What programs / positions were cut the School Budget in prior years? These are likely not coming back!

I recall viewing a more current version of this but haven't been able to locate it at this time. In the meantime, as the preparations for the School Budget Hearing on Tuesday are underway, this is an aspect of the budget information not regularly covered (one of the reasons I can't find a more current version).

From the budget prep for the 2017 school budget workshop comes this gem that summarizes programs cut since FY 2003. 

What? The Schools have been cutting since 2003? Yup, you see the listing here

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Summary of Reductions and Efficiencies

FY 2018
● Balance budget using revolving funds
● Depart from SC guidelines as to use of Circuit Breaker funds
○ Use funds in fiscal year rather than bank funds

FY 2017
● Balance budget using revolving funds
● Depart from SC guidelines as to use of Circuit Breaker funds
○ Use funds in fiscal year rather than bank funds

FY 2016
● Reduction of K-5 teachers due to declining enrollment
● Implement online payments of officials in athletic department
● Expand online ticket sales for athletic events
● Balance budget using revolving funds
● Depart from SC guidelines as to use of Circuit Breaker funds
o Use funds in fiscal year rather than bank funds

FY 2015
● Competitive bid pricing for purchase of devices / chrome books and laptops
● Implementation of breakfast program
● Reebok BOKS Program
● Transition to Tufts Insurance - same benefits at lower cost
● Copier/Printer solutions at FHS

FY 2014 Efficiencies
● Collective Bargaining Agreements with all support personnel/Sustainable
Agreements over three years
● Partnership with Hockomock YMCA - successful grants to support Wellness
● Partnerships with Dean College
● Hired Van Pool to take over special education transportation

FY 2013
Collective Bargaining Agreement with FEA - sustainable contract over four years

FY 2012
● Partnership with FHS and Dean College Fine Arts program
● DESE Educator Evaluation grant for professional development and HR audit

FY 2011
● Eliminated contractual services for OT/PT through a third party and hired
personnel
● MASBO Transportation audit
● Food Service- Privatized Management / WHITSONS

FY 2010 Reductions
● Eliminate K-12 Librarians 4 positions - no librarians at any school
● Eliminated 1 Assistant Principal HS
● Replaced 4 PE/Health Teacher’s with ELA, Math, Science, Sped Teachers
● Reduced Health /PE classes
● Stimulus Funds Used to supplement other positions
● HS schedule change from 7 period day to 6 period - impact students have fewer Course offerings- narrowed curriculum equates to less competitive academic program at HS
● Eliminated Latin at MS - all students take Spanish (could not find teachers
however it facilitated equitable scheduling across all three schools)

FY 2009 Reductions
● Eliminated 1 Assistant Principal at HS
● Eliminated 1 Administrator /Assistant Special Education Director
● Eliminated 45 Teaching Positions

• High School 17 positions
• Middle School 12.5 positions
• Elementary 15 positions and 4 specialist teachers reduced from Full -time to Part-time

● Reduced Extracurricular Clubs and activities by 1/3
● Increased Pay to Ride Bus Fee
● Increased Building Use Fees to offset administrative costs

FY 2008 Reductions
● Eight Custodians
● One HS Administrative Liaison
● 1.5 Educational Assistants (FHS and Brick School)
● Fourteen Professional Teaching Positions

• Three Technology Curriculum Integration Teachers
• Three MS Health/PE Teachers
• One MS School Adjustment Counselor
• Seven Elementary Teachers

● 1 Technology Administrator
● 1 Special Education Coordinator
● K-5 Coordinator Stipends (Tech, Science, Spanish)
● Eliminated Core Curriculum Teams
● Reduction of HS substitute teacher budget
● Reduction of Facilities cost / Brick School - grant funded
● Extracurricular Fees Implemented $25/student at HS and MS levels
● Increase HS Athletic Fee to $125
● Increase Pay to Ride Transportation Fee by $25
● NEASC Dues Elementary and Middle Schools – let accreditations lapse
● Reduction in general supply budget at all levels

FY 2007 Reductions
● Three Trades Personnel (Carpenter, Plumber and Electrician) transferred out of
School budget to Town budget
● One Educational Assistant position eliminated
● Supply budgets reduced at schools

FY 2006 Reductions
● Elimination of weekend security for all school facilities
● Elimination of Facilities summer job program for Franklin youth
● Two Central Office positions (Title I Coordinator, Assistant Director of Finance)
eliminated
● Two Custodial positions eliminated
● Elimination of French language instruction at Middle Schools
● Reduction of Professional Development budget

