Panther News for Friday, March 25, 2022, a half day for all schools in Franklin as a professional development day for faculty.
Video link -> https://youtu.be/Ucrp9CHgBuk
Friday, March 25, 2022
"despite legislation having good intentions, there can be unforeseen cost elements"
"The State Auditor’s Division of Local Mandates released a report yesterday that identified 29 state statutes passed between 2016 and 2020 that have a significant financial impact on Massachusetts cities and towns without sufficient state funding to offset the costs.
The “Five-Year Statutory Fiscal Impact Report” finds that the state continues to pass laws that often require resources from cities and towns for implementation, and that these measures are largely financed by local property taxes as state aid lags behind increasing local costs. The report also documents that state aid as a share of total municipal revenue decreased between fiscal 2010 and fiscal 2020, while state assessments on cities and towns increased. "
Continue reading article online ->
Download a copy of the full report here ->
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| “Five-Year Statutory Fiscal Impact Report” |
Registration is open for Summer 2022 Music Programs with Lifelong Learning
Lifelong Music Academy
July 25 - August 5, 2022
8:30 am – 12:30 pm
Summer Music is back! Sign up your student for 40 hours of musical instruction over two weeks. The two week program includes ensemble rehearsals, recreational time, and a concert on the last day. Location varies based on program. Click the link for complete details.
CONCERT BAND – For students entering grades 5-6 with 1 or 2 years of experience.
SYMPHONIC BAND – For students entering grades 7-9 with 1 or more years of experience.
ROCK BAND JR. – For students entering grades 4-6, no experience is necessary.
CONCERT STRINGS – For students entering grades 4-5 with 1 or 2 years of experience.
SYMPHONIC STRINGS – For students entering grades 6-9 with 1 or more years of experience.
SUMMER ELEMENTARY GLEE – For students entering grades 3-5, no experience necessary.
SUMMER MIDDLE SCHOOL GLEE – For students entering grades 6-9, no experience necessary.
QUESTIONS? Email MusicAcademy@franklinps.net.
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| Registration open for Summer 2022 Music Programs with Lifelong Learning |
"housing assistance programs have been gradually scaling down"
"AS A FEDERAL rental assistance program winds down, housing advocates are looking to the state to help fill the gap. But the state assistance programs are not as generous as the federal program was, leading to concerns that struggling tenants – particularly tenants of color – could increasingly face evictions. Housing assistance will be up for debate Thursday as the state Senate considers its version of a $1.6 billion supplemental budget bill.
On Tuesday, Homes for All Massachusetts and researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology released a report which found that evictions are disproportionately occurring in Black and Latino neighborhoods, neighborhoods with more single mother heads of households, areas with absentee and corporate landlords, and in central and southeast Massachusetts. Of all evictions filed between October 2020 and October 2021, 43 percent were in neighborhoods where a majority of residents are non-white, even though only 32 percent of rental housing is in these areas."
Continue reading the article online ->
More info from the National Low Income Housing Coalition on MA housing
Weekly Wellness Update: Tuberculosis Awareness Day
Today (3/24/22) is Tuberculosis Awareness Day. Without treatment, 1 in 10 people with latent TB infection will develop TB disease.
Learn more at: www.cdc.gov/tb
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| Weekly Wellness Update: Tuberculosis Awareness Day |
Shared from the Town of Franklin Health Dept -> https://franklintown.regroup.com/networks/franklintown/groups/health-department/topics/weekly-wellness-update-20220324140919
Governor wants to reimage downtowns; offers businesses a $4K hiring bonus
“The future of downtowns is going to be different, whether we like it or not,” Gov. Charlie Baker told the breakfast gathering. “We need to start the process of reimagining the placemaking of downtowns so they can thrive and be successful in what will be a slightly different world in many cases and a significantly different world in some cases.”
