Saturday, May 4, 2019

Charter School clarifications on Franklin FY 2020 budget impact

The Charter School provides some clarifications on the projected budget impact statements reported by the Town of Franklin and the Public Schools:
"As you may have seen recently in the local print and in social media, BFCCPS has been listed as the main driver of the budget deficit for the Franklin Public School system. Many current and former parents and faculty have shown great support for BFCCPS on social media over the last few weeks. 
Please know that several pieces of information that have been reported are inaccurate. For example, while various articles report 258 new students attending our school next year; only 95 students from Franklin have accepted offers of enrollment for the 2019-2020 school year. As we have 31 grade eight students who will be attending Franklin High School next year, the true impact is only a net of 64 new students attending BFCCPS from the town of Franklin next year. Additionally, articles have repeatedly indicated that our expansion includes a High School offering. We have no plans to expand to grades 9-12. 
When we began our expansion process in 2012, we were intentional in designing our region to have a lessening impact on the town of Franklin. In fact, next year, even with expansion, we will enroll fewer children from the Town of Franklin than before we became a regional school in the 2015-2016 school year."
Continue reading the full write up on the Charter School page
http://bfccps.org/clarification-on-the-impact-of-bfccps-on-the-franklin-public-school-systems-budget/?doing_wp_cron=1556970363.0868589878082275390625

The Town of Franklin has updated their memo that incorrectly reported the expansion would include grades 9-12.  The updated memo can be found online
https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/franklinma/files/uploads/fy20_budget_forecast_and_beyond_0.pdf

Per the Charter School the enrollment increase projected for Franklin should be less than shown in the Dept of Local Service Cherry Sheet estimates but until the numbers flow through the State, the budget impact to Franklin is still a significant increase over prior years ('significant' is currently shown at $1M).

DLS Cherry Sheet estimates:

The 'cherry sheet' reflects the local aid coming to Franklin or assessed against Franklin. Chapter 70 is the school aid. There are also lines shown for the charter school ins and outs.

I have filtered on the DLS page to select Franklin and export to create the PDF shown here. You can view the info online
https://dlsgateway.dor.state.ma.us/reports/rdPage.aspx?rdReport=CherrySheets.CSbyProgMunis.MuniBudgEst




Bottom line: the school funding calculations provided by the State short change all Franklin students, period. There should not be a charter vs. public school debate. We should be united in getting a more realistic funding formula. Why? Whatever is allocated for the Franklin Public School students will flow to the charter school students, so if there is more for one there will be more for the other. If the public school budget is cut (as it will be this year), the Charter School student will ultimately see that (in some manner - I am not an expert on State funding flows, but from my experience that is what will likely happen).

Horace Mann statue in downtown Franklin, the father of public education
Horace Mann statue in downtown Franklin, the father of public education

Franklin ArtWeek Schedule for Saturday, May 4, 2019

Saturday, May 4

9:00 - 5:00: Post-It Note Collage at Franklin Public Library ~ In celebration of ArtWeek 2019, the Youth Services department will be building a Post-It Note Collage! But we need your help! Stop by anytime during the week to help add post-it notes to the wall. What will the final image be?? Only time will tell!!

10:00 - 12:00: Sidewalk Chalk! at the Franklin Town Common (FREE)
Join BFCCPS’s first chalk festival! Watch other artists create masterpieces with vividly colored pastels and join in on creating your own art while we transform the cement on the Franklin Commons into a bright and colorful chalk art display! Parking on Queen St.

11:00 - 11:45: Trowbridge Piano Performance at the Franklin Historical Museum (FREE) Local musician Dennis Ferguson will perform a selection of works by 20th century women composers on the Museum's antique Trowbridge Piano, with background and details on the composers and compositions.

