Franklin School Committee Meeting

April 29, 2008

Municipal Building – Council Chambers

7:00 PM

OPEN HEARING – FY09 BUDGET

AGENDA

Call to order Mr. Roy

Pledge of Allegiance

Moment of Silence

1. Routine Business

• Citizen’s Comments

• Review of Agenda

• Minutes:

I recommend approval of the minutes from the March 18 and March 25, 2008 School Committee Meetings.

• Payment of Bills Mr. Kelly

• Payroll Ms. Armenio

• FHS Student Representatives

• Correspondence:

2. Guests/Presentations:

   1. Annie Sullivan Middle School -CSI Presentation (Colleen Ahern)

   2. Annie Sullivan Middle School –Latin Exam Awards

   3. Annie Sullivan Middle School –Boston College Science Poetry Contest winners

   4. FY2008 Budget Transfers

3. Discussion Only Items

• Open Hearing – FY2009 Budget

• Facilities Consolidation

4. Action Items:

1. I recommend FY2008 Budget Transfers as detailed.

2. I recommend acceptance of two checks ($5286.00 and $200.00) for field trips for Davis Thayer Elementary School.

3. I recommend acceptance of a check for $1500.00 from the Oak Street PCC for the Oak Street Gift account for 2 field trips.

4. I recommend acceptance of the donations totaling $5,030.00 for the Friends and Family of Katie Streeter Best Buddies Scholarship to be awarded to a FHS senior who has participated in the Best Buddies Program.

5. I recommend approval of the Annie Sullivan Middle School’s 8^th Grade Washington, DC Trip planned for May 23 – 25, 2008.

6. I recommend approval of the Remington Middle School 8^th Grade math trip to Providence Place Mall on May 2, 2008.

5. Information Matters:

• Superintendent’s Report

  1. End of Year Events

• School Committee Sub-Committee Reports

• School Committee Liaison Reports

6. New Business:

• To discuss future business that may be brought before the School Committee.

7. Adjourn

Franklin (MA) School Department budget reductions through the years 2003 - 2009

School vacation week, subcommittees scheduled to meet in preparation for the Town Council meeting April 30th to determine what the amount of the override should be, time to bring back this post for new visitors in case you missed it earlier this month.

Note: there is a School Committee meeting scheduled for April 29th to determine their final budget plan and to discuss the proposed maintenance consolidation.

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Times are tough. Budget reductions again for the school department. Level service is hard to maintain. The "good to great" budget as shocking as it was last year in light of this analysis should really be seen as a restoration of cuts that have occurred since 2003 and not a "wishful dream/pie in the sky" reach. Of course, the reality is such that it still may very well be wishful thinking.

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Note: version 2 was replaced by this more updated version 3 (minor updates)

One other item of note caught my attention as this came together. The recent Forensic Audit Report highlighted problems with accounting transactions that "all of a sudden" appeared in 2006 with an employee who had been in good standing for several years. Did you know/recall that the Assistant Director of Finances was one of the positions cut from the FY 06 budget?



I have been very careful in this presentation, if there are inaccuracies, let me know what is incorrect and I'll make the update.

In the News - let voters decide, luxury tax

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Apr 17, 2008 @ 12:51 AM

---

FRANKLIN —

Taxpayers will have an opportunity to vote for a tax override early this summer, the majority of the Town Council decided last night.

Every seat in the Town Council chambers was filled, and about 20 more people stood at the back of the room at last night's meeting, all in favor of an override.

No one but Councilor Judith Pond Pfeffer spoke against the permanent tax hike, which would be used to prevent about 45 layoffs in schools, program cuts, and possibly boost other town departments' budgets.

School Committee Chairman Jeffrey Roy, as well as a handful of residents, including Finance Committee members, Town Council Chairman Christopher Feeley, Vice Chairwoman Deborah A. Bartlett, and members Stephen Whalen, Shannon Zollo, Joseph McGann and Thomas S. Doak all spoke in favor of putting an override question on the ballot.

Councilor Robert Vallee, who had gone on record as being opposed to an override, passed at the chance to voice his opinion last night.

Finance Committee Chairman Jim Roche, who spoke as a taxpayer and father, urged the council to let the town vote.

"This is more than just a school problem - it's a townwide problem," said Roche.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here.

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

By Julia Spitz/Daily News staff

The MetroWest Daily News

Posted Apr 17, 2008 @ 12:50 AM

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My first thought was to drop a dime to Susan Wornick.

I know my rights. I know the law. Clearly, the sporting goods store was no authority on clothing tax.

But after a teenaged manager took the $1 off my bill, I calmed down enough to see involving Channel 5's consumer guru wasn't the way to go.

Instead, we need to make the state tax code even more confusing.

Conventional wisdom on Beacon Hill has been to balance the budget on the backs of the monkeys on Massachusetts residents' backs.

Got a vice? We'll tax it. Then we'll tax it some more. And when that isn't enough, we'll just push Lottery tickets a little harder.

Look, we don't want you to gamble if you're an addict. No, seriously. See, we put all sorts of disclaimers on Keno broadcasts and around convenience stores that sell scratch tickets. Here's the number for Gamblers Anonymous. Call if you think you have a problem. Just wait until after you buy another Megabucks ticket before you call, OK?

Casinos may be off the table for the moment, at least casinos of the state-run variety, but an extra tax on smokers is all but a done deal.

Dirty, rotten smokers. Make them pay for miscalculations in what it takes to run a state.

There was some talk about upping taxes on wine, but so far that hasn't gotten much traction. It'll likely be revisited when the number of people who buy cigarettes in Massachusetts dwindles to financially unacceptable levels.

