What's happening in Franklin, MA: Tuesday, October 28, 2025 ???

Tuesday, October 28   

• Thanksgiving Pie Fundraiser  (order online for pickup Nov 25)

8:00am In Person Early Voting (Town Clerk's Office) 

12:00pm Community Closet (Franklin United Methodist Church)

Library & Senior Center events

2:30pm Rainbow Cafe (Franklin Senior Center)

4:00pm Pumpkin Patch (St John's Episcopal Church)

7:00pm Understanding Antisemitism in 2025 - A Panel Discussion (Franklin High School)

For additional details on Library events ->    https://www.franklinma.gov/942/Calendar-of-Events

For additional details on Senior Center events ->   

https://www.franklinma.gov/calendar.aspx?CID=37,24&showPastEvents=false

**   Town Meetings today   **

Hennep Community Outreach Meeting Notice

Tuesday, October 28 Time: 5:30 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_10282025-1946 

Franklin School Committee Budget Sub Committee Meeting

Tuesday, October 28 Time: 6:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_10282025-1965 

Design Review Meeting

Tuesday, October 28 Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_10282025-1976 

Franklin School Committee Meeting

Tuesday, October 28 Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_10282025-1977 

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Find the full Community event calendar  https://bit.ly/FranklinCommunityCalendar

If you have an event to add to the calendar, you can use the form to submit it for publication:  https://bit.ly/Submit2Calendar

The Town meeting calendar is found  https://www.franklinma.gov/Calendar.aspx
The School district calendar is found  https://franklinpublicschooldistrictma.sites.thrillshare.com/o/fpsd/page/school-calendar

Franklin, MA: Agenda for School Committee Meeting, Tuesday, October 28, 2025 - 7 PM

Franklin School Committee 

October 28, 2025 = 7:00 P.M

Municipal Building – Council Chambers

Call to Order                                         Mr. Callaghan

Announcements from the Chair

Pledge of Allegiance 

Moment of Silence

 

I. Routine Business

A. Review of Agenda

B. Payment of Bills Mr. Callaghan

C. Payroll Mr. McNeill

D. FHS Student Representative Comments

E. Superintendent’s Report

II. Guests/Presentations

A. none

III. Discussion/Action Items

A. Policy - First Readings

I recommend moving the following policies to a second reading as discussed:

IKF - Graduation Requirements

IKFE - Competency Determinations

B. Superintendent’s Goals

I recommend approval of the Superintendent’s Goals as discussed.

IV. Discussion Only Items

A. October 1 Report

B. ACCEPT Quarterly Report

V. Information Matters

A. School Committee Sub-Committee Reports

B. School Committee Liaison Reports

School Committee Meeting

VI. Consent Agenda

A. Approval of Minutes

I recommend approval of the minutes from your October 14, 2025 School Committee meeting as detailed.

B. Athletics Gift

I recommend the acceptance of $2,000.00 from the Gridiron Club for Supplemental Supplies as detailed.

C. FHS Gift

I recommend the acceptance of $2,457.00 from the Theater Boosters for in-house enrichment as detailed.

VII. Citizen’s Comments

VIII. New Business

To discuss any future agenda items

IX. Executive Session

A. As per M.G.L. c. 30A, § 21 (3) To discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining or litigation if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining or litigating position of the public body and the chair so declares

X. Adjournment

Agenda doc also includes remote participation info -> 

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_10282025-1977 

Meeting packet folder (contains documents of the meeting released before or after the session) -> https://www.franklinps.net/documents/departments/school-committee/meeting-packets/2025---26-meeting-packets/october-28%2C-2025-sc-meeting-packet/859754

Franklin School Committee: Budget Subcommittee - Tuesday, Oct 28 at 6 PM

Franklin Public Schools

Franklin School Committee

Budget Subcommittee

October 28, 2025 = 6:00 - 7:00 PM

Municipal Building - 3rd Floor Training Room

A G E N D A

"The listing of matters are those reasonably anticipated by the Chair which may be discussed at the meeting. Not all items listed may in fact be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by law."

● FY27 Budget Preview and Planning

Agenda doc -> https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_10282025-1965

The School Budget page will get a new tab as the FY 2027 budget begins

School Committee gets updates on after school clubs and from the Food Pantry (audio)

FM #1553 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1553 in the series. 

This session shares the Franklin (MA) School Committee meeting held on Tuesday, October 14, 2025. All 7 members of the committee were present. 

Quick recap:

• FHS club fair held, 35 clubs presented, looking to finalize what's active with signups and payments to confirm membership. If not all to operate there are additional proposals being developed that could be implemented in lieu of some that didn't make it. High school has a late bus confirmed, awaiting word from bus company on one for the middle school

• Middle school working on confirming advisors and also setting survey to determine student club interest. Hopeful of get the matching done during November

• Franklin Food Pantry presentation by Laura Doherty and Tina Powderly. Much work to create awareness, address stigma, expand the availability of food for those who need it. Lots of coordination, collaboration underway with School District, more to come. Empty Bowls will continue, looking also to expand and offer bowl workshops outside of the high school to the community. Looking into why middle school students who were part of the back pack program don't continue with it into high school