FY 2005 Reductions
● Reduction in general supplies and maintenance supplies for the schools
● Reduction in Professional Development
● Elimination of a Foreign Language position
● Assumed $100,000 in trash costs from the Town

FY 2004 Reductions
● Twenty-One Teaching Positions eliminated
● Limited public access to schools on weeknights and weekends
● Bus fees increased to older students and those living within 2 miles
● Reduction in Technology budget
● Increased student-athlete fees
● Increased school lunch cost to cover cost of health insurance for Cafeteria
Staff-had been paid for by Town
● Reduction in budget for materials and supplies
● Eliminate budget for purchase of textbooks (2004-Present textbooks purchased through Capital Funds voted by the town or from supply budgets)

FY 03 Reductions
● No additional staff hired – enrollment up 400 students
● Supply and equipment purchases curtailed
● MS guidance program eliminated
● Building Use fees implemented in 2003
● Athletic fees increased
● Pay-to-Ride Transportation initiated
● PCC’s funded more programs, athletics and extracurricular activities
● All Field Trips funded by PCC’s
● Six elementary positions in Health/PE in elementary cut
● Elementary Health eliminated from curriculum
● Elementary PE reduced from twice to once a week
● Six middle school positions eliminated, reducing that program by 1/3
● Two elementary Music positions eliminated
● Elimination of the 4th grade Instrumental Music Program
● One middle school Music position eliminated
● Two elementary Spanish positions eliminated
● Elementary Spanish instruction reduced from twice to once a week
● Two middle school Science specialist positions eliminated
● One 6th grade teaching position cut at Remington, increasing class size
● Five middle school Educational Assistant positions cut
● One HS Special Education Teacher eliminated, increasing class size
● One HS Reading/English Teacher eliminated

This listing was copied from the Budget Documents prepared for the October 10, 2017 School Committee budget workshop
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0wjbnXDBhczcTV2QldjaXg4bUdqaUlhUXkzbmI5UHJvUkxr

From the March 2018 Franklin Matters archives ->    https://www.franklinmatters.org/2018/04/franklin-public-schools-summary-of.html

School Budget hearing Tuesday, March 28 at 7 PM

MA State House News: Baker differs on tax breaks; Auditor says communities should get support to run elections

Via CommonWealth Magazine, we find these share worthy: 

"GOV. CHARLIE BAKER told lawmakers on Tuesday that Massachusetts can easily afford his package of $700 million in tax cuts, and the state needs some of the changes benefitting higher-income taxpayers to prevent them from moving elsewhere.

“Not only can we afford this tax relief proposal, we believe it’s time to give Massachusetts families back some of the tax revenue that they created through their hard work,” Baker told the Legislature’s Revenue Committee at a hybrid hearing held in person and virtually on the first day the State House was open in nearly two years.

The tax relief package in some sense pits a Republican governor against a Democrat-controlled Legislature whose leaders to date have not made reducing taxes a high priority. During the hearing, Democratic lawmakers focused most of their attention on the governor’s proposed reductions in the estate tax and the income tax on short-term capital gains — two taxes that benefit wealthier individuals. They suggested the money for those tax breaks could be better spent on reducing taxes paid by lower-income taxpayers."

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/state-government/baker-tax-breaks-affordable-needed-to-make-state-competitive/
 

"THE STATE WILL OWE cities and towns more than $2 million to keep polling places open for additional mandated voting hours during the September 2022 state primary and November 2022 general elections, Auditor Suzanne Bump said Tuesday.

Under the 1983 Uniform Polling Hours Law, cities and towns must keep polling locations open for at least 13 hours on primary and general election days, an increase from the previously-required 10 hours of voting. The law also directs the auditor to certify what offering the extra hours will cost municipalities with the costs to be paid through the secretary of state’s office."

Continue reading the article online
https://commonwealthmagazine.org/politics/auditor-says-expanded-voting-hours-will-cost-2m/

 

Boston Globe: "MBTA service will be cut significantly in early 2021"

The Boston Globe has the following:

"The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority will curtail service next year after the agency’s oversight board finalized a plan Monday to reduce subway frequencies and eliminate weekend commuter rail trains on several lines in response to low ridership during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The package, approved 3-2 by the MBTA’s Fiscal and Management Control Board, is more limited in scope than a plan the agency had presented in November that frustrated advocates and political leaders, but still represents a considerable reduction in service.

