Saturday, June 29, 2024

What's happening in Franklin, MA: Saturday, June 29, 2024?

Saturday, June 29
10:00am Franklin Historical Museum (always free)
10:30am Pumpernickel Puppets (Franklin Public Library)
1:00pm Painting for Adults! (Registration Required!) (Franklin Public Library)
6:00pm Wicked Queer Game Night (Pete's Nerd Emporium)
8:00pm Karaoke Night (Raillery Public House)

**  NO Town Meetings today


What's happening today in Franklin?
What's happening today in Franklin? 
---------------

Why are there multiple calendars?
There is a Cultural events calendar upon which other community events are layered to create the Community calendar.

Respectfully, the Library and Senior Center calendars are too full of events to include all their events so we tend to focus on the major events. Town and School meetings are also kept separate. Links for all the calendars are shared here:

The Cultural calendar displays only the cultural events    

Find the full Community event calendar  https://bit.ly/FranklinCommunityCalendar

If you have an event to add to the calendar, you can use the form to submit it for publication:  https://bit.ly/Submit2Calendar

The Library calendar of events ->    calendar link

The Senior Center calendar of events ->   https://www.franklinma.gov/node/39/events/month/39/2023-12

The Town meeting calendar is found  https://www.franklinma.gov/calendar
The School district calendar is found  https://www.franklinps.net/calendar-by-event-type/26

Franklin Public Schools: Revised FY25 Budget Update as of 6/28/24

To: Franklin School Committee 
From: Lucas Giguere, Superintendent 
Date: June 28, 2024
RE: Revised FY25 Budget Update

On June 26, 2024, the Franklin Town Council approved an increase of $1,145,000 from the municipal budget for the FY25 FPS budget. This is in addition to the previous increase of $3,335,399 approved on May 22nd, totaling $4,480,399 of operational funding. The revised FY25 total budget appropriation is $76,469,829 which represents less than level service by $2,806,814. We appreciate the additional funds approved by the Town Council allocated to our FY25 annual budget. In addition, there is a commitment to allocate $1,000,000 as a one-time fund for the 2024-25 school year.

Our strategy is to utilize operational funds to partially restore programming and staffing at each level and in various content areas. This was done in response to our students' needs and with consideration of the input received by students, staff, and the community. Unfortunately, with a less-than-level service budget, our programs will not be fully restored and may not offer the same experience for students. We have prioritized bringing back staffing and programs before the start of the fiscal year, as recommended below.

Elementary ($520,000)
Restore elementary school educator positions in the following areas ($340,000)
Kindergarten teachers (2.0 FTE) - larger-than-optimal class size
Grade 5 (1.0 FTE) - larger-than-optimal class size
Strive Teacher (1.0 FTE) - larger-than-optimal class size
Partially restore elementary instructional intervention supports in the following areas: ($180,000)
Specialists (2.0 FTE) - support tier 2 intervention for students, curriculum and assessment implementation, new report card implementation

Middle Level ($190,000)
Restore middle school educator position in the following area: ($190,000)
Music (1.0 FTE)- reinstate the chorus program
Reading Specialist (1.0 FTE) - reinstate tier 2 support for students

High School ($340,000)
Restore FHS educator positions in the following areas: ($340,000)
Business (1.0 FTE) - increased student demand and the requirement for Financial Literacy and business classes
Math (1.0 FTE) - restore AP Computer Science A, AP Computer Science Principles, and Introduction to Computer Science courses.
PE/Wellness (1.0 FTE) - increase sections of required PE/Wellness classes for all students  
Librarian (1.0 FTE) - NEASC (New England Association of Schools and Colleges) accreditation evaluates schools based on various standards. Standard 4.4 in Student Learning Support requires a qualified librarian to support curriculum delivery, student research, and information literacy.

District ($85,000)
Partially restore educator positions in the following areas:
Digital Learning Integrationist educator (1.0 FTE) - Supporting student data privacy, FHS technology touchview installations, upgrades and training, and elementary and middle school curriculum implementation, development, and master planning support.

