Showing posts with label priorities. Show all posts
Showing posts with label priorities. Show all posts

Thursday, February 25, 2021

State Rep Jeffrey Roy: Vaccine updates on teachers and local sites

"Much has been said about getting students back to school quickly, but it is important that we do so safely. And in that regard, the legislature has been pushing the administration to enhance the safety of the experience by moving teachers to the front of the line on vaccine distribution. And we have called upon the administration to ramp up efforts to distribute vaccines at local distribution sites."
Continue reading Rep Roy's statement (rich with links)

 
a copy of the letter from Rep. Roy and colleagues on the teacher vaccine priority issue
a copy of the letter from Rep. Roy and colleagues on the teacher vaccine priority issue




Thursday, February 11, 2021

CommonWealth Magazine: "Crowding at the top of Phase 2"

 

"THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION is continuing to move people higher in the vaccine line, forcing those down below to wait longer and longer.

First it was people between 65 and 74, who got bumped up from the end of Phase 2 to the second spot, joining those with two or more comorbidities just behind the first priority group – those 75 and older.

Then on Wednesday Baker elevated another very fluid group – allowing anyone who accompanies someone 75 and older to a mass vaccination site to also be inoculated. There are about 200,000 people left in the 75-plus group who could be vaccinated, which means 200,000 of their companions – young or old, even from out of state – could also get the shots."

Gov Baker's press conference announcing the change in priority

 

CommonWealth Magazine: "Crowding at the top of Phase 2"
CommonWealth Magazine: "Crowding at the top of Phase 2"


Friday, October 23, 2020

In the News: "State plan prioritizes three groups for vaccine"

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"Adults over 65 will join frontline health care workers, residents with underlying medical conditions that increase their risks from COVID-19, and other essential workers as the first to qualify for COVID-19 vaccines in Massachusetts, the Baker administration said.

During a visit Tuesday to a new Suffolk Downs testing facility Tuesday, Gov. Charlie Baker outlined a rough sketch of the state’s draft plan for distributing an inoculation for the highly infectious virus once it becomes available.

The plan was submitted by the administration to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week.

“The plan also outlines our messaging efforts to make sure people know, once there is a vaccine available, that it has been approved by the federal government and is safe and effective,” Baker said. “We’ll also make it a priority to reach out specifically to groups that have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, including people and communities of color.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

Thursday, February 7, 2019

Notes from the Legislative Forum - Feb 5, 2019

The Legislative Forum hosted by the Franklin School Committee on Tuesday, Feb 5 was an informative evening. My notes taken via Twitter can be read here. I'll share the audio of the 90 minute session later this week.

Updated: Unfortunately, the technical quality of the audio was not worthy of sharing and won't be published.





Or from the Town of Franklin page
https://www.franklinps.net/sites/franklinmaps/files/news/fy20_superintendents_recommended_budget.pdf

Superintendent Sara Ahern's prepared remarks can be found on this page
https://www.franklinps.net/sites/franklinmaps/files/news/superintendents_opening_remarks_legislative_forum_2-5-19.pdf

School Committee Chair, Anne Bergen
School Committee Chair, Anne Bergen

FPS Superintendent Sara Ahern
FPS Superintendent Sara Ahern

School Committee member Denise Schultz
School Committee member Denise Schultz

Left to Right: Rep Jeff Roy, Senator Karen Spilka, and MASC Exec Dir Glenn Koocher
Left to Right: Rep Jeff Roy, Senator Karen Spilka, and MASC Exec Dir Glenn Koocher

Wednesday, January 2, 2019

2013 Master Plan - time to review

One of the items being carried on the Economic Development Subcommittee agenda and gradually moving its way up the topic listing is a discussion on the Master Plan. I would assume that the group would be looking to the current plan (see link below) to see what has been accomplished in the 5 years since the plan was approved, and what remains to be done. Of those items that remain to be done, there would likely be a discussion on what of those items to prioritize.

To help prepare for this discussion, an overview of the 2103 Master Plan is provided as well as links to the full document itself.

Happy reading!

---------

"What is a Master Plan?
According to Chapter 41 Section 81D of the General Laws of Massachusetts a Master Plan is:
“A statement through text, maps, illustrations or other forms of communication, that is designed to provide a basis for decision making regarding the long-term physical development of the municipality…”
A Master Plan consists of the following elements as defined by the M.G.L. Chapter 41 Section 81D.

