan Gagner, Jim Dacey

School Administration
Maureen Sabolinski, Miriam Goodman, Sally Winslow, Beth Fitzmaurice


There is good information in this session. We are hearing from Susan Gagner, Town Comptroller. She is covering the town financial history from 2005 through FY 2010.
  • revenue components
  • property tax
  • state aid
  • local estimated receipts
  • other available funds
Shifting to Jim Dacey, Treasurer/Collector to explain our debt and interest.

Part 2 for this meeting continues here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/live-reporting-budget-workshop.html

FM #55 - Week ending 1/24/10

This is #55 in the series on what matters in Frankin, MA. In this session, I cover the Town Council meeting of 1/20/10 and take a look ahead at the FY 2011 budget preparations.

Time: 8 minutes, 20 seconds


MP3 File

Session notes:

This internet radio show or podcast is number 55 in the series for Franklin Matters.

Take about ten minutes to keep current with what matters in Franklin, MA as the week ends January 24, 2010

In this session I’ll cover the Town Council meeting of Wednesday, January 20, 2010
  1. proposed Charter revision
  2. Downtown improvement project
  3. New trash/recycle bins to lower cost of solid waste by $24

1 – The proposed charter revisions were brought back before this Council by Councilors Whalen and Zollo, no additional changes were made to the discussions held last Sep.
There will be open forum and public hearings to solicit input from the citizens before the final package is assembled for Legislative review. Assuming the changes proposed are accepted, then they would still come back to be voted on by the Franklin voters before being effective.

2 – The latest update on the Downtown Improvement project was presented to the Town Council on Weds and to the Downtown Partnership on Thursday morning. Additional sessions will be scheduled to allow for input from Franklin residents.

A copy of the presentation is available on Franklin MAtters

3 – The DPW presented a proposed rate change, actually a reduction from 244 per year to 220 per year. The change is dependent upon approval of a new contract to implement a “single stream” collection system. Single stream is still a misnomer in that there would be separate trash and recycle bins. The recycled items can all be mingled in the one barrel. We'd no longer need to separate the cardboard from the cans, bottles, etc.

A picture of the new bins is available on Franklin MAtters

Looking ahead to this week, there are two meetings of note:

1 - This Monday evening is a special meeting of the Town Council. The purpose of the meeting will be a  budget workshop to review terminology and process steps for the 2011 budget. The workshop is intended to bring the new members of  the Town Council, Finance Committee, and School Committee up to speed.  It is also open to the public and this will be a great time to get in on the ground floor of the budget discussion.

Note the actual 2011 budget is not scheduled for discussion. Gov Patrick is scheduled to release his budget later this week. The House and Senate will release theirs some time and then all three will be reconciled or negotiated to produce one budget sometime before June 30th. That budget is key to what Franklin does. Currently 30% of our revenue comes from State Aid. Separately the Franklin departments will be coming up with their budget, review it with Jeff Nutting who makes his recommendation and brings both to the Finance Committee for review and approval be for the Town Council gets their final review and approval.

2 - The School committee starts their budget process on Tuesday the 26th. We'll get the first look at what a level service and level funded budget for 2011 could look like with options on what programs would be on the table for discussion. The teacher contract is up for renewal this year (as are all the other Franklin municipal employee contracts) what those will look like when an agreement is reached is open for speculation at this time.

In summary, the next several months can be very interactive. Franklin citizens can provide their input to the charter, the downtown project, and ultimately the Franklin budget. If you were waiting for a good time to get involved, the time is now.

As I close this session this week, let me remind you that
  • If you like what I am doing, please tell your neighbors
  • If you don’t like something, please tell me
Thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit FranklinMAtters.blogspot.com/

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission
I hope you enjoy!

Note: email subscribers will need to click through to the website to listen to the audio version.

School Committee - Agenda - 1/26/10

Vision Statement
The Franklin Public Schools will foster within its students the knowledge and skills to find and achieve satisfaction in life as productive global citizens.

Mission Statement
The Franklin Public Schools, in collaboration with the community, will cultivate each student's intellectual, social, emotional and physical potential through rigorous academic inquiry and informed problem solving skills within a safe, nurturing and respectful environment.