Meanwhile, there's a sensible solution no one's talking about.

Read the remainder of the article to see the sensible solution in the Milford Daily News

Attention Franklin: Override ballot question coming

Per Chris Feeley this evening, there will be a new Town Council meeting added on April 30th to vote on the override ballot. Between now and then various subcommittees and committees will be working on what number should be put forward to address this town problem.

The vote should occur in June, I heard him say June 15th, that is a Sunday so it is likely he meant either June 14th to go with a Saturday vote, or June 17th to stay with a traditional Tuesday vote.

Either way, the voters of Franklin will have an override to decide to maintain their Top 10 rankings or not.

Our choice. Listen. Learn. Be prepared to cast an informed vote!

Councilor Comments: Shannon Zollo (audio)

From the Franklin Town Council meeting 4/16/08, Shannon Zollo lays out the argument for the override vote so the town can decide and recommends how each can prepare for the vote.

Time: 11 minutes, 42 seconds



MP3 File


Editorial Comment: Remember this one, come back here to listen to this often. I have not heard as complete and compelling an argument put forth as convincingly as this was. Thank you Shannon!

Town Council Mtg Summary 4/16/08

Attention Franklin: Override ballot question comin...

Councilor Comments: Shannon Zollo (audio)

--- 2 minutes break ---

6 - Citizen's Comment: Andy Donaldson (audio)

5 - Citizen's Comment: Kaitlyn Cronin (audio)

4 - Citizen's Comment: Jim Roche (audio)

3 - Citizens Comment: William Hawes (audio)

2 - Citizen's Comment: John Niece (audio)

1 - Citizen's Comment: Jeff Roy (audio)

Town Council Agenda 4/16/08


additional segments of the meeting will be posted as I have time to process them.

Citizen Comments: Andy Donaldson (audio)

From the Franklin Town Council meeting on 4/16/08, citizens comment. Andy was the last of the citizen comments, the council took a two minute break after this.

Time: 1 minute, 5 seconds



MP3 File

Citizen Comments: Kaitlyn Cronin (audio)

From the Franklin Town Council meeting 4/16/08, citizens comment.

Time: 35 seconds



MP3 File

Citizen Comments: Jim Roche (audio)

From the Franklin Town Council meeting of 4/16/08, citizens comment. Jim Roche of the Finance Committee advocating for an override vote for the town wide problem for the full set of voters to decide.

Time: 1 minute, 45 seconds



MP3 File

Citizen Comments: William Hawes (audio)

From the Franklin Town Council meeting 4/16/08, citizen comments

Time: 55 seconds




MP3 File

Citizen Comments: John Niece (audio)

From the Franklin Town Council meeting of 4/16/08, citizens comment. A Benjamin Franklin Charter school parent speaking for an override vote to be held.

Time: 59 seconds



MP3 File

Citizen Comments: Jeff Roy (audio)

From the Franklin Town Council meeting on 4/16/08, Jeff Roy, School Committee Chair, addresses the Town Council during the citizen comments portion of the meeting advocating for an override vote to be put before the town so the town can decide what level of service they want for their schools and other services.

Time: 5 minutes, 25 seconds



MP3 File

The text of the full statement can be found at the School Committee blog here.

Town Council Agenda 4/16/08

The agenda for the Town Council meeting can be found here

Proposed FY 09 budget (PDF)

Proposed budget information page

FINCOM: School Budget vote

From the Franklin Finance Committee meeting on 4/14/08, this segment skips ahead of all the discussion and get right to the motion for the School Committee budget. They approved the Town Administrator recommended level funded budget with this vote.

Time: 3 minutes, 2 seconds



MP3 File

FINCOM Meeting Summary 4/9/08

I did not manage to capture all of the meeting but what I was able to capture during the first hour is written of and or recorded as follows:

FINCOM: Facilities - Demand/Response opportunity (...

FINCOM: Facilities - Gas/Electric Bidding (audio)

FINCOM: Facilities - lighting (audio)

FINCOM: Facilities Budget FY 09 Overview (audio)

FINCOM: Library Budget FY 09 (audio)

FINCOM: Technology Budget FY 09 (audio)

FINCOM: Comptroller Budget FY 09 (audio)

FINCOM - Facilities

FINCOM - Town budge review

FINCOM - Library

FINCOM: Facilities - Demand/Response opportunity (audio)

Mike D'Angelo talks with Brett Feldman and the Finance Committee about the next opportunity for cost saving in the utilities area as they discuss "demand/response".

Time: 3 minutes, 22 seconds



MP3 File

FINCOM: Facilities - Gas/Electric Bidding (audio)

Mike D'Angelo reviews the commodity bidding process for gas and electric for the town facilities and how this alone has saved millions of dollars over the ten years or so since he started this process first with the school buildings.

Time: 2 minutes, 13 seconds



MP3 File

FINCOM: Facilities - lighting (audio)

Mike D'Angelo reviews the efforts to provide efficient lighting in the town facilities with compact fluorescent lighting (CFL), etc.

Time: 2 minutes, 5 seconds



MP3 File

FINCOM: Facilities Budget FY 09 Overview (audio)

From the Franklin Finance Committee meeting 4/9/08, Mike D'Angelo reviews the budget for the facilities. One of the good pieces of work done to reduce cost by managing on a rationale and consolidated approach.

Time: 10 minutes, 4 seconds



MP3 File

FINCOM: Library Budget FY 09 (audio)

From the Franklin Finance Committee meeting on 4/9/08, the discussion on the Library Budget for FY 09. Felicia Oti, Jeff Nutting were key participants.

Time: 21 minutes, 14 seconds



MP3 File