Total ($1,145,000)

In addition to the FY25 budget appropriation, the town is anticipated to vote on a transfer of $1,000,000 in one-time funding from the budget stabilization account in July 2024. One-time funds will not be applied toward educator positions as this would negatively impact our sustainability for the future. As a result, this funding will be applied to non-salaried positions and programming, non-recurring costs, and partial restoration of materials and supplies as detailed for the 2024-25 school year only..

The following items will be funded using one-time funds for the 2024-25 school year only. To continue, they would need to be included in the FY26 budget.

Elementary ($209,000)
Partially restore elementary school materials and supply budgets by reducing 10% instead of the previously reduced 25%. ($85,000)
Replace outdated curriculum materials and textbooks, following a curriculum replacement cycle for elementary school courses. To finalize, further review is needed. ($40,000)
Partially restore Instructional Interventionists across five elementary schools ($30,000)
Partially restore elementary activity monitors across five elementary schools ($30,000)
Fund K-2 and 3-5 school-based committee stipends for school reorganization and master planning during the 2024-25 school year. ($24,000)

Middle School ($142,000)
Partially restore selected middle school educator instructional and non-instructional stipends.
After-school clubs and activities and student support ($30,000)
Best Buddies, Peer Leaders, Unified Basketball, Behavioral Support and Accountability, etc. If available, we will utilize the remaining funds to restore other club offerings. Further review is needed to finalize.
Creation of after-school programs ($35,000)
After-school Middle School Orchestra and Middle School Theater (Footlighters) programs. Further development is needed to finalize.
Partially restore middle school materials and supply budgets by reducing 10% instead of the previously reduced 25%. ($25,000)
Replace outdated curriculum materials and textbooks, following a curriculum replacement cycle for middle school courses. To finalize, further review is needed. ($40,000)  
Fund 6-8 school-based committee stipends for school reorganization and master planning during the 2024-25 school year. ($12,000)

High School ($220,000)
Partially restore selected high school educators' non-instructional stipends for activities.
After-school clubs and activities ($40,000)
Best Buddies, DECA, Empty Bowls, FHS National Honor Society, Science, Math, Business National Honor Society, Mock Trial, and Academic Decathlon. If available, we will utilize the remaining funds to restore other club offerings. To finalize, further review is needed.
Creation of after-school programs ($35,000)
Robotics and FHS Theater Company. Further development is needed to finalize.
Fund the Franklin High School Guidance Department summer hours ($35,000)
This includes building a new master schedule and contacting students to finalize individual 2024-25 school year schedules. During July and August, our primary focus will be hiring new staff and creating new master schedules at all levels. It is estimated that the high school will take six full weeks to meet with students and build a new schedule.
Continue a cohort of YOG 2025 and 2026 FAA students into classes providing the opportunity to complete the FAA program with English and History courses.
Fund FHS 9-12 school-based committee stipends for academic program planning during the 2024-25 school year. ($12,000)
Partially restore high school materials and supply budgets by reducing 10% instead of the previously reduced 25%. ($38,000)
Replace outdated curriculum materials and textbooks, following a curriculum replacement cycle for individual high school courses. To finalize, further review is needed. ($60,000)

District ($144,000)
Fund District committee stipends for school reorganization and master planning during the 2024-25 school year. ($14,000)
Partially restore District materials, supplies, and contract services budgets by reducing 10% instead of the previously reduced 25%. ($90,000)
Support for the Human Resources Department to assist in hiring and onboarding vacant positions and operations during the 2024-25 school year. ($40,000)

Partial Fees Assistance ($285,000)
Partially offset athletic fees for the 2024-25 school year. ($245,000)
Distributed among sports to defray costs in coordination with the Athletic Department for the 2024-25 school year. Further analysis is needed to finalize.
Creation of a financial assistance process for families based on their income eligibility aligned with the Free and Reduced Lunch criteria. Further analysis and development are needed to finalize.
Partial offset ECDC PreK tuition ($40,000)
A 10% increase to PreK Tuition (instead of the previously increased 20%) for the 2024-25 school year. Further analysis is needed to finalize.
 