1. Routine Business
• Citizen’s Comments
• Review of Agenda
• Minutes: I recommend approval of the Open Session and Executive Session minutes from the January 12, 2010 School Committee Meeting.
• Payment of Bills - Mr. Glynn
• Payroll - Mrs. Douglas
• FHS Student Representatives
• Correspondence:  none

2. Guests/Presentations
a. Snow Removal / Sidewalks – Brutus Cantoreggi / Jeff Nutting
b. Preliminary Budget Discussion

3. Discussion Only Items
• Budget to Actual
• Second Reading:
Policy ADA – School District Goals & Objectives
Policy ACE – Non-Discrimination on the basis of Disability

4. Action Items
a. I recommend acceptance of the donation of 5 digital cameras and one camcorder from Mr. Robert Salzberg of Resh, Inc. for the Davis Thayer Elementary School.
b. I recommend acceptance of a check for $1148.00 from the Oak St. PCC for a Gr. 2 field trip to Stony Brook in May as detailed.
c. I recommend acceptance of a check for $1000.00 from the Panther Lacrosse Association to be used towards the fitness center at FHS.
d. I recommend acceptance of a check for $500.00 from the Singleton Family Foundation for the FHS Special Education Department.
e. I recommend acceptance of a check for $3000.00 from the Davis Thayer PCC for field trips as detailed.
f. I recommend acceptance of the donation of a Visual Presenter from Mr. Robert Salzberg of Resh, Inc. for the Davis Thayer Elementary School.
g. I recommend approval of the request of Ms. Leardi & Mrs. Waters of the FHS for a trip to London, England on June 25, 2010 as detailed.
h. I recommend adoption of Policy ADA – School District Goals & Objectives.
i. I recommend approval of the request of Peter Light for an additional Assistant Track coach at a cost of $1,467.00 to be funded from the Athletic Revolving Account to assist with increased student participation.
j. I recommend adoption of Policy ACE – Non-Discrimination on the basis of Disability.

5. Information Matters
Superintendent’s Report
a. Finance Workshop Training
b. MSBA/FHS Project
c. Kindergarten Registration
d. MASBO Compensation Study
e. Data Team
School Committee Sub-Committee Reports
School Committee Liaison Reports

6. New Business
• To discuss future business that may be brought before the School Committee.

7. Executive Session
• Contractual Negotiations

8. Adjourn



Franklin, MA: At a glance

In advance of the special budget workshop Monday evening, here is a report from the MA Department of Revenue, Division of Local Services:

Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io



You can view the same report on the MA DOR website here.

The workshop this evening is open to the public and intended to bring the new members of the Town Council, Finance and School Committees up to speed on the budget terminology and process.

The fiscal policies that previous Town Councils have used for guidance, this Council also accepted and it posted on the Town Council section of their webpage:
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_Council/fiscal.pdf

Note: The 2011 budget is NOT scheduled for discussion. The Governor is scheduled to announce his view of the budget this week. Both bodies of the State legislature will announce their own versions of the State budget and then all three will be negotiated to produce one budget sometime before June 30th.

Last year was an exception in that Franklin did not find out their final numbers until July. The Town Council voted on the final 2010 budget on Sep 16th with some adjustments to the one passed in June.


Franklin, MA: budget workshop

Whalen said the budget workshop will delve into the town's state and local revenue sources and unfunded mandates like special education funding.

School Committee Chairman Jeffrey Roy urges the public to attend.

"People are typically surprised when they learn about the scope and number of state and federal mandates applicable to school budgets," he said.

 Read the full article in the Milford Daily News by clicking on the link below:

Franklin officials to strategize on town budgets

from The Milford Daily News News RSS




Sunday, January 24, 2010

Pulaski Blvd project update

Yes, Pulaski Blvd is in Bellingham but it changes name to Washington and then to King St for those traveling north to come to the i495 intersection. The i495 intersection is under construction to improve, widen and add traffic lights.

Pulaski Blvd starts construction this spring. For folks in Franklin heading south to Bellingham, Woonsocket and points beyond, you might want to consider exploring an alternate route.

This article in the Milford Daily News provides an update on the bids just received to begin work this spring.

Pulaski project on target in Bellingham

from The Milford Daily News News RSS




In the News - downtown project

"We want to continue to get public input and allow that input to direct the design," he said.

A major proposed improvement is to create two-way traffic on Emmons, Main and West Central streets.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here

View the presentation on this project that was made to the Town Council on Wednesday Jan 20th




Diversity in the state legislature?

