Reis & Stephen recap the June 9 School Committee meeting (audio)

FM #1767 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1767 in the series. 

This session shares my conversation with School Committee members Reis Hansen and Stephen Karunakaran.  We had our discussion in the Franklin TV & Radio Studio on Tuesday, June 16, 2026. 

Our conversation covered the following topics from the School Committee meeting of June 9, 2026:

• Strawberry Stroll, Kickball Tournament, field day, and other events coming up

• Superintendent review and evaluation process

• Facility updates to get to the redistricting, and next steps this summer

• Working group report on artificial intelligence

Our conversation runs about 47 minutes. Let’s listen

Audio link -  https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1767-chalkboard-chat-06-16-26/

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School Committee page (with contact info) - https://www.franklinps.net/o/fpsd/page/school-committee 

School Committee subcommittee assignments - 

https://www.franklinps.net/o/fpsd/page/subcommittees-and-liaisons 

Franklin TV video is available for replay - https://www.youtube.com/live/hgHgIZ5L_iY?&t=235 

The agenda document https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_06092026-2356  

The presentations documents should be posted in a couple of days to this folder   https://www.franklinps.net/documents/departments/school-committee/meeting-packets/2025---26-meeting-packets/june-9%2C-2026-sc-meeting-packet/28109200 

Photos of the Facility presentation

https://photos.app.goo.gl/t3rkbwCxnDm6A9Wy6 

Photos of the AI discussion presentation

https://photos.app.goo.gl/TqNxhuTk8og7WqRp8 

My notes from the meeting in one PDF  https://drive.google.com/file/d/10XRFLsUqujf3Z3QPzGOKU6cEOS-mWuoS/view?usp=drive_link  

Capital campaign fund raising link - https://givebutter.com/FPSCaptialCampaign2026

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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

• And if you have interest in reporting on meetings or events, please reach out. We’ll share and show you what and how we do what we do

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!

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

School Committee gets updates on Facilities, AI, and evaluates the Superintendent (audio)

FM #1766 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1766 in the series. 

This session shares the Franklin (MA) School Committee meeting held on Tuesday, June 9, 2026 at 7:00 PM. 6 members of the Committee participated, 1 absent. 

Quick recap

• Presentation and discussion on Facilities focused on school projects completed as part of the redistricting, and those left remaining, some of which are funded, some are pending funding and some are for future

• Presentation and discussion on the potential intentional implementation of AI as an educational tool as well as how to use AI being taught to the students. The work over the last four months has developed 4 main principles to guide the further discussion and planning. Additional updates will be made as progress is made

• Superintendent evaluation was discussed and approved. The doc with the feedback, goals and accomplishments is to be posted to the Schools page soon

• The Committee entered into Executive Session not to return to open meeting for contract negotiations approx. 10:30 PM

Let’s listen (approx. 3 hours & 15 minutes)

Audio link - https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1766-franklin-ma-school-cmte-mtg-06-09-26/

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Franklin TV video is available for replay - https://www.youtube.com/live/hgHgIZ5L_iY?&t=235 

The agenda document https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_06092026-2356  

The presentations documents should be posted to this folder   https://www.franklinps.net/documents/departments/school-committee/meeting-packets/2025---26-meeting-packets/june-9%2C-2026-sc-meeting-packet/28109200 

 

Photos of the Facility presentation

https://photos.app.goo.gl/t3rkbwCxnDm6A9Wy6 

Photos of the AI discussion presentation

https://photos.app.goo.gl/TqNxhuTk8og7WqRp8 

The working 4 guiding principles on AI as presented

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

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

• And if you have interest in reporting on meetings or events, please reach out. We’ll share and show you what and how we do what we do

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"

School Committee gets updates on Facilities, AI, and evaluates the Superintendent on Tuesday(video)

The Franklin School Committee met as scheduled in Council Chambers on Tuesday, June 9 at 7 PM. 6 of the 7 members were present, 1 absent (O'Sullivan).

Franklin TV video is available for replay - https://www.youtube.com/live/hgHgIZ5L_iY?&t=235

The agenda document https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_06092026-2356 

The presentations documents should be posted in a couple of days to this folder   https://www.franklinps.net/documents/departments/school-committee/meeting-packets/2025---26-meeting-packets/june-9%2C-2026-sc-meeting-packet/28109200

Quick recap

• Presentation and discussion on Facilities focused on school projects completed as part of the redistricting, and those left remaining, some of which are funded, some are pending funding and some are for future
• Presentation and discussion on the potential intentional implementation of AI as an educational tool as well as how to use AI being taught to the students. The work over the last four months has developed 4 main principles to guide the further discussion and planning. Additional updated will be made as progress is made
• Superintendent evaluation was discussed and approved. The doc with the feedback, goals and accomplishments is to be posted to the Schools page soon
• The Committee entered into Executive Session not to return to open meeting for contract negotiations approx. 10:30 PM

Photos of the Facility presentation

https://photos.app.goo.gl/t3rkbwCxnDm6A9Wy6

Photos of the AI discussion presentation

https://photos.app.goo.gl/TqNxhuTk8og7WqRp8

The working 4 guiding principles as presented

An AI company set out to fix news deserts. Instead, it copied local journalists’ work - Poynter

Via Poynter Institute

"Artificial intelligence company Nota — whose clients include organizations like The Boston Globe and the Institute for Nonprofit News — is scrapping its network of local news sites after learning that they contained dozens of instances of plagiarism.