Baker plans to file an economic development bill to aid downtowns struggling amid the work-from-home pattern that took hold during the pandemic – and seems here to stay, at least in some form. The Legislature deep-sixed a downtown aid package Baker filed last year. Details of the new proposal have not been revealed, but the Globe said Baker expects to propose using a combination of bonding and the $2 billion in unspent American Rescue Plan Act money to fund the plan. "
Continue reading the article online
"FRUSTRATED AT the disconnect in Massachusetts between available jobs and available employees, the Baker administration is offering for-profit and non-profit employers $4,000 for each new worker they hire this year.The goal of the HireNow program is to give employers an incentive to recruit and train workers who they normally would not bring in for an interview because of their lack of skills. “This is a great opportunity to say there’s no experience needed,” said Rosalin Acosta, the governor’s secretary of labor and workforce development. She unveiled the program along with Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito at a press conference Wednesday at LabCentral, a Cambridge-based incubator in the biotech and life sciences sectors."
Continue reading the article online
HireNow page -> https://www.mass.gov/hirenow
Franklin TV and wfpr.fm schedule for Friday, Mar 25, 2022
- wfpr.fm or 102.9 on the FM dial = Friday
9:00a/12:00p /6:00p Chapters – Jim Derick Insightful, life-affirming stories and interviews
10:00a/1:00p/7:00p Music to Lift the Spirit - Jim Derick & Frank Falvey
11:00a/2:00p/8:00pm Senior Story Hour – Senior Center Scribblers Group
- Franklin All Access TV - Our Public Access Channel (Comcast 8, Verizon 26) = FRIDAY
7:00 am Norfolk County Prevention Coalition: Safety on the Roads
8:29 am Mass Department of Public Health: CO-VID 19
9:00 am Frank Presents: Greg Dowd
10:00 am Physician Focus: Unequal Treatment: Disparities in Health Care
11:00 am Senior Connection: Kitchen Gadgets Pt. 2
11:30 am Norfolk County Prevention Coalition: Safety on the Roads
12:00 pm Brook'n'Cookin: Scones
12:30 pm Sandhya: Donuts
1:00:00 pm Mass Department of Public Health: CO-VID 19
1:30:00 pm Pizzapalooza: White Pizza
2:00 pm New England Candlepins: Summer 2018 Show 5
3:00 pm The Black Box: Electric Youth 2022
7:00 pm SAFE Coalition: Kyle Brodeur
8:00 pm Senior Connection: Kitchen Gadgets Pt. 2
8:30 pm The Black Box: Electric Youth 2022
- Franklin Pride TV - Our Educational Channel (Comcast 96, Verizon 28) = FRIDAY
7:00 am Public School Event: Lifelong Winter Music 2021
8:30 am It Takes A Village: Philip Hulbig
9:30 am FHS Varsity Wrestling: v Taunton 0-12-22
11:30 am FHS Girls Varsity Basketball: v Springfield Central 03-12-22
1:30 pm Public School Event: Concert Hour Day 2
3:30 pm Public School Event: Remington Winter Music 2021
9:00 pm FHS Boys Varsity Hockey: v Hingham 03-08-22
- Franklin Town Hall TV - Our Government Channel (Comcast 11, Verizon 29) = FRIDAY
8:00 am Zoning Board of Appeals: 01-27-22
11:00 am Joint Budget Subcommittee: 03-10-22
2:00 pm Zoning Board of Appeals: 01-27-22
Get this week's program guide for Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) online http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf
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| Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) |
Thursday, March 24, 2022
Critical Conversations: The Impact of Social Media - March 24
The Franklin Substance Abuse Task Force (SAFT) will host their second installment of their Critical Conversations series on Thursday, March 24, from 6 PM – 8 PM at the Franklin High School auditorium, via Zoom and on Franklin.TV. The night will focus on the impact of social media on the social emotional wellbeing of youth.
As the keynote speaker, Georgia Wells, tech journalist for the Wall Street Journal, will kick off the event speaking on how the tech companies behind social media and the effects on young people. The Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, Karyn Polito will provide additional remarks addressing state level initiatives regarding social media usage.
The event will be supplemented by a panel of local school guidance counselors, Representative Jeff Roy, SAFE Coalition Director Jen Knight-Levine, an FHS student and the Franklin marketing and communications specialist. The panel was curated to offer various perspectives on the topic of social media and will be followed by an audience question and answer session.
The context from this event will pair well with film-based education program LIKE, which is being viewed this week in wellness 9 and 10 classes, as well as in the high school health and physical education electives. With the fiscal support from the SAFE Coalition, Franklin Public Schools is able to offer free district-wide access to the film for families to view in the comfort of their homes. The film was made available to stream on Monday, March 20 at 5 PM and is open until Sunday, March 27 at 11:45 PM.
