Franklin Matters: Real time reporting: School Committee meeting

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Real time reporting: School Committee meeting - April 14, 2020

Remote meeting via Google Meet. All School Community members present via roll call.

FY21 Budget Open Hearing
https://www.franklinps.net/district/school-district-budget/pages/fy-2021-budget

Taking notes via Twitter, the complete thread can be found online
https://twitter.com/search?q=schcomm0414&src=typeahead_click

The text of each tweet note can be found here: I believe I have ordered them in the proper time sequence.

Real time reporting of first virtual School Committee meeting including FY2021 budget hearing #schcomm0414
No audio yet via the live stream from the Town of Franklin page, maybe it will come on soon. The Google meet link works fine
Real time reporting - FY21 Budget Open Hearing underway - follow doc at link https://buff.ly/32taiOT” https://buff.ly/2yT6xaX

Problem with audio via live stream as well as cable feed not yet resolved. Try the Google meet link, sound there works. Can't paste link here go to schools page and meeting agenda
Participation seems to be growing for meeting, and the SchComm did get questions thru the chat window!
Supt Ahern talks about the critical needs added to last year's base. #schcomm0414 ... Approx 44 on virtual meeting at this point if I read the screen properly
Likely budget gap to be larger than what was previously expected due to pandemic circumstances
Looking ahead slide from #schcomm0414 meeting, bunch of big questions there stay tuned to revised Town budget timeline for further info. SchComm voting on this Apr 28
Reading line items of the budget, individual holds can be placed for further discussion on those items
Questions on principals at the high school, one believes there is too much, that it is a luxury implying we can afford it. Response that the structure is not the same as other schools, we only have 1 on curriculum
Questions on instructional coaches and related expenses. Response clarification came in that these support the direct education of the students and support the teachers
Special Ed out of district placements approx 75-80 students, range from $45k to a high of $245k per student, legally required to provide
Closing budget hearing via roll call, moving to regular meeting agenda
In the superintendent report, recognition for Kit Brady who is stepping down from an active role with FEF...
Three candidates selected as finalists for FHS. Names to be added with formal announcement later
Question on approving pay for hourly workers thru May 4, why not go for end of year? Possible issue with cafe worker funding but could go for end of year now.
Vote on hourly pay through school closure, passes 7-0 via roll call.
Proposal to do away with April vacation, use that for 4 days of remote learning and end sooner (if it comes to that). Could end June 18 with this approval, passes 7-0 via roll call
Superintendent Ahern provides update on remote learning plan, acknowledge difference between K students and high schoolers, grading on complete or incomplete, or P/F basis, let concept is access and not everyone has it
Elise Stokes shares parent experience (she has 2) while balancing her work too, kudos to the teachers for adapting to this
Facility study awaiting the sizing report, complicated by the facilities closure, McKibben to redo numbers in Aug given pandemic period, likely to be something less (~5%)
Consent agenda (leaving out the Mar 10 minutes - not in package) read as otherwise listed; moved, seconded, passed 7-0 via roll call
Back to #schComm0414 - 3 finalists for FHS principal position (hopefully I get names spelled properly) Rick Arena, current Asst Principal at Groton-Dunstable Reg HS; Josh Hanna, Asst Principal at Hopkinton HS; and Bill Klements, Deputy Principal at FHS