The closure comes after Axios Richmond and Poynter alerted CEO Josh Brandau that multiple stories on Nota’s sites included reporting and photographs lifted from local news outlets. The 11 sites — collectively called Nota News — launched in September as an effort to bring “bilingual local reporting and civic tools to underserved communities,” according to a press release.

Each site focused on a specific county — or in one case, two counties — identified as lacking local news coverage. Until Monday, two part-time editors worked across the 11 sites, generating articles using Nota’s AI tools. The stories covered topics ranging from local affordable housing initiatives to public school events and were published in both English and Spanish.

The articles were supposed to be based on publicly available civic information, such as press releases and videos of city council meetings. In reality, Poynter found more than 70 stories dating back to October that included reporting, writing and photography from local journalists without attribution."

Continue reading the article shared from - https://www.poynter.org/ethics-trust/2026/nota-news-local-outlets-ai-plagiarism/?mc_cid=f1c63f46fd&mc_eid=8610d09f16

Brief summary of AI news items this week

"When a robotics chief leaves the fastest-growing AI company in the world, it’s easy to call it “internal drama.” But her reason matters.

OpenAI recently signed a deal with the United States Department of Defense — despite being founded on the principle that powerful AI should benefit humanity and not be weaponized by governments.

For the robotics chief, that principle had quietly disappeared. She chose to leave rather than have her name tied to what comes next.

The concern is bigger than one contract. Military AI rarely stays in the military. Technologies built for war — surveillance systems, autonomous targeting, and behavioral pattern recognition — often move into civilian life within years.

From her perspective, this wasn’t just a disagreement.

It was a refusal to  legitimize a direction she believed could reshape society in ways the public never chose. "    Shared from - https://www.instagram.com/p/DVm8K3QiDrm/?

"Anthropic has released a striking report on how AI could reshape the job market.

Jobs at the highest risk: software developers, financial analysts, and customer service roles.

Groups most affected: women, white workers, older employees, and high-income earners.

But there’s an important nuance: the biggest impact may not be mass layoffs, but companies simply hiring fewer people.

The group most affected could be recent college graduates, whose risk is estimated to be 4× higher.

Entry-level hiring has already dropped about 14% since the launch of ChatGPT, particularly in high-risk occupations.

Safest jobs: bartenders, dishwashers, beach lifeguards, generally physical, hands-on work that AI cannot yet automate.

These roles account for roughly 30% of the labor market.

The most concerning part: AI already has the technical capability to automate many tasks, but widespread disruption is slowed by regulation and the gradual pace of corporate adoption. The main barrier is not skills, it’s acceptance and implementation

The report is based on real data but also includes theoretical modeling, so it should be read with caution. Some manual labor jobs still lack sufficient data for analysis."   Shared from - https://www.instagram.com/p/DVjiNeYjd-g/?

 

Grammarly removes AI Expert Review feature mimicking writers after backlash  

"Grammarly has disabled a controversial AI feature that imitated the style of prominent writers and academics, and is facing a multimillion dollar lawsuit from those whose identities were used without consent.

The feature, called Expert Review, used generative AI to produce feedback supposedly inspired by writers including the novelist Stephen King, the astrophysicist and author Neil deGrasse Tyson, and the late scientist Carl Sagan.

A class-action lawsuit has been filed in the southern district of New York against Superhuman, Grammarly’s parent company. The lawsuit argues that using a person’s name for commercial gain without permission is unlawful, and argues that damages due across the plaintiff class are in excess of $5m (£3.7m).

Since Grammarly’s feature has come to public attention, a number of writers have spoken out about being included."

Shared from -   https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/mar/13/grammarly-removes-ai-expert-review-feature-mimicking-writers-after-backlash?CMP=share_btn_url 

What are you giving away?

What personal data are chatbots harvesting?

What personal data are chatbots harvesting?

Source: Visual Capitalist

https://www.voronoiapp.com/technology/Gemini-Collects-More-User-Data-Than-Any-Other-AI-Chatbot-4429

Shared from - https://www.instagram.com/p/DU00qGFlXAS/

"Struggle is not a flaw in thinking. Struggle is the thinking." (video)

"An idea that some may have forgotten. Struggle is not a flaw in thinking.

