Hello fellow Franklin residents:
I'm reaching out because as some of you have heard and others should hear, Franklin Public Schools is (once again) approaching a fiscal cliff. In other words, Franklin already doesn't have sufficient resources to competitively support our children's education and it's going to get worse unless we do something about it.
A group of concerned Franklin residents have officially registered a ballot question committee called "One Franklin 2023" aka One Franklin. We are piggy backing off of efforts originally started in 2019 after many saw 100+ Franklin teachers standing with pink slips on Route 140.
I believe that federal funds received during the pandemic helped delay even deeper cuts to school resources in the interim. Those funds are going away. We have amazing services in town that are stretched thin, and we need to band together as a community to resolve this issue.
I took notice earlier this year when my rising 8th grader came home in tears when she was told that a beloved teacher could not be retained. I attended a school finance committee meeting to try to understand where the funds were going.
To my surprise, what I saw was a committee stuck making difficult choices to cut school resources most of us would consider essential because of insufficient funding. My concern is that I see a funding shortfall that is quickly going to get worse despite the fact that we already trail the vast majority of school districts in Massachusetts.
**Note: 80% of districts in Massachusetts spend more on education, per pupil, than Franklin (as of 2021 - latest available data)
The One Franklin committee is a group of engaged citizens who are working with elected leaders to pass a tax override in Franklin to raise revenues to strengthen Franklin Public Services including the school system while broader funding reforms are investigated and implemented.
A Joint Budget Subcommittee (JBSC) Meeting is scheduled for August 2. Town Administrator Jamie Hellen will present a 5-year forecast of our town's budget for all departments. This is an important starting point that will allow committee members of the JBSC to begin working with town departments to identify specific line items they would request in an override.
Thank you for your time and for caring about Franklin,
Ken Ojukwu
Treasurer, One Franklin
What can you do?
- Save the date: Your attendance is requested at the Joint Budget Subcommittee Meeting on Wednesday August 2, 2023 @ 7 pm Municipal Building 2nd floor, Council Chambers 355 East Central Street. I cannot stress enough that engagement at this meeting is essential to gain momentum for any effort to solve our town's financial issues. Please recruit everyone you know to attend, whether they are pro-override or not. All citizens need to be informed and this is a first step. There will be opportunity for public comment toward the end of the committee's agenda discussions.
- All citizens are welcome to attend public board and committee meetings in person. Meetings are also live-streamed (and archived) by Franklin TV on the Franklin Town Hall TV YouTube channel. -> https://www.youtube.com/@franklintownhalltv8887/streams
- Zoom Link contained in the agenda document
- Spread the word! Please feel free to forward this email and start/continue conversations with other Franklin residents (parents or not) to help us continue to find ways to improve our schools and keep Franklin a preferred place to live and raise a family.
- Consider joining One Franklin. The One Franklin committee is a group of engaged citizens who are working with elected leaders to pass a tax override in Franklin. One of the initiatives of One Franklin is to educate the community as to why we support an override. Please learn about and then consider joining our efforts! The email to get involved is OneFranklinVolunteers@gmail.com. I've added more information below. Also, let me know if you are interested in a One Franklin bumper magnet - it's the newest must-have car accessory!
Franklin Matters: What is the One Franklin group doing?
One Franklin Override Info Hub - What is an Override?
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