Tuesday, June 10, 2008

live reporting - Memo of Understanding

Wayne Ogden negotiated with Jeff Nutting
is the result of comprises, it is not a perfect document

Cora - what happens for the money after two years if the plan doesn't work out. There is an arrangement for the vehicles but there is nothing for the money.

Concern about the gasoline charge, open to interpretation as to continued price increases occur, we need some protection.

Need a provision for the principals to run their building

What about the bio-hazard response? The make up of the Town and School Committee may be different two years from now, there needs to be something clarified to protect the town as it goes forward.

Roberta - The initial MOU was longer, so I wonder what was taking out. How do you handle a custodial staff issue? Delivery of services should be equal to current services. I want this to go forward but there are things that have not been sufficiently explained or clarified.

Susan - what happens to the money of the school committee votes against it, also wants better language for the principal to run their building and having appropriate control.

Jeff - letter to accrediting body delivered upon visit for accreditation; overall responsibility for custodians resides with Town Administrator; this conflicts with Ed Reform. Both Town and School need to vote this in effect. There is nothing to prevent the Town Council to vote to give it back also. Hence, there needs to be a plan for that to protect the schools and the town folks.

2 comments:

  1. I am so pleased to see that this override was turned down. Fiscal responsibility is what we need to see - not another override. As a property owner, I need to be fiscally responsible and budget my mortgage, taxes, utilities, etc. It seems to me the the town of Franklin could use a refresher course in budgeting. In this economy, we all need to tighten our belts and spend less money to stay on track - that goes for cities, towns, government agencies, etc.

    Here is just an excerpt from this past Sunday's Boston Globe article regarding the override:

    Days before a vote Tuesday on a proposed $2.8 million override of Proposition 2 1/2, meant to raise property taxes enough to prevent the loss of more than 40 teaching positions, officials also said they do not believe that taxpayers would foot the bill for a $100 million renovation of the high school or a new facility costing $130 million.

    In May, state Treasurer Timothy Cahill criticized plans for the $197.5 million Newton North High School project and the proposed $159 million new Wellesley High School as excessively expensive.

    Cahill, who serves as chairman of the Massachusetts School Building Authority, the agency responsible for disbursing state funds for school building projects, earlier this year said the state's job is "not to build Taj Mahals."

    Those comments gave pause to Franklin officials.

    "I think [Cahill] hit the nail on the head that these projects have to be more manageable and palatable for both the local and the state budgets," said School Committee chairman Jeffrey Roy. "That was one thing that struck me about the size and scope of the Franklin High project. It just seemed to be a bit beyond what our community could afford."
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    Mr. Roy, I agree.

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  2. Erin
    thanks for stopping by and taking time to comment.

    We don't "need" fiscal responsibility, we already have it.

    What we do need to for the town officials to explain that to folks. Some of them unfortunately prefer to provide a disservice to the community to meet their own self-serving motives.

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