  • Land Use
  • Housing
  • Economic Development
  • Circulation
  • Open Space and Recreation
  • Natural, Cultural and Historic Resources
  • Community Services and Facilities
  • Goals and Policies
  • Implementation
---------

The Planning and Community Development Master Plan page

The 2013 Master Plan doc and sections

The abridged version of the 2013 Master Plan

In a document dated Dec 2016, Bryan Taberner provided an updated to the Town Council on recent accomplishments for the Master Plan for the Jan 4, 2017 meeting

2013 Master Plan - time to review
2013 Master Plan - time to review

Saturday, April 21, 2018

MassBudget: House Ways and Means budget proposal adds funding to early ed, rental voucher program

With the Franklin budget cycle fully underway, keeping track of what is happening at the State level is important as approx 25% of the Franklin budget is funded by money from the State.


MassBudget  Information.
  Participation.
 Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center  Democracy.

April 19, 2018





HWM FY 2019 budget proposal adds funding to early education, rental voucher program

The House Ways and Means (HWM) Committee's Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 budget proposal largely aligns with the Governor's proposal, but differs in a number of areas.

The MassBudget's latest Budget Monitor finds the HWM Committee's budget proposal provides additional funding in:
  • Early Education and Care. The HWM budget provides $20.0 million for Center-Based Child Care Rate Increases to improve early education quality by increasing the rates paid by the state to child care providers. That funding should aid in increasing salary, benefits, and professional development for early educators. The HWM Committee also proposes $8.5 million for a new initiative focused on professional development for early educators facilitated by Massachusetts community colleges.
  • K-12 Education.This budget provides $33.5 million more in Chapter 70 Aid (and related reserves) than the Governor proposed. In addition, it funds grant programs at $20.8 million more than the Governor recommended. This includes an added $9.5 million for charter school reimbursements and $8.9 million more for special education costs.
  • Housing. This budget proposal would increase funding for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) to $100.0 million, which is $7.3 million more than FY 2018. MRVP provides housing vouchers to help low-income families, including those living in emergency assistance shelters, secure housing.
  • MassHealth. To reduce costs to the state, the Governor proposed moving 140,000 low-income adults off MassHealth coverage and into subsidized commercial coverage funded through the Commonwealth Care Trust Fund and the Health Connector. The Administration had also proposed reforming coverage and pricing for pharmaceutical drugs. The HWM budget does not include these proposals.
Without any significant revenue sources beyond those in the Governor's budget, the HWM budget funds these differences largely by underfunding various accounts - such as for the removal of snow and ice from state roads - that likely need to be funded eventually. This risks leading to challenges maintaining a balanced budget during the upcoming fiscal year.

One new initiative on which the Governor and the HWM Committee agree is the expansion of the state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The EITC raises the incomes of lower wage working families and has been found to improve long term education and health outcomes for children in those households.

The rest of this Budget Monitor examines the HWM budget proposals for major state programs in greater detail, comparing them to the Governor's proposals and to the amounts budgeted in FY 2018. As noted above, the FY 2018 budget appropriated less than is expected to be spent in several accounts. A supplemental budget was recently approved by the House (and is now pending in the Senate) that provides additional funding for those accounts and others. When particularly relevant, we include those projected spending levels in the analysis as well. Links from the Table of Contents below allow readers to jump to specific sections. Each section provides links to our online budget tools including our Budget Browser (which provides funding information for every account in the state budget going back to FY 2001) and, where applicable, to our Children's Budget.

Read the full report here.
The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts.

MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER
15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700
BOSTON, MA 02108



Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, 15 Court Square, Suite 700, Boston, MA 02108

Sent by nberger@massbudget.org in collaboration with
Constant Contact
one effect of the drop in early education funding is the loss of the Kindergarten grant that Franklin used to provide aids in the K classrooms
one effect of the drop in early education funding is the loss of the Kindergarten grant that Franklin used to provide teacher aides in the K classrooms

Sunday, April 3, 2016

Franklin, MA: Town Council - Agenda - April 6, 2016

The Town Council agenda for Wednesday's meeting is one page and rich with links to the associated documents released for this agenda. (Note: one document for the proposal on the funding for sidewalks has a broken link. When it gets corrected, I'll update the link here.)

