Voices of Franklin: One Franklin "Shared Values Lead to a Common Goal"

One Franklin (Ballot Question Committee) is proud to stand with educators and grateful for the support of the teachers who serve our community every day. 

We share the mission to advocate for quality public education in an environment in which lifelong learning can flourish. 

All campaign finance reporting requirements are being fully followed. Any materials paid for by outside organizations will be clearly disclosed, and we are in compliance with all state laws.

One Franklin and our town’s educators share a deep concern about what will happen to the Franklin Public Schools and our town services if the override does not pass.

We often hear the saying “It takes a village”. In Franklin’s case, the village that supports our students, and all of us, includes the town police officers who keep our town safe and who keep our students feeling secure, the town fire personnel who show up for us when we need emergency assistance, the town’s outstanding senior center and library that offer socialization and support for senior and young people alike, and the DPW that takes care of our buildings, roads, and open spaces. All of these departments and all of you, the people in our community, working together, make up Franklin's village.

This is a pivotal moment for Franklin, and by coming together to support our public safety, public services, and public schools, we can preserve this wonderful community that we all share.

Please consider voting Yes on June 3rd for our Town of Franklin!

With gratitude,

Jenna Cohen and One Franklin Team

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If you have something to say, you can find the guidelines here
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2011/03/introducing-voices-of-franklin.html

Voices of Franklin:  One Franklin "Shared Values Lead to a Common Goal"

Franklin, MA: Finance Committee Agenda for 1st Budget hearing, Mon, Apr 28 (education)

Finance Committee Meeting 

Agenda & Meeting Packet 

Monday, April 28, 2025

Agenda 

1. Call to Order 

2. Public Comments 

3. Approval of Minutes 

a. January 15, 2025 

4. FY26 Town Administrator Operating Budget Hearing FY26 

Town Administrator Budget Materials website ->   https://www.franklinma.gov/Archive.aspx?ADID=500

FPS FY26 Budget Book

a. Public Education : 

i. 395 Norfolk County Agricultural School 

ii. 390 Tri-County Regional Vocational School District 

iii. 300 Franklin Public School District 

1. FPS FY26 Budget Book -> 

https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/4780/FPSD/5269967/-FY26_Franklin_Budget_Book_.docx_-_Google_Docs_1_.pdf

5. Adjourn

Agenda doc ->   https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_04282025-1700

Boston Globe : "‘The pandemic broke us’: Mass. superintendents see long road to recovery for students"

"It’s a generation permanently scarred.

Five years after the COVID-19 pandemic began, Massachusetts students remain far behind where they were when the global health catastrophe struck and school leaders undertook the drastic step of shutting in-person learning down for months.

This is despite billions of dollars in federal aid to redress the damage done by prolonged school closures. Math skills have stagnated and reading achievement has worsened. Children who were not yet in high school when schools closed their doors have graduated, less equipped to navigate the world than those who came before.

Dozens of Massachusetts superintendents surveyed by the Globe said it will be years before students catch up. While a minority said their students have already matched pre-pandemic scores or will by the end of next year — six years after schools closed — most said it will take longer."

Continue reading the article online -> https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/04/24/metro/mass-education-covid-pandemic-learning-loss/? 

How to access the Globe articles via the Franklin Library with your library card

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/02/how-to-access-online-resources-with.html

Mental Health: Diane Plouffe & Jamie Barrett (video)

Dr Anne Bergen: 

"Welcome to Mental Health, the crisis of our time. 

My name is Anne Bergen. I am the host of this series of programs brought to you by Franklin TV whose mission is really to bring important topics relevant to the community out so we can inform the residents aware of issues that are very very important. 

The issue we have to address is mental health."