12:00 - 4:00: Art of Game Design with Jason Davis at Pete's Nerd Emporium (FREE) Jason Davis, the Franklin-based game designer of Davis & Daughters Games, will be giving a talk on his creative process: what it’s like to design games with children and for children and all the difficulty and benefits therein. His talk will be followed by a demo of his game, Heroes & Treasure, a traditional fantasy-styled RPG meant to be played with children as young as 4.

12:00 - 1:30 and 2:00 - 3:30: Around the World in 8 Plays at THE BLACK BOX ($12/$15) Travel around the world and explore forgotten myths and unusual legends in eight fast-paced and hilarious tales! Guided by a band of roaming gypsies, the audience is transported from the ancient Far East, where a hero must kill a giant centipede to save a dragon king, to the Russian countryside, where a poor orphan must defeat three witches who stole his grandfather's eyes. Always quirky, and sometimes bizarre, these eight tales are filled with magic, mystery, and morals. Tickets are $12 student/senior and $15 adult. Tickets: bit.ly/8_plays

12:15 - 1:00: Horace Mann Birthday Celebration at the Franklin Historical Museum (FREE) Join us for a piece of cake and a little history to celebrate Horace Mann's 223rd birthday.

12:30 - 1:30: Orff Percussion Jam at Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School (FREE)  The Orff Percussion Jam will allow people to use both pitched (xylophones, metallophones, glockenspiels, etc.) and non-pitched instruments (drums, tambourines, shakers, etc) in a unique, multi-layered ensemble that will explore familiar children's songs. For kids 5-12, although 13+ are welcome to join by helping out or playing on the larger instruments. Parking on Queen St.

1:00 - 3:00: “May the 4th be With You” Star Wars Party! at the Franklin Public Library (FREE)  Come celebrate Star Wars Day with us! Put your Jedi skills to the test with out-of-this-world games and crafts! Then refuel with snacks and refreshments straight from the Cantina!

2:00 - 3:00: Drumming Around the World at Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School (FREE)  Drumming Around the World will focus on exploring different cultures and their musical styles through the art of drumming. Participants will learn elementary to intermediate rhythms by ear, participate in drum circles, practice improvisation skills, and learn a little of the history of hand drumming. Parking on Queen St.

2:00 - 3:30: What Ever Happened to Sunday Dinner? at Franklin TV (FREE)  Author Ed Iannuccilli draws on his Italian heritage in his book "What Ever Happened to Sunday Dinner?" which is the focus of his ArtWeek lecture. Dr. Ed will share how and why he writes, inspiring the audience to write their own stories of immigration and cultural history.

7:00 - 9:30: The Chestnut Street Revue at First Universalist Society of Franklin (FREE) Join us for an exciting evening of music, featuring a broad range of genres from good old rock and roll to classical guitar. Local bands Critical Mass and Victims of Gravity will get your toes tapping, and Heath Nisbett's classical guitar will elevate your mood! The Universal Singers will entertain you with some uplifting choral arrangements. Michele Kelly will engage us with her beautiful vocals, and Dan Feerick and Jeff Cerrier will perform guitar solos. It's sure to be a fun evening of great music. Gourmet desserts will be available at intermission.

7:00 - 12:00: Party for the Pantry at THE BLACK BOX ($25)
Join us for an evening showcasing four fabulous bands in support of the Franklin Food Pantry! Tickets: www.franklinfoodpantry.org


Download your copy of the full schedule for ArtWeek here
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczODN4X2hTdVdobWpWWTlpR19WMFZHZE5JWHVz/view?usp=sharing

Franklin ArtWeek Schedule for Saturday, May 4, 2019
Franklin ArtWeek Schedule for Saturday, May 4, 2019

Franklin High School: Chromebook PSA 2019

When the new Franklin High School building opened, approx. 1600 Chromebooks entered the daily life of the students. At approx. $200 each, they are relatively cheap and overtime will provide a better return than standard textbooks.

As with any technical device, the technology is great when it works, and can be frustrating when it doesn't. Taking care of the device is critical to the performance. This Public Service Announcement is a cool reminder of the need for taking care as well as a good showcase for the talented students work in media creation.