The MBTA described the budget cuts as a short- to medium-term measure to take advantage of unprecedented declines in ridership, with most changes taking effect between January and March. But with ridership forecasts murky at best, officials said they have not developed plans for service levels during the fiscal year that begins in July, when coronavirus vaccines may be widely available."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/12/14/metro/mbta-board-vote-less-severe-package-service-cuts/

and CommonWealth Magazine has an article on the same topic

"THE MBTA’s Fiscal and Management Control Board approved a series of scaled-back service cuts on Monday and then, in an apparent swipe at Beacon Hill, voted not to raise fares on bus and subway riders until service hours and ridership on those transportation modes return to pre-COVID levels.

Brian Lang, a member of the control board, proposed the fare amendment after expressing frustration about lawmakers who tell him and his colleagues not to cut service but then do nothing to provide the revenues needed to maintain service.

“Taxes have turned into a dirty word,” Lang said. “The Legislature is afraid of it.”

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/transportation/mbta-scales-back-service-cuts-across-board/

Reminder - Commuter Rail notice: Reduced Service Schedule begins today

All Commuter Rail lines will operate on the Reduced Service Schedule on weekdays beginning Monday, December 14th and for at least 2 weeks, due to Covid-19 impact in communities and in the workforce. Weekend trains will operate on regular schedule.

Reduced Service Schedule is now available from MBTA.com/cr and at South Station, North Station and Back Bay.

Bikes will be allowed on board all trains.

On Friday, January 1st, The Commuter Rail will operate on a regular Sunday Schedule.

We will be reviewing staff numbers on a weekly basis to determine when we can be confident of being able to restore the full service.

Last Updated: Dec 14 2020 05:09 AM 

Reduced Service Schedule begins today

Town Council recap for Dec 18 - plastic bag waste reduction moves forward

The FHS student group working on the plastic bag reduction plan achieved a milestone after several meetings with the Economic Development Subcommittee to prepare, the Town Council agreed to move the measure forward to be developed as a bylaw. The draft language previously discussed in the EDC meetings will be tweaked and brought forward to the Council for the first of two public readings, a public hearing and eventual vote.

Several items on the alcohol license front:

• La Cantina received a license for the Farmers Market
• Acupalco's move from downtown to Union St was approved
• The Chateau corrected their operating hours changing them slightly
• Glen Pharma Distillery gained approval for their tasting license
• The yearly batch of license renewals was approved

The Actions Taken document has not yet been published. Once it has that link will be added.

Additional details can be found in my notes recorded live during the meeting

• Live reporting: TA Report through to Closing

 https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/12/live-reporting-ta-report-through-to.html

• Live reporting: Town Administrator Evaluation

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/12/live-reporting-town-administrator.html

• Live reporting: Plastic Bag Waste Reduction

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/12/live-reporting-plastic-bag-waste.html

• Live reporting: Alcohol Licenses - new, changes, a...

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/12/live-reporting-alcohol-licenses-new.html

• Live reporting: Town Council - December 18, 2019

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/12/live-reporting-town-council-december-18.html

Glen Pharma Distillery gained approval for their tasting license

Reminder: Lane Reductions & Ramp Closures on I-90 in Boston this Weekend (June 1-3)

Beginning at 9:00 PM on Friday, June 1, MassDOT will reduce I-90 (Mass Pike) between the Allston Interchange and the Beacon Street Overpass in Boston to two lanes in each direction. I-90 will reopen to four lanes in each direction by 5:00 AM on Sunday, June 3. This will allow MassDOT and its contractor to conduct necessary preparation activities and a "dry run" to test the I-90 traffic logistics for the 2018 Construction Shutdown (July 26 – August 11), with the goal of making sure it will run as smoothly as possible.

The I-90 Eastbound on-ramp from Cambridge Street/Soldier's Field Road will be closed during the dry run. The I-90 Westbound Exit 20 off-ramp to Brighton/Cambridge will be closed intermittently. See the I-90 (Mass Pike) Ramp Closures Detour Map and directions on the Traffic Management page (http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/highway/HighlightedProjects/CommonwealthAvenueBridgeReplacement/TrafficManagement.aspx).

During the dry run, a "crossover" on I-90 will direct all vehicles to either the eastbound or westbound roadways at different periods of time. There will be no impacts to the MBTA Green Line, Commuter Rail, or local vehicular traffic during the dry run.

I-90 Impacts during the 2018 Construction Shutdown

From 9:00 PM on July 27 to 5:00 AM on August 6, MassDOT will implement lane reductions and ramp closures on I-90 in Boston (between the Allston Interchange and the Beacon Street Overpass), as follows:

• Two lanes in each direction during peak hours (additional lane closures during weekends and off-peak hours).
• The I-90 Eastbound on-ramp from Cambridge Street/Soldiers Field Road will be closed this entire period.
• The I-90 Westbound Exit 20 off-ramp to Brighton/Cambridge will be closed intermittently.
• The lane reductions will be necessary during the shutdown for the contractor to access the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge for demolition and replacement (see the video simulation of the project on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiGoPf8-3-Q).