Despite an executive branch headed by the state's first black governor, no one keeps track of the racial makeup of the Legislature's work force - not the state Human Resources Division nor any central office in the House or Senate.

Lawmakers can hire whomever they want, however they want, and since they exempted themselves from the public record law years ago, they don't have to tell anyone.

Only 18 of 200 elected officials agreed to provide information on their staffers' race, age and gender to The Patriot Ledger.

Reached last week, no MetroWest legislator, with the exception of state Sen. Jamie Eldridge, responded to the Daily News' request for information regarding staff demographics. Some offices did not return calls. Other offices referred the News directly to the House Speaker's office. Other offices referred the News to the Legislature's human resources department, which then referred a reporter to the House Speaker's office.
------

Affirmative action - a hiring policy that encourages minorities to apply for jobs where they are underrepresented - was a phrase first used by President John F. Kennedy nearly 50 years ago. In the years that followed, it was the basis for federal equal opportunity hiring regulations that states, cities and towns had to follow, or risk losing federal aid.

But the same rules affecting all 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts and more than 50,000 state employees don't apply to lawmakers, their employees or committee staffs.

Read the full and rather interesting report on this disconnect created by the legislature in the Milford Daily News here


Saturday, January 23, 2010

Express Line

The new Express Line was just sent out via email.

If you are not receiving you own copy, you can sign up on the Franklin website here: http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/subscriber-news



Note: email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to read the document.


Friday, January 22, 2010

More from Gov Patrick of interest to Franklin Matters

Friday, Governor Patrick attended the Massachusetts Municipal Association Annual Meeting and outlined proposals including municipal pension relief, a limited early retirement incentive program and a new Green Communities grant program to encourage development of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects to relieve local budgets “The Lieutenant Governor and I value the partnership we have built with local officials across the Commonwealth,” said Governor Patrick. “This relationship has allowed us to work collaboratively to bring real change to the way local government provides for the residents of the Commonwealth. The tools we introduce today, coupled with the changes we have already made, will allow us to provide key services in communities today, while reducing local pressure on the property tax.” Learn more here.
 The full recap of the Governor's activities on Friday, Jan 22 can be found here



What matters for Franklin

Having listened to the Governor's State of the Commonwealth, these sections I think are what matters most for Franklin.

In a time of dwindling state revenue, we funded public schools at the highest level in history.  In the budget I file next week, I will propose to do it again by fully funding the education budget through Chapter 70 next year, so that no school will see a cut in state support.  But because schools need innovation as well as money in order to be great, we made law and history this week by signing an education reform bill that will put a great school within reach of every child in every corner of this Commonwealth.  We made it personal.  Thank you.
....

We, all of us, have worked together to give local communities new tools to cut costs and raise revenues, to regionalize more municipal services.  But I will not be satisfied until we find a way to bring property taxes down.
....

... these young people did not sit around wondering and worrying what to do and who was going to do it.  They didn’t accept that they were powerless.  They saw a need and met it, and found power in service itself.  And through that not only have they inspired me and many others, but they have built a better, stronger Commonwealth.

Brick by brick. Block by block. Neighborhood by neighborhood. Town by town.  That is what each of us must do.  That is who each of us must be.  That is the opportunity this crisis presents.  If we seize it, I am certain our best days lie ahead.


The full text of the speech is available here and here



Downtown Improvement Project

This is the Downtown Improvement Project presentation that was made to the Town Council on Wednesday, Jan 20th and Thursday, Jan 21st to the Downtown Partnership.

There will be other times scheduled for review and discussion of the plan details. As soon as I am aware of them, they will be posted here.





Note: email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to view the presentation.




Dean College: Business Series



Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:





via The Milford Daily News News RSS by Staff reports on 1/21/10

Dean College will host professionals from ESPN this Monday to kick of its annual business lecture series, "Speaking of Business."

ESPN cameraman Joshua Walsh and producer Jennifer Hayes, both Dean alumni, will speak at the Campus Center Atrium Jan. 25 from 4-5 p.m., followed by a reception.

The lecture is the first of five, and will run every Monday except  President's Day on Feb. 15.

Future speakers include Patriot Place manager Brian Farley, National Grid director of U.S. climate change policy Alexander G. Taft, CEO of Hockomock Area YMCA Edwin Hurley and  Dan Foley, CEO of Campus Care and D. Foley Landscaping.

Programs are free and open to the public. Lectures will be held on 135 Emmons St. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 888-711-3326 or emailing alumni@dean.edu.