Our goal is to provide as much detail and transparency as possible in a short time frame. As noted, further review, analysis, and development are needed to finalize specific items and adjustments could be made to the application of these one-time funds.

Total ($1,000,000)

In the FY25 6/18/24 FY25 Budget Update, it was mentioned that receiving an approved budget just before the start of the fiscal year in July would have a significant impact. This situation presents various challenges for our operations. Our main focus will be on completing important tasks such as revising our budget, rebuilding master schedules, creating student schedules, ordering supplies, hiring necessary staff, and retaining high-quality educators. In May and June, we received nineteen resignations, with twelve in June. Some cited the desire for more budget stability and less volatility as their reasons for leaving the Franklin Public Schools. All of this must be done while allocating time to close out the previous fiscal year and plan for the upcoming school year.

We are committed to providing the best education possible for our students with the available resources. Please allow my leadership team the time, space, and bandwidth this summer to complete these priorities while handling the work customarily completed during the summer.

Respectfully, 

Lucas Giguere




The FY 2025 budget page for the Franklin Public Schools ->    https://www.franklinps.net/district/school-district-budget/pages/1-fy2025-budget

Franklin Public Schools: Revised FY25 Budget Update as of 6/28/24
Franklin Public Schools: Revised FY25 Budget Update as of 6/28/24 

Event highlights for July 2024 at the Franklin Public Library (audio)

FM #1241 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1241 in the series. 


This session shares my conversation with Mitzi Gousie, Programming and Outreach Librarian with the Franklin Public Library. We had our discussion at the Franklin TV Studios on Wednesday, June 26, 2024.

 

We talk about 

  • Reviewed the regular open hours, and month ending holiday times

    • Summer hours, closed on Sundays (until Sept)

    • Closed on Thursday, July 4 for the holiday

    • Book sale weekend July 19 & July 20

  • Library events for June 2024

    • Special events

    • Kiddos, or “littles”

    • Family

    • Adults


The show notes include links to the Library page and to the calendar of events where registration for some of the events is required/recommended..


The recording runs about 26 minutes, so let’s listen in. Audio link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1241-franklin-public-library-july-2024-highlights-06-26-24



--------------


Mitzi Gousie’s email -> mgousie@minlib.net 


Franklin Public Library page ->  https://www.franklinma.gov/franklin-public-library 


July newsletter -> https://www.franklinma.gov/franklin-public-library/news/july-2024-franklin-library-news-events


Library Calendar of Events ->  http://www.eventkeeper.com/mars/xpages/F/FRANKLIN/ekp.cfm 



-------------

We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial. 


This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.


How can you help?

  • If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

  • If you don't like something here, please let me know


Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.


For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/  or www.franklin.news 


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!

------------------


You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"


One of the regular monthly scheduled events - book & bag sale
One of the regular monthly scheduled events - book & bag sale

one of the special July 2024 events
one of the special July 2024 events

another one of the special July 2024 events
another one of the special July 2024 events

Beaver Street Interceptor: construction updates for week of July 1 through July 5


Beaver Street Interceptor (BSI) 

 
logo
 
 

BSI Construction Update for the Week of July 1!

Happy 4th of July!!

Starting Monday (7/1) thru Wednesday (7/3) between 7am to 5pm, the cleaning and lining of the existing Beaver Street Interceptor will be occurring on Hayward Street from Fisher Street to the Moseley Mill.   During this time by-pass pumping will be set up and should not cause any service disruptions.

At the Franklin Recreation Center, the construction of the new Beaver Street Interceptor Pump Station will continue this week. There is a new way in and out of the Recreation Center, please follow the posted signage. During times of drop off and pickup backup onto Beaver Street may occur.

No work will be occurring on July 4th and 5th. 

Please reference the interactive map below and posted signs for details and updates.