Struggle is the thinking.

Sitting in confusion. Following the thread. Feeling the discomfort of holding multiple ideas to be true at once. That’s how a person builds real understanding. The kind where you can creatively expand and synthesize ideas because you truly know what you think.

That’s also what education is supposed to do. Not just produce answers, but develop humans who can wrestle with complexity, form formidable conclusions and hold their ground in a messy reality.

In an AI world where answers are instant and the quality of endless content is questionable, this ability becomes rarer, and more valuable. Let's use this lens to evaluate the role of tech in learning."

Bloomberg's full interview with Meredith Whittaker is available on YouTube.

Who is Meredith Whittaker? - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meredith_Whittaker#

YouTube link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CHfHA5ptaU

(1) No one knows what the future is. So hedge your bets. (2) Abilities AI can't do (yet)

No one knows what the future is. So hedge your bets.

(1)

"This is the first time in history nobody has any idea what the world will look like in 10 years — what the job market will look like, what social relations will look like, et cetera. So hedge your bets. Don’t focus on a narrow subject like coding. 

Give equal importance to your head (intellectual skills), your heart (social skills) and your hands (motor skills). It is in the combination of these three that humans still have a large advantage over A.I."

Gift link to full article on NY Times - https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/02/02/opinion/ai-future-leading-thinkers-survey.html?unlocked_article_code=1.RFA.GSzn.mTvJhwXXRB_I&smid=url-share

Shared from - https://www.instagram.com/p/DVbimXGjIF8/

(2)

"For the past several months, I’ve been wrestling with a question that is becoming unavoidable for all of us: Where does human capability end, and where does artificial intelligence capability begin?​

Some people look at AI with concern, others with excitement, and many with curiosity. ​

Instead of focusing only on what AI is becoming capable of doing, I decided to reflect on something different: which abilities remain deeply, fundamentally human.​

Over the past months, I identified 30 capabilities that, in my judgment, AI still cannot truly perform — and these are precisely the skills where I am intentionally investing more of my own development. ​

 Abilities AI can't do (yet)

As a chemical engineer, I organized them as a kind of “Periodic Table of Human Abilities”  grouping them into six dimensions:​

• Judgment and Decision-Making ⚖️​

• Influence and Communication 🗣️​

• Emotional Connection ❤️​

• Contextual and Social Awareness 🌍​

• Human Essence and Growth 🌱​

• Adaptability and Creativity 🎨​

The more powerful technology becomes, the clearer one idea feels to me: our future advantage will not come from competing with machines, but from strengthening what makes us human. ​

Do you agree with these capabilities?​

Is there any skill you believe is missing — or any that you think AI may start replicating sooner than we expect? "

Shared from - https://www.instagram.com/p/DVN_xGGCtsV/

DESE series for "Public school educators" on "core principles of AI literacy"

"Public school educators are invited to a 6-week virtual series about the core principles of AI literacy.

Based on the DESE Office of EdTech's online module, AI Literacy for Educators, educators will explore how to navigate this technology with curiosity, caution, and a human-centered approach.

Sessions will take place virtually at 3 PM on Tuesdays from January 6 to February 10.

Learn more and sign up online: https://ow.ly/fQVe50XNSAM "

DESE series for "Public school educators" on "core principles of AI literacy"

"Registration is reserved for individuals currently employed in Massachusetts Public Schools, Charter Schools, Vocational Technical Schools, and Virtual Schools. Please be advised that DESE does not authorize attendees to record or to use AI transcription tools during the meeting, and DESE does not endorse any unauthorized transcripts created by third parties of its meetings."

Franklin TV: Synthespians, Part 2 !

You don’t want to become one.

by Pete Fasciano, Executive Director 11/23/2025

Franklin TV: Synthespians, Part 2 !

We’ve oft heard, ‘God is in the details’.

And heard, ‘The Devil is in the details’.

Both can be true.

This tenet is attributed to art historian Aby Warburg, (1866–1929).

Aby spoke to the degree of discipline required to achieve true artistic mastery.

For 6 months Particle 6 studios tweaked details, iterating and refining models to develop Tilly. Yes, God is indeed in the details.

The contentious 2023 Hollywood strike involving actors (SAG/AFTRA), writers (WGA) and directors (DGA) was among other issues, about protecting the voice, image, and likeness of actors in a future AI enabled world. A noble cause. We all deserve to be protected from digital AI cloning that could easily be deployed to cast any of us in any manner of compromising statements and scenarios – ‘deep fakes’. In all of cyberspace, every person should enjoy a wholly protected exclusive right to their own voice, image and likeness.