There is an annual insurance policy that is well worth purchasing for only $25.

Enjoy! (only 2 and a half minutes)





Chromebook lifecycle:
Chromebooks are issued to the incoming Freshmen class and expected to be used for the four years. The seniors turn in their Chromebooks upon graduation and the units are evaluated for reuse. 

Part of the capital needs for the school district have shifted from book and curriculum purchases to Chromebook replacements and software licenses. The Chromebooks and licenses are more easily kept up to date than hardcover materials.

Chromebooks have gradually expanded to the middle and elementary schools. The units used by those students stay within the buildings. High school students take theirs home to do homework and projects.

Franklin Connections - May Edition - Senior Center Newsletter

Franklin Connections, the May Edition of the Senior Center Newsletter has been posted to the Town of Franklin webpage and is available.

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/franklinma/files/pages/may19connection.pdf

Franklin Connections - May Edition - Senior Center Newsletter
Franklin Connections - May Edition - Senior Center Newsletter


Franklin Public Library: Pushing Chain - May 7

Pushing Chain is a folk duo scheduled to perform at the Franklin Public Library on Tuesday, May 7 at 6:30 PM.

"Pushing Chain is Boyd Blomberg on guitar and vocals and Adam Moe on fiddle and vocals. The duo recently celebrated 20 years of making music together, as well as the release of their new album, Sorrows Always Swim. Playing approximately 200 shows every year, Boyd and Adam have been doing what they can to spread their brand of folky-tonk roots music far and wide in venues big and small across the United States and Canada."

Franklin Public Library: Pushing Chain - May 7
Franklin Public Library: Pushing Chain - May 7

Check out this video sample of their music



For more music and info visit their webpage  https://www.pushingchain.com/


MassBudget: Modernizing Massachusetts overtime law would protect 435,000 modestly paid workers



MassBudget  Information.
  Participation.
 Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center  Democracy.
May 2, 2019



Modernizing Massachusetts overtime law would protect 435,000 modestly paid workers

Bringing the Massachusetts overtime law into the 21st century would protect precious time off the job for 435,000 modestly paid, salaried workers in the state.
Both the Massachusetts Legislature and the Trump Administration's Department of Labor (DoL) are considering updates to the dollar threshold below which salaried workers gain automatic overtime protection.
Bills currently before the Massachusetts Legislature would modernize the state's overtime law, according to a new Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) report, It's About Time: Modernizing the Massachusetts Overtime Law Would Help 435,000 Salaried Workers.
Under federal law, salaried workers who make below $455 per week are automatically eligible for overtime pay - 1.5 times their regular rate of pay for the first 40 hours. Not only is this federal threshold below the poverty level for a family of four in Massachusetts, but it is also less than what a worker would make working 40 hours per week at the state's minimum wage - $480 per week.
"Many salaried workers in Massachusetts currently have to work long hours without being compensated for overtime," said Jeremy Thompson, Senior Policy Analyst and author of the report. "Weak, outdated, and unclear state and federal overtime laws make it easy for employers to require salaried workers to work overtime without paying them more than if they had worked 40 hours."
The Massachusetts proposals would set the salary threshold at twice the state's minimum wage by 2024 and would peg the threshold to inflation so it can keep pace with cost of living changes. The DoL proposes to set the salary threshold based on what the lowest-paid, salaried workers in the lowest-cost region of the country (the South) earn, and it would not peg this threshold to inflation. The DoL proposal would cover 330,000 fewer workers than the Massachusetts bills by 2024. 
MassBudget: Modernizing Massachusetts overtime law would protect 435,000 modestly paid workers
"When workers give up scarce personal time for their jobs, they deserve to be fairly compensated for that time," said Marie-Frances Rivera, President of MassBudget. "In a high-cost state like Massachusetts, the proposed federal rules would leave hundreds of thousands of salaried workers behind."