Beaver Street Interceptor: construction updates for week of July 1 through July 5
Beaver Street Interceptor: construction updates for week of July 1 through July 5

We appreciate the public's continued support and understanding and will
continue to communicate regularly via social media, our dedicated email list, and the construction map below as work progresses.


BEAVER STREET INTERCEPTOR HOTLINE: 508-553-5526
(PLEASE LEAVE A MESSAGE AND WE WILL RETURN YOUR CALL)
EMAIL: BSI-info@franklinma.gov

 

Shared from -> https://www.franklinma.gov/water-sewer-division/pages/beaver-street-interceptor

Chip sealing in process

Via the DPW: 

"More preventive/improvement road surface work! This process is called “chip sealing”.  
Hot emulsion (liquid asphalt) is applied to the roadway surface and then aggregate stone is added and rolled in. Once the emulsion cools and hardens, it holds the stones in place.  
Excess stone is swept up during the process and the days after. This process is a very cost-effective way to extend the life expectancy of the roadway surface. It not only seals the roadway to prevent potholes, it also adds traction to the surface.  
This process can only be done during a certain time of the roadways life cycle, i.e. it cannot be done if the roadway has deteriorated too much.  
Many times we will crack seal or repair sub-surface problems before chip sealing."
See more photos of the chip sealing process -> ttps://www.facebook.com/share/4hfw3eGcuHSiPZZF/


Note that the report shows the priority of the road conditions, it does not provide a timeline for repairs. That is budget dependent. The Town voted down a dedicated override to fund road repair in 2014. 


Chip sealing in process
Chip sealing in process

Officer Frankie training session - June 27, 2028

Officer Frankie training session - June 27, 2028
Officer Frankie training session

 

Office Frankie reports on her training:

"Today we went for a ride. Mom got out and started walking away 😢🐕‍🦺. AND she took my SUPPER with her 🤔. I think dad was mad, cuz we then drove away! We stopped, he patted me, I kissed him. Then we went back to where mom got out ( did I mention she took my supper with her 🤯)!!!! Then dad and I went to find her (and get my supper back) 💙🐕‍🦺🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾. After a little bit I found her and got my SUPPER🐕‍🦺💙🐕‍🦺💙🐕‍🦺. Now we are home and it’s ball time. Woot woot." 
View some of the video of the walk -> https://www.instagram.com/p/C8vW4wNsyUs/

Adam Grant's discussion with Yuval Noah Harari includes "the tension between justice and peace" (audio)

Adam Grant's ReThinking podcast is a regular listen for me. In this episode, the discussion around "justice" and "peace" was one of several good shareworthy points. 


"Yuval Noah Harari is a historian best known for his book Sapiens, which has sold more than 25 million copies and been translated into 65 languages. Adam and Yuval examine the power of stories in shaping humanity’s success, discuss the tension between justice and peace, and reconsider the true purpose of studying history. Yuval’s latest book, Unstoppable Us, Volume 2: Why The World Isn’t Fair, is for young readers and it’s out now.

Transcripts for ReThinking are available at go.ted.com/RWAGscripts"


Friday, June 28, 2024

It used to be "Agencies have expertise in those areas; courts do not"

"Elena Kagan issued a devastating dissent to the decision of her hard-right fellow supreme court justices to overturn the Chevron doctrine that has been a cornerstone of federal regulation for 40 years, accusing the majority of turning itself into “the country’s administrative czar”.

Kagan was joined by her two fellow liberal-leaning justices, Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson, in delivering a withering criticism of the actions of the ultra-right supermajority that was created by Donald Trump. Such caustic missives have become commonplace from the three outnumbered liberals, with each carefully crafted dissent sounding more incensed and despairing than the last.

In a speech at Harvard last month, Sotomayor revealed that after some of the supreme court’s recent decisions she has gone back to her office, closed the door and cried.