Things you can do from here:



Thursday, January 21, 2010

The text of Gov Deval Patrick's State of the Commonwealth

Address as delivered
Thank you.  Thank you very much.  Thank you.

Madame President – there we go – Mr. Speaker, and all of the Members of the House and Senate, Lieutenant Governor, Fellow Constitutional Officers, and Members of the Cabinet, to the Members of the Honorable Judiciary, Congressman and Mrs. Capuano, Mayor Menino and other municipal leaders, Reverend Clergy, Distinguished Guests, and above all, to the People of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

I want to first acknowledge and thank my First Lady and yours, Diane Patrick. You should all know that Diane has done marvelous work around the Commonwealth on domestic violence issues. And Diane, I think people have come to be almost as grateful to have you in their lives as I am to have you in mine.

I want you all to please join Diane and me in thanking the men and women of Massachusetts who serve in the United States military – and their families. We are every one of us in their debt.

Special thanks to Pastor Laguerre, who joins us tonight for the invocation. We pray with you for the rescue of the Haitian people, for comfort for their families and friends here in the Commonwealth, for strength for the relief workers from Massachusetts who are on the ground now in Haiti, and for blessings for all of the good people of this Commonwealth who have offered support to the victims.

I want to commend all three candidates in the special election for a spirited campaign – Attorney General, thank you for being here tonight.  And I want to congratulate United States Senator-elect Scott Brown. I spoke to Scott on election night and again this afternoon, and we pledged to work together, as I do with the whole delegation, on behalf of the best interests of the people of the Commonwealth. The best news is that – even on a cold, snowy day in January, for an out-of-cycle election – the voters came out in force and engaged in their democracy. At a time when many feel powerless, people reminded themselves and us that they have all the power they need to make all the change they want.  That’s good news.

Three years ago when I took the oath of office on the steps just outside this building, I described a vision for a better, stronger Commonwealth.  I talked about good jobs at good wages all across the state, a great school in every neighborhood, and citizens with a renewed sense of community, where each of us sees the stake we have in each other's dreams and struggles.

I knew the challenges before us, and acknowledged them. Young people were leaving our state.  There was no real plan for job growth.  Our public schools were too often failing poor children.  Our roads and bridges were broken.  Health care reform had passed, but had not been implemented.  And the culture of Beacon Hill, with due respect, was famously resistant to outsiders and to change.

We chose to confront these challenges, not because it was politically expedient or popular, and certainly not because it was easy.  But because we understood the stake we each have in each other; because people need not big or small government, for its own sake, but good government; and because confronting these challenges was the only way to build a better, stronger Commonwealth.

Our task was made harder by bumps along the road - some of my own making I acknowledge, others left behind by predecessors, but most the result of a global economic collapse that no one foresaw and few living have ever experienced.  The economic meltdown produced $9 billion in budget gaps, cuts to worthy programs, and elimination of thousands of state jobs.  Just like in household after household, and business after business, we in state government have had to make do with less, to improvise and innovate, to work harder.  But because we made it personal, because we understood that a better, stronger Commonwealth would lift us all up, we kept going.

The toll this global economic crisis has taken on people here at home has only served to make me even more determined.  I meet people every day, and I see the anxiety in their faces.  I hear their stories of lost jobs or lost homes, of lost retirement accounts or lost hope.  I know they are stressed not just for themselves, but because there are still kids to be educated and parents to be cared for.  I met a grandmother at the Career Center in Lynn this month who told me about moving her son and daughter and their kids, 9 of them strong, into her home because they're out of work and strapped for cash.  Now she has lost her job.  She's not asking for much, just a chance to work to provide for her family, and a little help holding on until she can make her own way.  Meanwhile, like so many other citizens, she is feeling powerless against forces beyond her control.  This is not the American Dream she counted on.  And it is not the American Dream we will accept.

So for her, for every other striver who aches for a better, stronger Commonwealth, we kept faith with our vision and kept going.  Too fast for some, not fast enough for others, learning from our mistakes as well as from our triumphs, but always forward.  Without ever losing sight of who we are working for.

And so, working together, we closed that $9 billion budget gap and delivered a third consecutive budget that was responsible, balanced and on time – which is not something that many other states can say.  But we also worked to understand and address the impact that each cut would have on the people who depended on the program, and to deliver the service in better and more efficient ways.  We made it personal.