Video link -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YF0EhkQQZD8

Mental Health: Diane Plouffe & Jamie Barrett (video)

Economic blackout day today, first of several planned

WHEN:

Thursday February 27th from Midnight till Friday The 28th Midnight 

(A full 24 hours of the 28th)  12:00 AM to 12:00 AM

WHAT NOT TO DO:

Do not make any purchases

Do not shop online, or in-store

No Amazon, No Walmart, No Best Buy

Nowhere!

Do not spend money on:

Fast Food

Gas

Major Retailers

Do not use Credit or Debit Cards for non essential spending

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Only buy essentials of absolutely necessary 

(Food, Medicine, Emergency Supplies)

If you must spend, ONLY support small, local businesses.

SPREAD THE MESSAGE

Talk about it, post about it, and document your actions that day!

WHY THIS MATTERS!

~ Corporations and banks only care about their bottom line.

~ If we disrupt the economy for just ONE day, it sends a powerful message.

~ If they don't listen (they wont) we make the next blackout longer (We will)

Go directly to the organizer's web age ->  https://thepeoplesunionusa.com/

Economic blackout day today, first of several planned

BEN's Bulletin: Senior Village and the Crossing

Moving forward (with a Master Plan in hand!)

BEN's Bulletin (02/24/25)   New year, new Plan! Thanks in part to the consistent support of BEN, the 2025 Master Plan Update unanimously passed the Planning Board & Town Council last month. The Plan lays out a strong vision for a Franklin with complete, inter-connected neighborhoods that balance the Town's environmental, economic, and housing needs. As always, feel free to join our monthly meeting (every third Thursday at 7pm) at Franklin TV or virtually at the following link: meet.ben4franklin.org. Key Agenda Items We return to our regularly-scheduled programming of providing BEN's Take on upcoming meetings of interest. Click HERE for live links to the agenda items. What We're Consuming Can luxury housing do anything for homelessness? (Justine Underhill) Donald Shoup had a major impact on cities (Congress for the New Urbanism) Nook and Cranny Urbanism: How To Maximize Every Inch of Space (Strong Towns) Reach out with any comments or questions. Thanks! The BEN Brigade Know someone else who may be interested in this content? Please share! Newsletter Sign Up Ben 4 Franklin, 23 Hutchinson St, Franklin, MA Send free email today

Master Plan Update Committee meeting 1/15/25 (video)

The Master Plan Update Committee met as scheduled Wednesday, January 15 in the 3rd Floor Training room. 

Franklin TV video is available for replay -> https://www.youtube.com/live/YhdShT_-gN0?si=eizxLnOeDcKkEvdR&t=146

You can follow the agenda for this session ->   https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/master_plan_agenda_-january_15_2025.pdf

The final Master Plan Report ->  https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/uploads/franklin_master_plan_final_report-submitted_to_town-01-15-2025.pdf

Have you seen the mock bedroom? Really seen it? (video)

SAFE Coalition's Jen Levine talks about the "Hidden In Plain Sight" exhibit

Request SAFE Coalition's Hidden in Plain Sight at your next parent/caregiver event. This interactive display and presentation teaches guardians how to identify substances within a teen's bedroom and how to have supportive, healthy discussions with their children about substance use.

Email info@safecoalitionma.org to schedule.

Video link -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUq0QcFkwNA

My conversation with Drew Bogner ranged wide around his book "Letters to Students" (audio)

FM #1296 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1296 in the series. 

“Letters to Students”

This session shares my conversation with Franklin resident Drew Bogner. We had our conversation in the Franklin TV Studio on Tuesday, September 17, 2024. 

 

In our wide ranging conversation we cover

• Drew’s short version of his road to Franklin

• The idea for his book “Letters to Students” co-authored with Robert Allyn Scott

• Journey vs destination

• Nature and poetry

The recording runs about 1 hour 5 minutes, so let’s listen in. Audio link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1296-conversation-with-drew-bogner-09-17-24/

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Link to book “Letters to Students” -> https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781475873726/Letters-to-Students-What-It-Means-to-Be-a-College-Graduate 

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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. 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"

Acting Director of religious education at FUSF appointed

FUSF has appointed Sara Allegretti as Acting Director of Religious Education!