“There have been those days, and there are likely to be more,” she said."
Continue reading the article (subscription may be required) ->
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jun/28/supreme-court-chevron-ruling-dissent

Link to the Supreme Court decision with majority and minority opinions ->

It used to be "Agencies have expertise in those areas; courts do not"
It used to be "Agencies have expertise in those areas; courts do not"

What's happening in Franklin, MA: Friday, June 28, 2024?

Friday, June 28
10:00am Knitting Group
10:30am Ed Popielarczyk Magic Show
2:00pm Hog Wash BBQ (food truck)
2:00pm Franklin Farmers Market
3:00pm AK Cody (live music)
6:00pm Dallas Corbin Trio (live Music)
8:00pm THE BLACK BOX Sings… WAITRESS
9:00pm Dom Debaggis (live music)

**  NO Town Meetings today


What's happening today in Franklin?
What's happening today in Franklin? 
---------------

Why are there multiple calendars?
There is a Cultural events calendar upon which other community events are layered to create the Community calendar.

Respectfully, the Library and Senior Center calendars are too full of events to include all their events so we tend to focus on the major events. Town and School meetings are also kept separate. Links for all the calendars are shared here:

The Cultural calendar displays only the cultural events    

Find the full Community event calendar  https://bit.ly/FranklinCommunityCalendar

If you have an event to add to the calendar, you can use the form to submit it for publication:  https://bit.ly/Submit2Calendar

The Library calendar of events ->    calendar link

The Senior Center calendar of events ->   https://www.franklinma.gov/node/39/events/month/39/2023-12

The Town meeting calendar is found  https://www.franklinma.gov/calendar
The School district calendar is found  https://www.franklinps.net/calendar-by-event-type/26

Davis Thayer Reuse Cmte wants to keep the building, lease the land, and do something for arts & culture (audio)

FM #1240 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1240 in the series. 


This session shares the audio for the Davis Thayer Reuse Advisory Subcmte meeting held on Tuesday, June 25, 2024. The meeting was conducted in the Council Chambers. 


The second meeting of the month, and last of the time period per the Committee Charge. This session was a more ‘formal’ review of the Expression of Interests in the building/property. Four were scheduled to present this night. Two joined together to collaborate on a single proposal.  


After hearing the brief presentations from the three proposals, the committee reviewed and revised the draft report to the Council with their recommendation. The recommendations were high level (keep building, lease land, etc.) and not picking or recommending a specific proposal. 


The report will be presented to the Town Council in a future meeting for the next steps (Council likely to authorize a formal Request for Proposal (RFP)) to get into the real selection process. Cost remains a driving factor, hence what can one of the proposals do with their financing and little (if any) assistance from the Town.

 

The recording runs about almost 2 hours, so let’s listen in. Audio link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1240-davis-thayer-reuse-subcmte-mtg-06-25-24



--------------


The Franklin TV video is available for replay -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cruuseXmHqc


1. Expressions of Interest Presentations

a. 7:00 to 7:20 - Dean College combined with Camford Property Group  

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/uploads/rei_davis_thayer_letter_of_interest_proposal_narrative_and_project_description_-_dean_college.pdf 


b. 7:20 to 7:40 - Pennrose, LLC  

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/uploads/pennrose.pdf 


c. 7:40 to 8:00 - HFA and TMC Properties   

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/uploads/tmc_hfa_davis_thayer_submission_email.pdf 


2. Final Recommendation to the Town Council - the draft was revised to remove "if possible", change the date from Dec to June 30, change # of proposals from 4 to 3 and approved as amended. Other typos were to be sent to Town Administrator Jamie Hellen to include in the updated version. The amended version was approved via roll call vote (one member was remote) 9-0.


a. Draft Letter   https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/uploads/2024-06-26_davis-thayer_reuse_committee_recommendation.pdf 


My notes can be found in one PDF -> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-v2wyKzAdoDYv68PiueotKmBFbdIeuLA/view?usp=drive_link 



-------------

We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial. 


This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.


How can you help?

  • If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

  • If you don't like something here, please let me know


Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.


For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/  or www.franklin.news 


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!

------------------


You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"