To create jobs, we leveraged our world-class universities and health care institutions, making investments in biotech, life sciences and green technology so that the people of Massachusetts would have opportunities in the innovation economy of tomorrow.  But we also went to work every day calling individual business leaders about locating or expanding here, working out ways to help them prosper and create jobs - 10, 50, 200 at a time, making sure the workforce was trained, and extending unemployment and health care benefits to help families hold it together in the short run.  We made it personal.

We did the hard work – the hard work – of implementing health care reform so that now nearly every man, woman and child in the Commonwealth has reliable health insurance, and we are a model for the Nation.  But because we know many families and small businesses are struggling to afford the premiums they pay, we went to work to drive down costs, hauling insurance companies into public hearings to explain why premiums keep going up when everything else is coming down.  We made it personal.

In a time of dwindling state revenue, we funded public schools at the highest level in history.  In the budget I file next week, I will propose to do it again by fully funding the education budget through Chapter 70 next year, so that no school will see a cut in state support.  But because schools need innovation as well as money in order to be great, we made law and history this week by signing an education reform bill that will put a great school within reach of every child in every corner of this Commonwealth.  We made it personal.  Thank you.

We did all of that and more this past year. And I want to thank you.  I want to thank President Murray, Speaker DeLeo and each member of this Senate and House, for their willingness to work with us, frequently across Party lines, and take the tough votes that will make a better, stronger Commonwealth.

I also want to thank the members of the Cabinet and their teams for your creativity and tenacity, and the state workers who – despite furloughs and contract concessions, pay freezes and increased health care contributions – go to work every day trying to do right by the people we serve.

Change is never easy and rarely quick.  Woodrow Wilson once said, "If you want to make enemies, try to change something."  And Lord knows he was right!  But it is worthy.  It’s worthy.  Because we are together building the foundation for a better, stronger Commonwealth.

And I ask you, don't just take my word for it. Here are some facts:

For the first time in twenty years, more people are moving into our state than are moving out.

Business confidence has improved 9 of the last 10 months, which means more investment and more jobs ahead.

Home sales are up for the fifth consecutive month - 59% in the month of November alone.

All three national rating agencies have affirmed the state's AA credit rating and stable outlook for the future, expressly citing our successful management of this fiscal crisis.

Massachusetts is one of the few states in the country able to access the bond markets to fund our student loan program.

We are first in the Nation in student achievement for the third straight year and first in the Nation in health care coverage for our residents, with over 97 percent insured.

Our clean and alternative energy initiatives set national standards.  We will increase wind power 10-fold and solar power 15-fold by next year, and in the solar industry we have already more than doubled the number of jobs and quadrupled the number of companies.

But still, still, people sometimes ask: What does all this mean for them?

Well, a good credit rating means that we can do construction projects like Assembly Square in Somerville, or the Appleton Mills redevelopment in Lowell, or the Route 7 improvements in Pittsfield, or the Route 24 ramp in Fall River, and on and on and on.  Projects that put people to work now, create other jobs shortly, and improve the quality of life for years.  It means people like R. Evans Stewart can get a state-subsidized student loan to help his grandson pursue his dreams at Western New England College.  That’s what it means.
Implementing health reform well means peace of mind for people like Jaclyn Michalos from Norwell, who would not have had her breast cancer diagnosed and successfully treated without access to affordable care.  It means finding a cost effective way to cover over 26,000 immigrants who live and work here legally and pay taxes into the system.

Simplifying the transportation network and abolishing the Turnpike Authority means we saved taxpayers a quarter billion dollars and can put toll and T fare hikes off a little while, while we focus on better service for commuters.

Holding the line on funding for schools or passing the ed reform bill means the kids I meet in Arlington or East Boston High Schools, or the South Middle School in Brockton, or the University Park Campus School in Worcester, or the Walsh School in Framingham, or the poor and special needs kids I carry around in my heart, will get the chance I got to make a better life for themselves and their families.

Let me tell you what it means.

Investing in clean and alternative energy, or the life sciences and biotech, means Dan Leary, an Iraq War vet, can hire more people at his solar installation company in North Andover (I think he's up to 45 so far); and Randy Moquin can get trained, get off unemployment and go to work as an energy auditor out in Springfield; and Josh Hamilton can build a Center for Regenerative Medicine in Woods Hole and start to transform the future of human health.