Sara Allegretti

A longtime Unitarian Universalist, Ms. Allegretti holds a Masters Degree in education. Most recently she worked in the Franklin Public Schools as an Interventionist. She has also been active on FUSF’s Welcoming Congregation Committee and the Franklin LGBTQ+ Alliance.

“Sara is a highly-qualified professional who values collaboration and creativity in her work, and cares deeply about the children of our congregation. We are delighted to have Sara join FUSF as our Acting Director of Religious Education.” —Board President, Caitlin MacDonald

The First Universalist Society in Franklin (FUSF) is a Unitarian Universalist Welcoming Congregation located at 262 Chestnut Street, Franklin MA. For further information about FUSF and its religious education program please explore our website at fusf.org or contact Sara Allegretti, Acting DRE at 508 528-5348 or dre@fusf.org

Shared from -> https://www.facebook.com/share/p/2FXUCmTnMzCWoVpH/

Follow the money

"For-profit colleges fund lawmakers who led attack on top universities over campus protests" 

As antisemitism hearings on college campuses ignited late last year, US representatives Elise Stefanik and Virginia Foxx seized the spotlight, relentlessly attacking Harvard, Columbia and other top universities, portraying them as unsafe and incompetent.

“We must DEFUND the rot in America’s higher education,” Stefanik insisted in December, while co-authoring a bill that would withdraw federal funding from universities that do not participate in plans to curb campus protests. Foxx made similar calls.

A little-considered group of Stefanik and Foxx political allies and donors quietly benefited: the “for-profit” college industry.

The industry, which includes schools such as Keiser University, has drawn intense congressional and administrative scrutiny for predatory practices that frequently leave students with worthless degrees while enriching shareholders in recent decades. The industry is composed of schools that either are for-profit and have shareholders, or are formerly for-profit schools that became non-profits to evade regulations, but which still maintain relationships with for-profit entities.

Continue reading the article at The Guardian ->

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/aug/02/elise-stefanik-virginia-foxx-funding

Tracy O'Connell Novick provides insights into the education accounts for the State FY 2025 budget

Tracy O'Connell Novick (@TracyNovick) posted:

There's a few interesting wrinkles in the education accounts in the conference committee budget passed last week by both chambers. 

As it sits on Governor Healey's desk, a few notes from me: https://t.co/23xsnwVHSa

#MAEdu #mapoli #mabudget

Shared from -> https://x.com/TracyNovick/status/1815704598293700881

Or go directly to Tracy's blog page -> https://who-cester.blogspot.com/2024/07/state-conference-committee-budget-on.html

Tracy O'Connell Novick provides insights into the education accounts for the State FY 2025 budget

📰 BEN's Bulletin: New Format, MBTA Communities

Key meetings, events, and resources!

BEN's Bulletin (07/08/24)   We've launched and now we're shaping up! This is the new format of our newsletter, where we'll be sharing information on key meetings, events, and resources. Please feel free to provide feedback. As always, we meet every THIRD THURSDAY at Franklin TV (unless otherwise noted). Our next meeting is July 18 at 7 PM. All are welcome! Our agenda and previous minutes will be shared in advance of the meeting. Key Agenda Items It'll be a relatively quiet season for meetings, but BEN's keeping an eye on MBTA Communities Act compliance and the Master Plan.  For live links and photos, see the items on our Google Doc. What We're Reading Starter homes begin with starter lots (Commonwealth Beacon) How Creative Design Can Turn Strict Zoning Codes Into Success Stories (Strong Towns) The senior struggle to age in community (Commonwealth Beacon) Reach out with any comments or questions. Thanks! The BEN Brigade Know someone else who may be interested in this content? Please share! Newsletter Sign Up Ben 4 Franklin, https://ben4franklin.org/ Send free email today