The Town Council gets to authorize the spending of a whole bunch of our money this week. 
  • $1.1 million from the Water Enterprise account 
  • $1.2 million from the Sewer Enterprise account 
  • $1.9 million from free cash for capital improvements
All the funds are appropriately being spent (according to my view) but this is one of the key points where the low voter turnout at the local town elections can be visibly seen. These dollars are what the Council spends on our behalf. They affect so much of what we do here in Franklin on a daily basis. Yet, so few of us (less than 20%) bother to vote and hence give up our say in how these funds are spent.

The budget cycle is beginning. Meetings at the Finance Committee, the School Committee, and then the Town Council determine the priority of your tax dollars. This is the time to let your representatives know where you would like the priorities to be made. You can complain all you want about the quality of road conditions but if you don't say something, the money will not be put aside for them to be corrected. If you believe the schools deserve additional funding, this is the time to let  your voice be heard.

Money is also being added to the "Athletic Fields Capital Improvement Stabilization Fund". At some time in the future, this money will be spent to replace the artificial turf fields. How will they be replaced? With the same materials? Or with a better version that maybe healthier for our kids to play on? This is one opportunity to let the Council know of your concerns.




new artificial turf field at the high school is made with crumb rubber fill
new artificial turf field at the high school is made with crumb rubber fill

You can also find this document on the Town of Franklin page
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_CouncilAgendas/2016%20Complete/04062016.pdf


Thursday, March 10, 2011

Citizens against waste

There are folks who complain about the money Franklin spends. This form will enable those Franklin residents identify an item where the expense is questioned.

You ask the question. I'll facilitate to get an answer.
(The collection of questions and answers can be found here)

This should at least get the discussion respectfully focused on facts and details.

The 2010 Annual Report can be found here (PDF)

Other reference links for the FY 2012 Budget can be found here





Franklin, MA

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Survey on priorities - lack of substantial results hinders progress

Survey results:

What one service would you discontinue?
I would like to see homeowners made responsible for shoveling their own sidewalks so that the students could walk to school. If a snowfall over a certain amount, then the town's sidewalk plows could be used to assist and supplement. Also, if the schools and library and other departments are cut a certain percentage, then so should the senior center. The senior center should not be exempt from cuts. I believe that all services provide benefits. Even though some services may be stretched thin, eliminating one might mean that, in the future, it would be difficult to put back. If something is truly obsolete, and I can't think of any service that is, it should be eliminated.
--
Some winter classes, to save heat costs. Is it possible to change the calendar year to go to school through June and take 1-2 additional weeks off in the winter?
--
Most people only use the "optional" services of police and fire and trash, most "mandated" services offered I don't need. You should put the list somewhere for reference in this survey, so people could see how many useless things there are. If schools are "mandated", why are they always the first cut?

What one service would you keep?
Obviously the schools and essential services such as police and fire.
--
AP classes. The gifted/talented get little to no service in elementary school, then maybe some attention at the middle school. AP in high school is their only hope of sharing challenging course work with like-minded students.
--
Police, Fire, Trash, roads, Health and Building inspectors. Schools, and there is a LOT that could be trimmed there.

The survey did not come close to achieving what was intended so it is back to the drawing board.

Franklin, MA

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Help determine the priority list

In the January issue of the new Franklin newspaper delivered to your mail box, I wrote about setting priorities for the services that Franklin provides. This survey intends to develop a list of services that you would consider discontinuing and of services that you think we should continue.

The survey will remain open for your input through Saturday, Jan 29th.
The results of the survey will be published Sunday, Jan 30, 2011.

Note: use the scroll bar in form to get to the second question and "Submit".
You can provide an answer for both questions or chose to answer only one question.
For this kind of 'list building' exercise, there is no limit on entries. The survey results will provide two lists for further discussion.





Franklin, MA

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Tough choices

Water, the essence of life versus Downtown, where some go to live it up

1 - On May 12 you get to make a choice.

a - The EPA is holding a public information session at Tri-County to help businesses understand the new proposed requirements for treating storm water. Franklin, Bellingham and Milford are part of a pilot process that is estimated to cost $70 million dollars. The amount would be shared by businesses large and small, as well as the town governments.

b - Also that night, the plans for the Downtown Revitalization Project will be presented and open for discussion at the Franklin Municipal Bldg.