Investing in infrastructure means that, now and even moreso in the coming spring construction season, new bridges will be built; exit ramps and roads are being restored; broadband cable is being laid under 1-91; stations, office parks, medical research buildings, parking garages are all going up – investments that put people to work today and become the economic enabler of tomorrow.

And ending the abuse in the state pension system and tightening the ethics and lobbying rules means that people can trust that state government is focused again on their business and not personal gain.

Governing for people, the ways your government can help you help yourselves, is why we come to work every day. By investing in people, by making it personal, we are building a better, stronger Commonwealth for all of us.

I know there's much more work to do. And I will not be satisfied until it's done.

Unemployment, even with the disappointing numbers released today, is not as high here as the national average, but I will not be satisfied until we have put all our people back to work.

More people than ever are insured, but I will not be satisfied until the cost of health insurance is lower, especially for small businesses and working families.

I will not be satisfied until CORl and sentencing reform are enacted into law and we start getting as smart on crime as we are tough.

We, all of us, have worked together to give local communities new tools to cut costs and raise revenues, to regionalize more municipal services.  But I will not be satisfied until we find a way to bring property taxes down.

I will not be satisfied until we have reshaped and reinvented state government itself, consolidated more agencies and wrung out of them every inefficiency.

That must be our agenda and I will not be satisfied until it's finished. And neither should you.

These are each of them tough issues, I know that.  But you ought to know by now – friends one and all – you should know, my friends, not to doubt my resolve or my determination.  I hear the detractors who fiercely or passively defend the status quo. I hear the challengers pressing to return to old, familiar ways, even policies that failed us in the past.  But I also hear a public deeply frustrated with the pace of change, who need a little help from us right now so they can help themselves.  Our job is to be leaders for them.  To stand up and make the hard decisions that are necessary to build a better, stronger Commonwealth. We must make it personal.

To the people of the Commonwealth, above all, especially those whose lives have been turned upside down by this economy, you are not powerless. And you are not alone.

If we here work together and creatively, we can make a difference where it matters, not on our resumes but in your lives.  We have shown we can do this with historic reforms already, and we must redouble our efforts.

We will do our part.  Now you must also do yours.

Be angry - but channel it in a positive direction. It's easy to be against things. It takes tough-mindedness and courage to be for something.

In Massachusetts, at our best, we are for each other, we are about seeing our stake in our neighbors' dreams and struggles as well as our own.

And I know some kids who understand this especially well.

The high school in Brockton, Massachusetts is the largest in our Commonwealth.  4,100 young people go to that school.  Sixty-four percent are on the free lunch program.  For nearly half of them, English is a second language.  I visited the school last spring to announce some of the federal stimulus funding for education and arranged to meet beforehand with parents of special needs students.
I sat with about a dozen of these parents in the school library, surrounded by members of the student council who had come to observe.  And at first we talked about programs and policies and information, but the conversation got personal, when one mother asked me, she said: “Governor, imagine what it is like to have a child in school who has no friends.”

And as a parent, the comment was searing. Her child's learning issues were so profound that other kids just shunned him.

And at that point, one of the student council members raised her hand and said, "I want to be your child's buddy, right here in the high school." It was a beautiful and spontaneous thing.

Another parent then said her child had similar issues but wasn’t in that school.  Which prompted another student to raise her hand and say, "Why don't we have a program where high school students can be buddies for special needs kids in whatever Brockton school they attend?"

The superintendent was there and had a natural reaction in these times: he began to worry aloud about how, in these times of scarce resources, he could possibly pay for such a program.  To which another student replied, "We don't have to be paid. This is our community." His message was plain and powerful: "If there is a need, send me."

That program now has a name, the Boxer Buddies, it’s going strong, and I want to acknowledge the Buddies who are here tonight.  I am so proud of you.

The point is this. In a city as hard hit as any by the economic crisis, these young people did not sit around wondering and worrying what to do and who was going to do it.  They didn’t accept that they were powerless.  They saw a need and met it, and found power in service itself.  And through that not only have they inspired me and many others, but they have built a better, stronger Commonwealth.
Brick by brick. Block by block. Neighborhood by neighborhood. Town by town.  That is what each of us must do.  That is who each of us must be.  That is the opportunity this crisis presents.  If we seize it, I am certain our best days lie ahead.

Thank you everybody.  God bless you all and God bless the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.


You can also view this on the Gov's website here