The goal of these cumulative efforts is to empower families to feel confident utilizing the knowledge and resources provided from the LIKE screening and Critical Conversations event to work towards establishing a healthy relationship with social media.
FPS sent out communications internally to its constituents regarding how to access the film LIKE. All viewers will need to enter their email address and create a password to access the film. Once registered, you will receive a confirmation email, access to the film, resources and post-viewing survey.
Interested in our Critical Conversations panel?
Check out our Facebook event page or our district event page.
Check out our Facebook event page or our district event page.
You can learn more about LIKE here: https://www.thelikemovie.com/
About the Franklin Substance Abuse Task Force
https://www.franklinps.net/district/substance-abuse-education/news/critical-conversations-impact-social-media-viewing
The SATF is proudly represented by students, parents, administration, faculty, counselors, athletics, SAFE Coalition, medical professionals, SROs, school committee members, and elected officials. The mission of the SAFT is to promote community awareness and education surrounding the issue of substance abuse in Franklin as well as develop substance abuse prevention and intervention strategies in supporting working with students & families, as well as school based and community based prevention strategies.Shared from the Town of Franklin page ->
https://www.franklinps.net/district/substance-abuse-education/news/critical-conversations-impact-social-media-viewing
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| Critical Conversations: The Impact of Social Media - March 24 |
For Zoom info check out the event page -> https://www.franklinps.net/district/events/85546
FY 2023 School Budget hearing (audio & transcript) - 03/22/22
FM #757 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 757 in the series.
This session of the radio show shares the School Committee meeting held Tuesday, March 22, 2022.
The bulk of the meeting was the official public hearing for the FY 2023 school budget.
Superintendent Sara Ahern, Asst Supt Lucas Giguere, and Business Manager Miriam Goodman were the primary presenters for the overview of the budget. School Committee Chair Denise Spencer then read the budget major lines, recording ‘holds’ along the way which then lead to the question period by the committee and then the public. The budget will come to the Committee at the Apr 12 meeting when they will vote on it.
NEW: A transcript of the recording is available. The transcript is part of a pilot by Franklin Matters using the transcription service provided by Otter.ai https://otter.ai/
The meeting opened at 7 PM and ran approx. 2 hours and 35 minutes.
Audio file -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-757-school-cmte-mtg-fy-2023-budget-hearing-03-22-22
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Meeting packet folder -> https://www.franklinps.net/district/school-committee/pages/march-22-2022-school-committee-meeting-packet
Budget tab (with this proposed budget and prior budgets) -> https://www.franklinps.net/district/school-district-budget
Meeting transcript -> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZJGhMT7D0A5kkrWVSB-fvrQgwril-lDX/view?usp=sharing
My notes ->
https://drive.google.com/file/d/18oZq9R2K7-viFx3WMI5-lcDumfgBdpZf/view?usp=sharing
Photos captured during the meeting can be found in one album -> https://photos.app.goo.gl/VgonZCSdb6Jn3EYz9
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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
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"
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| FY 2023 School Budget hearing (audio & transcript) - 03/22/22 |
Marchand named MVP, leads multiple FHS boys and girls as Hockomock League All Stars
Below are the official 2022 Hockomock League Boys & Girls Hockey All Stars, selected by the coaches in the league. We share the FHS selections and provide links below for the full League listing.
HOCKOMOCK LEAGUE MVP
- Dylan Marchand, Franklin
HOCKOMOCK LEAGUE ALL STARS
- Dylan Marchand, Franklin
- Ben Jarosz, Franklin
- Christian Shabbick, Franklin
- Ben Paterson, Franklin
Honorable Mentions
- Cole Pouliot-Porter, Franklin
HOCKOMOCK LEAGUE ALL STARS
- Shaw Downing, Franklin
- Lindsay Dennett, Franklin
- Julia Flynn, Franklin
- Molly Hurley, Franklin
Honorable Mentions
- Avery Greco, Franklin
Complete Hockomock League listing for boys
Complete Hockomock League listing for girls
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| Marchand named MVP, leads multiple FHS boys and girls as Hockomock League All Stars |
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