2 - On May 24th you get to make another choice between water and money

a - Monday night, the open forum on the Franklin override vote for $3 million dollars will be held at the Horace Mann/Thomas Mercer Auditorium at 7:00 PM. Members of Town Council, School Committee amongst others will be available for questions and discussion on the budget details.

b - Also that same night at the same time in the Council Chambers on the 2nd floor of the Municipal Bldg, the Charles River Watershed Association will make a presentation on a storm water management plan to reduce phosphorus from the Spruce Pond Brook sub-basin.


It is a fact that you can live longer without food than you can without water.

Clean water requires money.

In this tough economy, forcing businesses in Franklin (Bellingham, Milford) to compete at a disadvantage against the communities in the rest of the state just doesn't seem fair.

Yet the money discussion on the override is important.

Where should our priorities be?

Couldn't the calendar have been better managed to avoid a conflict?


Franklin, MA

Monday, April 26, 2010

Letter to the editor


The following was originally submitted as a Letter to the Editor for the Wicked Local/Franklin Gazette in March 2009. It never got published. I think it is still valid for discussion today, hence I am re-posting it here.

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

You look at yourself in the mirror and say “I need a haircut”. Or your wife/significant other drops a similar hint. So you make a mental note to stop by the barber shop or call for an appointment.

The designated day arrives, you get your hair cut and have a wide ranging conversation with the barber or stylist. While you are sitting there, he or she is clipping and or cutting away, you solve half the world's problems

Amongst the topics is usually sometime spent discussing the economy and how dismal prospects seem to be at the moment. So and so was let go from Fidelity. So and so was let go from another place. If you listen to the headlines, the economy is in the tank for sure. No one seems to be doing good. Even the banks and automotive companies getting bailouts are coming back for more.

So you change the topic to something brighter. You talk about your days in school, long ago now. How the teachers were good, or tough, or easy. How so and so messed with the chalkboard and got in trouble for it. What is he doing these days? Oh, he is teaching English the next town over. Wow, that is good.

Even if the conversation switched to whatever sport was in season and how the local team was doing, the fact of the matter is the conversation could not have happened without education.

Yes, let's list out how education touched each aspect of this simple event; getting your hair cut.

The barber or hair stylist received their training at an accredited institution.

The teachers at that institution were similarly trained at an accredited institution.

The licensing board personnel were hired because they had a minimum of a high school education, more likely the requirement was a college degree.

The salesperson who stops by the barbershop or beauty salon to sell the shampoo, gel, and other items necessary to operate likely required training from the company on their products.

The conversation itself could take place because both of you were able to speak. You listened, understood what the other was saying and continued that train of thought, or changed it along the way.

I think you get the point.

Everyone around the activity of getting your hair cut or styled was touched by education. The more successful their educational background, the more likely they would be successful in operating their business. Yes, reading, writing and arithmetic are required outside of school.

You can also consider what would happen if educational priorities were changed.

If students were not challenged by their teachers, would they be successful barbers and stylists?

Would they gain their certification or license to operate in the State?

Would the State have sufficient qualified personnel to manage the licensing and auditing process?

Would the hair product companies have new products being developed by researchers to meet the needs of the market place?

Would they have capable sales personnel?

Would you get a good hair cut or hair style?

Considering the impact of education on such a simple transaction, shouldn't it be a priority to provide the best education possible for our children?




Sunday, September 6, 2009

Where do you put open space on the budget priority listing?

Currently, the Department of Public Works is responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of all town parks, recreation areas and School grounds. The Recreation Department is responsible for scheduling the use of the Town of Franklin athletic fields and facilities. Recreation Department Director, Ryan Jette indicated that it is a difficult challenge to maintain all the open space and recreation areas in Town and there is not adequate staffing for the upkeep.

The Conservation Department maintains a list of open space and conservation sites in Franklin. The current level of staffing for the management and maintenance of open space is not satisfactory, there is insufficient staff and resources to complete routine property inspections and maintenance. Issues such as hiring a forester to oversee the cutting of the Town Forest have proven challenging for the Conservation Commission due to a lack of funding.