The ELVIS Act, (Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security), is a Tennessee state law. It protects individuals from the unauthorized commercial use of their identity, particularly with AI-generated content. Governor Bill Lee signed the ELVIS Act into law on March 21, 2024. It updates Tennessee’s 1984 Personal Rights Protection Act, which protected name, photograph, and likeness, but not voice. The ELVIS Act is groundbreaking as the first legislation to specifically address AI’s impact on voice and likeness.

Given the issues around the studio embrace of AI (and future Tillys) there will likely be another contentious Hollywood strike at some point. Given that studio developed AI synthespians and avatars won’t protest, it might well be the last.

The devil is indeed in the details.

And – as always –

Thank you for watching. 

Thank you for listening to wfpr●fm.

And staying informed at Franklin●news.

In case you missed part 1, you can find it here ->

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/11/franklin-tv-synthespians-are-coming.html

Get this week's program guide for Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) online  http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf 

Watch Listen Read all things that matter in Franklin MA

Franklin TV: The Synthespians Are Coming !

And Hollywood is – Totally – Freaking – Out.

by Pete Fasciano, Executive Director 11/09/2025

Synthespian? Sounds like a strange other-worldly being from a far away planet. Not so. Synthespians are home-grown – by computers. They’re synthetic thespians; actors, created via artificial intelligence systems. You describe the physical traits, characteristics, mannerisms, behaviors and such that define your synthespian’s looks and personality, crunch that data, and digital voila – out s/he pops – in fulgent, totally ready-to-perform form. Background extras – aka ‘Phillip Space’? Digital extras have roamed the background for years. Now they’re ready for their close-up.

Tilly Norwood

Such is the creation of Tilly Norwood; a synthetic thespian entity – a ‘digital actor’ created by Eline Van der Velden at Particle 6. Tilly made her debut in late September at the Zurich Film Festival. Reactions?

If you’re talent, or any number of other production craft positions from the director of photography to the set painters and production assistants –Tilly Norwood represents Artificial Armaggedon. Hollywood’s hyper-reactive fury is raging like a California wildfire, anticipating a scorched Earth future for the industry.

Many Hollywood creatives have their heads in the sand on this. They wail and moan about genuine human emoting, character development, the humanity that visionary directors and ‘A’ list actors bring to the screen – and so on. However, if you’re a movie studio, what’s not to like? Tilly might well be a studio’s dream ‘talent’. She is infinitely accommodating and always at the ready, absent any off-stage drama, histrionics or guile ( – unless the script calls for that). She is as pure as the driven snow ( – if the script calls for that).

My point? We have seen this movie before. Literally – in 1995. Pixar’s ‘Toy Story’ was the first CGI feature-length animation – 30 years ago.. Then as now, the backbone of every Pixar and Disney animation since Toy Story has been precisely about that – Story. The technology wasn’t the star. The story was, and every story well-told is dripping with humanity, pathos, soul, wit, trauma, redemption, and on.

So, where is all this going? Extract Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Micky, Minnie, et al. Insert Tilly. The modern animation studio has 3 successful decades of refining story, preproduction and so on. The CGI production pipeline is mature and ready. Working with Tilly and other (studio created and owned) digital entities who will surely follow will be just another data at the office. In a mere handful of years the difference between a CGI animations and blockbuster features will be –

They call it Tilly Norwood

Another key point: There are already several AI services that will gladly ‘rent’ their ‘Tilly equivalents’ as directable avatars. Because they have been trained by movies to move and speak like humans do in movies, they have ‘life experience’ and can ‘act’. They say what you want ‘em to say and move how you want ‘em to move. Like the fella sed – they can walk and chew gum at the same time ( – if the script calls for that). They are digital virtual spokespeople – able spokes-folks for hire.

Are we at Franklin.TV interested? Yes. Exploring? Yes. Working with? Not quite yet, but perhaps sooner than later.

And – as always –

Thank you for watching 

Thank you for listening to wfpr●fm

And staying informed at Franklin●news

 

Get this week's program guide for Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) online  http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf 

Watch Listen Read all things that matter in Franklin MA

How to Get Ahead with AI? (video)

Special seminar on Artificial Intelligence, featuring Mr. Vishal Tiruveedi, a proud alumnus of Franklin High School, and Mr. K.P. Sompally, a distinguished School Committee Member, and David Callaghan, Chairman of the School Committee. 

They share valuable insights on the growing impact of AI in education, together, they’ll explore how AI is transforming our world, inspiring the next generation of innovators, discuss the fascinating world of Artificial Intelligence, and its role in shaping our future.

video link ->  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDPormIxaTA

How to Get Ahead with AI? (video)

Seminar on why AI is so important - Oct 20 at Franklin TV Studio 6 PM

Seminar on why AI is so important - October 20,2025 at Franklin TV Studio at 6 PM. This in person seminar will be recorded and available for broadcast later.

Seminar on why AI is so important - Oct 20 at Franklin TV Studio 6 PM