For a full list of traffic impacts during the 2018 Construction Shutdown, see the Traffic Management page of the project website (http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/highway/HighlightedProjects/CommonwealthAvenueBridgeReplacement/TrafficManagement.aspx).

Please share this advisory with anyone you think may be interested in the project, and encourage them to sign up for email alerts for traffic updates and meeting announcements: https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MADOT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MADOT_77%27.

For more information on the Commonwealth Ave Bridge Replacement Project, please visit the project website: www.mass.gov/massdot/commavebridge.

For any questions or comments, please contact Jim Kersten, MassDOT Legislative Liaison, at 857-368-9041 or by email at CommAveBridge@dot.state.ma.us.

Sincerely,

Commonwealth Ave Bridge Replacement Project Team

Reminder: Commonwealth Ave. Bridge Project This Week; I-90 Lane Reductions

Franklin School Personnel Reductions 2003-2009: updated

In the preparations for the Override Vote in June, I had prepared this slideshow with the help of information from the School Department and careful review by some School Committee members. With the Override finalized, the adjustments to staffing levels complete, I thought it would be good to go back and update the numbers to ensure that this record will be available.

The override in June was probably not the last one Franklin will vote on. Hence the need for keeping the numbers current and accurate.

Franklin MA School budget reductions - Updated

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: school dept)

The earlier version of this can be found here

School by School class size if the override fails

A new slideshow based upon the reductions if the override scheduled for June 10th were to fail.

This is what the $2.8 Million budget reduction would look like at each school in Franklin.

| View | Upload your own

Q & A 3 - responses continued by Doak, Cafasso (audio)

From the Franklin Override Information Forum coordinated by the Joint Parent Communication Councils and held on Wednesday, 5/28/08.

A - Doak, picking up on another comment to increase the revenues. We get get a good deal from the industrial and retail establishments. We have tried to foster commercial and industrial growth with smart policies. Council has encouraged good growth over the years and is looking to continue that so the residential taxpayers don't take the whole burden.

A - Cafasso, the school department has made cuts over the years to protect the classroom and to be as efficient as possible.

Time: 3 minutes, 15 seconds



MP3 File

For reference, the Franklin School Departments budget reductions over the years from 2002 to 2009 can be found here

School Committee - override reductions

In the event of the override not passing, the cuts were not previously announced in specific for a couple of reasons (1) notification to the teachers needed to occur first (2) to avoid "scare tactic".

Will not know until evening of the 10th what will happen but the high school is preparing two schedules; one with the override passing and one if the override fails.

Listing provided of the specific positions (to be posted soon)

high school class size will run 28-30
middle school
elementary schools some classes can go as high as 28-30 in specific grades

Ogden - FHS accreditation will be looked on "unkindly" with 17 positions being removed from the school. You can't predict what they will do. However it is likely there will be some adverse action.

Gould - transition to high school is the most important thing to protect, a "sacred cow"

class size discussion, most classes are going to be exceeding the range, not just on the high end of the ranges (if the override fails)

Gould - Franklin has done well at protecting the school instructional side, there is nothing else to cut. The FHS supplies budget is less than it was in 2001 and this is with an increase in students since 2001.

Mullen - would cutting French V affect the college placement for the seniors?
Gould - possibly. Students have to go somewhere, the electives can go higher. "Under Ed Reform, you can not have study halls. You have time to learn measurements."

Cafasso - could you get some others to assist with some of the journalism or public speaking?
Gould - they would need to be certified according to the state

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"this is not a drill"

April to April - 200 increase

coincidently works out to about $2.6 million, increase in students means an increase in costs

high school enrollment will increase at a minimum of 101

17 teacher positions are projected to be cut at the high school
parents of means make make the choice after June 10th to move the students to private school to maintain a smaller class size

Sabolinski
"this is not a drill"

Roy
"This is not the way to attract and retain good teachers"

Franklin School Department positions lost 2003-2009

If the override does not get passed, the school department would lose 46.5 positions. The reduction this year (FY 2009) would come primarily from teachers in the classroom this year that would leave in June and not return to help Franklin's students continue their education in September.

A more complete picture of the reductions in the education budget can be found in the slide presentation found here.

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Learn all you can by visiting here frequently.

Visit the School Committee override page for the schedule of information sessions

You can find all the override related information here

Be informed to cast your vote on June 10th