If the Town continues to obtain additional open space and recreation areas, there will likely be issues providing sufficient upkeep due to a lack of funds and staffing available to provide upkeep of the sites.
As the Town Council candidates declare themselves for election this November, this would be a good topic on which to find out where they stand.
While the Town has a number of budget needs (the school department is the single biggest item of our Town budget), where open space management sits amongst the priority list would be important to understand.
For additional information on the Open Space and Recreation Plan, read the full report on the Town web site here (PDF)

Friday, March 20, 2009

Letter to the Editor

The following was submitted as a Letter to the Editor for the Wicked Local/Franklin Gazette. For the loyal readers here, you will get this preview assuming it does get printed some day.

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

You look at yourself in the mirror and say “I need a haircut”. Or your wife/significant other drops a similar hint. So you make a mental note to stop by the barber shop or call for an appointment.

The designated day arrives, you get your hair cut and have a wide ranging conversation with the barber or stylist. While you are sitting there, he or she is clipping and or cutting away, and you solve half the world's problems

Amongst the topics is usually sometime spent discussing the economy and how dismal prospects seem to be at the moment. So and so was let go from Fidelity. So and so was let go from another place. If you listen to the headlines, the economy is in the tank for sure. No one seems to be doing good. Even the banks and automotive companies getting bailouts are coming back for more.

So you change the topic to something brighter. You talk about your days in school, long ago now. How the teachers were good, or tough, or easy. How so and so messed with the chalkboard and got in trouble for it. What is he doing these days? Oh, he is teaching English the next town over. Wow, that is good.

Even if the conversation switched to whatever sport was in season and how the local team was doing, the fact of the matter is the conversation could not have happened without education.

Yes, let's list out how education touched each aspect of this simple event; getting your hair cut.

The barber or hairstylist received their training at an accredited institution
The teachers at that institution were similarly trained at an accredited institution
The licensing board personnel were hired because they had a minimum of a high school education, more likely the requirement was a college degree.
The salesperson who stops by the barbershop or beauty salon to sell the shampoo, gel, and other items necessary to operate likely required training from the company on their products
The conversation itself could take place because both of you were able to speak. You listened, understood what the other was saying and continued that train of thought, or changed it along the way.

I think you get the point.

Everyone around the activity of getting your hair cut or styled was touched by education. The more successful their educational background, it is likely that the more successful they would be in operating the business. Yes, reading, writing and arithmetic are required outside of school.

You can also consider what would happen if educational priorities were changed. If students were not challenged by their teachers, would they be successful barbers and stylists? Would they gain their certification or license to operate in the State? Would the State have sufficient qualified personnel to manage the licensing and auditing process? Would the hair product companies have new products being developed by researchers to meet the needs of the market place? Would they have capable sales personnel?

Would you get a good hair cut or hair style?

Considering the impact of education on such a simple transaction, shouldn't it be a priority to provide the best education possible for our children?

Steve Sherlock
Franklin

Monday, November 24, 2008

"This further opens the door"

Milford Daily News
Posted Nov 23, 2008 @ 11:46 PM

FRANKLIN —

Agreeing to establish an area in town for industrial development was called a "no-brainer" for Town Council when the decision came before them last Wednesday.

The council unanimously voted to opt into Chapter 43D and establish a priority development site on two parcels of town-owned land adjacent to Pond Street, in the office zoning district.

Chapter 43D, signed into Massachusetts law in 2006, guarantees local permitting decisions on priority development sites within 180 days, and increases the visibility of a community and the target development site.

There are a lot of vacancies in Franklin's two industrial parks, said Bryan Taberner, Franklin's director of planning and development. He said Town Council could designate each, or portions of them, as priority development sites.

"The key benefit to having priority development sites is, the state will help you market that site. They will actually put us on the map, even internationally. That's a huge benefit," Taberner said.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here.

This was part of the live reporting of the Town Council meeting November 19, 2008


Tuesday, February 19, 2008

What could be done

The residential property tax crisis around MA is growing daily. The Commonwealth has some help (possibly) coming our way. Wouldn't it be nice if some of our Federal tax dollars could be put to use?

Consider this:




All the more poignant as we prepare our taxes prior to April 15th.


Many thanks to Ronni Bennett for the link.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Jeff Nutting on the Capital Outlook (audio)

Town Administrator Jeff Nutting outlines the capital needs for the near future and gets into discussion with the Council on how this could be done with either cash, grants, or debt.

Time: 51 minutes, 57 seconds



MP3 File