• Good of the order raised the following items

• Consideration of removing restriction on citizen comment about something on the agenda, esp. now as it is at the end of the meeting; could be an opportunity to gain immediate feedback on something discussed during the meeting

• A public education slot to share info on current topics, to help address the misinformation still bantered about in the social media channels

• Do something to help the new Town Council get up to speed quickly, perhaps to include a tour of the schools, many don't seem aware of the details of daily operations

• entered into Executive Session not to return to open meeting

The recording runs about 1 hour and 33 minutes

Audio link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1533-franklin-ma-school-cmte-mtg-10-14-25/

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Franklin TV video is available for replay -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEwf-tNffMs 

The agenda doc -> https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_10142025-1948 

My full set of notes in one PDF -> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dKcjoQ-fFsLF7j1sNbpxy6QuusaqtBZG/view?usp=drive_link 

Food Pantry slides (photos captured during meeting)

https://photos.app.goo.gl/BwjzVA9dhMdwNGYR9 

Food Pantry Infographic on Impact -> https://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/about/impact/ 

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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!

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

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

Voices of Franklin: Stephen Karunakaran encourages active engagement in the upcoming election

Dear Franklin Neighbors,

With the biennial election just weeks away, our Franklin community faces the important responsibility of selecting leaders for our Town Council and School Committee. These individuals will guide the direction of our town and schools, shaping our collective future. We are fortunate to have a range of candidates offering diverse perspectives for these critical roles.

As a committed member of the Franklin community and a candidate for the 2025 School Committee, I am writing to the "Voice of Franklin" to encourage our residents to actively engage in the upcoming election. The choices we make at the polls will shape the future of our schools and the opportunities we create for our children.

I urge voters to thoroughly assess each candidate’s vision, qualifications, and dedication to our community’s values. Look for those who will champion sufficient staffing, promote forward-thinking education policies that embrace technological trends, and ensure our students are well-equipped for higher education and beyond. These priorities require committed leadership.

Your vote is your voice. By participating, you support candidates who reflect your hopes for Franklin’s future. Let’s unite to make informed decisions that strengthen our schools and community.

Thank you for considering my message. I am confident that together, we can elect a Council that will guide Franklin toward a brighter, more prosperous future. Beyond casting my own vote, I aspire to serve our town with dedication and thoughtfulness if elected to the School Committee. 

If you’d like to discuss further, please feel free to reach out at stephenforschool2025@gmail.com. I’ll also be available for in-person conversations at the final Farmers Market of the season this Friday.

Stephen Karunakaran

Franklin candidate for School Committee

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: Stephen Karunakaran encourages active engagement in the upcoming election

School Committee Chair Callaghan condenses their recent meeting in this Chalkboard Chat session (audio)

FM #1552 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1552 in the series. 

This session shares my conversation with School Committee Chairperson Dave Callaghan. This is a new episode of our continuing “Chalkboard Chat” series. We had our discussion via Zoom on Thursday, October 16, 2025. We had the opportunity to recap the School Committee meeting of October 14, 2025. 

 

We cover 

• Superintendent’s Report

• Budget book, zero based budget effort

• Teacher evaluations underway

• Update on clubs for FHS & Middle School

• FHS club fair held, 35 clubs presented, looking to finalize what's active with signups and payments to confirm membership. If not all to operate there are additional proposals being developed that could be implemented in lieu of some that didn't make it. High school has a late bus confirmed, awaiting word from bus company on one for the middle school

• Middle school working on confirming advisors and also setting survey to determine student club interest. Hopeful of get the matching done during November

• Franklin Food Pantry presentation by Laura Doherty and Tina Powderly. Much work to create awareness, address stigma, expand the availability of food for those who need it. Lots of coordination, collaboration underway with the School District, more to come. Empty Bowls will continue, looking also to expand and offer bowl workshops outside of the high school to the community. Looking into why middle school students who were part of the back pack program don't continue with it into high school

• Good of the order raised the following items

• Consideration of removing restrictions on citizen comment about something on the agenda, esp. now as it is at the end of the meeting; could be an opportunity to gain immediate feedback on something discussed during the meeting

• A public education slot to share info on current topics, to help address the misinformation still bantered about in the social media channels

• Do something to help the new Town Council get up to speed quickly, perhaps to include a tour of the schools, many don't seem aware of the details of daily operations

• Entered into Executive Session not to return to open meeting

The meeting recap runs about 30 minutes, so let’s listen in.

Audio link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1552-chalkboard-chat-10-16-25/

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

School Committee Chair Callaghan condenses
their recent meeting in this
Chalkboard Chat session (audio)

Contact info for Dave Callaghan -> callaghand@franklinps.net   

Franklin TV video is available for replay -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEwf-tNffMs 

The agenda doc -> https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_10142025-1948 

The packet folder also contains other docs released before or after the meeting

https://www.franklinps.net/documents/departments/school-committee/meeting-packets/2025---26-meeting-packets/october-14%2C-2025-sc-meeting-packet/857413 

My full set of notes in one PDF -> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dKcjoQ-fFsLF7j1sNbpxy6QuusaqtBZG/view?usp=drive_link 

Franklin Food Pantry Infographic as shared during the meeting -> 

Franklin Food Pantry Infographic

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

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"