The Trump DoL proposal is open for public comment through May 21, 2019. Readers who wish to submit comments to the U.S. Department of Labor can click 

The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts.

MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER

15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700
BOSTON, MA 02108



Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, 15 Court Square, Suite 700, Boston, MA 02108

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Friday, May 3, 2019

Upcoming Events in Franklin, MA: FRI - May 3 to THU - May 9

Friday, May 3
 ArtWeek
10:00am
 Knitting Group
1:00pm
 Fabric Vase & Flower Arrangement Project
1:00pm
 Tito Music Puppets - Meeting Room
3:30pm
 Code it!
7:00pm
 The 50s - A Musical Tribute
8:45pm
 The 50s - A Musical Tribute
Saturday, May 4
 ArtWeek
10:00am
 Franklin Historical Museum (Always free)
10:00am
 Sidewalk Chalk!
10:30am
 Baby Sensory! (FOFL Room)
11:00am
 Trowbridge Piano Performance
12:00pm
 Art of Game Design with Jason Davis
12:00pm
 Around the World in 8 Plays
12:15pm
 Horace Mann Birthday Celebration
12:30pm
 Orff Percussion Jam
1:00pm
 "May the 4th be With You" Star Wars Party! (Community Room)
2:00pm
 Around the World in 8 Plays
2:00pm
 What Ever Happened to Sunday Dinner?
2:00pm
 Drumming Around the World
7:00pm
 Party for the Pantry
7:00pm
 Chestnut Street Review
Sunday, May 5
 ArtWeek
 Cinco de Mayo
9:00am
 FPAC 5K Road Race and 1 Mile Fun Run
10:00am
 Throwing Seeds mural painting
12:00pm
 The Art of Canning Pickles
1:00pm
 Franklin Historical Museum (always free)
1:30pm
 NoteAble Blend - Meeting Room
2:45pm
 Cinco de Mayo Storytime (Spanish NHS )Community Room
3:00pm
 NoteAble Blend concert
Monday, May 6
 Pops Concert Dress Rehearsal
10:30am
 Move Along
11:00am
 Toddler Playgroup
3:00pm
 Monday Crafternoons
3:30pm
 Dungeons & Dragons for Kids ( Teen Room)
7:00pm
 OSKEY Rehearsal
7:00pm
 Friends of the Franklin Library Meeting
Tuesday, May 7
9:30am
 Cool Cruisers
10:30am
 Get Ready for Kindergarten
6:00pm
 Intro to Knit
6:30pm
 Pushing Chain folk group
7:00pm
 FHS Pops Concert & Side by Side
7:00pm
 350 Mass Screening of BBC climate documentary and discussion
7:00pm
 The SAFE Community Forum
7:00pm
 Friends of the Franklin Library Book Group
Wednesday, May 8
 FHS Film Festival
10:30am
 Terrific Toddlers
11:00am
 Toddler Playgroup
6:30pm
 Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
6:30pm
 Al Testa Jazz Three Piece Ensemble
7:00pm
 OSKEY Rehearsal
7:00pm
 Town Council Meeting
7:30pm
 LET'S LAUGH TODAY
Thursday, May 9
9:30am
 Baby Tummy Time
10:30am
 Story & Craft
3:30pm
 Discovery Workshop
4:00pm
 Franklin Historical Museum (always free)
6:00pm
 FAA CAPSTONE
6:00pm
 Volunteens
6:30pm
 Teen Advisory Board (Teen Room)
7:30pm
 Che Apalache, Latingrass

For the interactive version, please visit
For the Town of Franklin Public Meeting Calendar
http://www.franklinma.gov/calendar

Submit an event for the Community Calendar, please use this link

Upcoming Events in Franklin, MA: FRI - May 3 to THU - May 9
Upcoming Events in Franklin, MA: FRI - May 3 to THU - May 9