The full listing is available here (DOC)
Residency
Residency waivers and concerns arising from private entities such as sports boarding facilities within district boundaries and the implications of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Act impact district budgets (also see above). Sports boarding camps attract players from various towns, states and countries. Local districts are required to educate said students without regard to tuition payments because residency statutes state that if a student is not at such a facility “solely for the purpose of education,” they are allowed to attend at no cost to the student.
• Residency also becomes an issue when a residential special education institution is located in a Massachusetts community. Students admitted to that institution sometimes attract the family, or a guardian member of the family, to relocate to the community for purposes of being closer to the resident student. This includes formerly out of state as well as in-state residency shifts and families with multiple residents. Such shifts determine assignment of costs to the host resident community.
• While there is local control on the admission to kindergarten there is a great deal of differentiation of starting age. Under choice students may be entered into a district at an earlier age and then require placement at the resident school district.
Vocational Education
School districts allow students to attend out-of-district vocational schools when programs are not offered in the regional district to which the local district belongs. Unlike the Charter School Reimbursement, there is no apparent reimbursement for vocational placement, though the vocational student, like the charter student, is counted in the Foundation Budget of the sending district. In addition, school districts are required to transport these secondary students to the schools of their choice. There is only partial (up to 50%) reimbursement for vocational education transportation.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
State Education Mandates - Part 7
From time to time, particular around the budget period, reference is generally made to Franklin Public Schools having to support "unfunded mandates." I managed to find a listing of such compiled by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. This is part 7 of the series:
Amy Speace at The Circle of Friends Coffeehouse - 4/4/09
Amy Speace and her band, the Tearjerks, will perform at the Circle of Friends Coffeehouse on Saturday, April 4th at 8:00 PM. This New York-based singer/songwriter demonstrates why she's quickly become one of her adopted hometown's most celebrated emerging artists. Possessing a commanding voice, a distinctive melodic sensibility and an uncanny knack for nailing complex emotions in song, Speace makes music that's both illuminating and effortlessly accessible. Time Out New York stated, "Amy Speace plays sweet, twangy folk music with a clear voice and an innocent vulnerability," while The Nashville Scene noted that she "balances wry humor with open-hearted honesty." And renowned Nashville critic Robert K. Oermann, writing in Music Row, dubbed her a "new star."
"Amy Speace has one of those fetching voices, the kind that taps you on the shoulder and motions seductively for you to follow it around corner after dark corner. You don't know where you're going to end up or how you'll ever find your way back, but that doesn't matter right now: you're enjoying the trip." Scott Brodeur, No Depression
Here is a clip of her song "The weight of the World" to entice you to attend and hear her in person.
Enjoy!
The Circle of Friends Coffeehouse website is here
The Amy Speace website is here
Friday, March 27, 2009
"learning is not a linear exercise, it’s random, it’s self-directed, it looks like spaghetti."
It’s been a great 10 days in Australia, one that’s been too packed for much blogging, obviously, and one that was highlighted yesterday by a visit to one of those “I really wish my kids went to school there” type of schools in a Melbourne suburb. It’s hard to capture everything that’s cool about the Wooranna Park Primary School in a blog post, but let me boil it down to this: the kids are driving the learning, from the design of the school and the curriculum to the decision making around school policy and more. It’s one of those inquiry-based learning environments where the moment you step into it you just feel something different. Different spaces. Different colors. Different conversations. Different stuff up on the walls.Read the full posting by Wil Richardson on his blog here.
Franklin has been a model district for others in the state to come and view, especially with regards to the kindergarten program. Will that continue?
Franklin, we will need to decide which way we want to go. We can step up to properly fund the schools and our future. Or not.
What will Franklin decide?
YouTube Edu - 100+ Colleges on YouTube
Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:
via Free Technology for Teachers by rbyrnetech@hotmail.com (Mr. Byrne) on 3/26/09
It looks like YouTube is making an attempt to be a little more school friendly. YouTube recently launched YouTube Edu. As Read Write Web reported, YouTube Edu is the aggregation of more than 100 college and university videos from the institutions themselves. The videos include college campus tours as well as lectures from professors. YouTube Edu can be searched by institution, by popularity, or by topic.Applications for Education
If YouTube is not blocked in your school district, YouTube Edu could be a nice resource for those involved in helping students research and select a college to attend. The lecture videos could provide a nice complement to instruction in a high school setting.
If YouTube is blocked in your school, you may want to look at some of these alternatives:
20+ Educational Alternatives to YouTube
Six More Educational Alternatives to YouTube
Academic Earth
Next Vista
Save 20% on all books & DVDs from National Geographic!
Things you can do from here:
- Subscribe to Free Technology for Teachers using Google Reader
- Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites
"make sure those who are underage are not able to get liquor"
GHS
FRANKLIN —
The Franklin Mobil Inc. faces a possible suspension of its liquor license after allegedly selling alcohol to a minor, police announced yesterday.
A clerk at The Franklin Mobil, 660 West Central St. (Rte. 140), sold a six-pack of Bud Light to a 20-year-old man in a sting operation March 13, said police Lt. Thomas J. Lynch.
"We had an underage operative go into the Mobil gas station, he grabbed a six-pack of Bud Light, put the money on the counter, the guy rang it up and he handed over the money and walked out with a six-pack in a brown paper bag," Lynch said.
The clerk did not ask for identification, Lynch said.
Mobil management could not be reached for comment yesterday.
The Mobil store has not had any past offenses, he said.
Read the full article about this sting operations and others to be conducted here in the Milford Daily News.
"Capital projects like the senior center did not put the town in debt"
GHS
FRANKLIN —
In one of its final tweakings of a long-term financial plan and report for the town, the Fiscal Planning Committee decided its wants to stress that the recession is not responsible for Franklin's recurring deficit.
"We have a crisis trend, a recurring fiscal deficit ... and it's been exacerbated by the macro-fiscal crisis," said Councilor Shannon Zollo.
The committee should give one set of recommendations for dealing with the current crisis in the short term, and another set for ending the structural deficit, Zollo suggested.
Echoing Zollo's sentiments, Vice Chairman Doug Hardesty said, "The fundamental message is, with or without this economic crisis, this problem exists in Franklin."
Committee members agreed that they do not want people to have a misperception that the recent salary freezes agreed to by town unions solves the structural deficit problem.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
State Education Mandates - Part 6
From time to time, particular around the budget period, reference is generally made to Franklin Public Schools having to support "unfunded mandates." I managed to find a listing of such compiled by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. This is Part 6 in the series:
Note: on the length of the school year, it is defined in days (180 required) but as we recently found out with the Horace Mann/Oak Street complex problem, the State has not yet defined how much time qualifies as a "day" of school.
CurriculumThe full listing is available here (DOC)
Frameworks. Districts revise and create new curricula to conform to the state curriculum frameworks and demands for timely update as the revises and updates frameworks on a regular basis. This work must be done after school and during the summer. Instruction hours must provide at minimum 990/900 hours of instructional time.
Individual Student Success Plans. Districts are required to deploy administrative, teaching, secretarial, guidance, and technology staff and resources (including but not limited to intervention programs in ELA and Math) to ensure that students receive additional support services that address individual student needs as a result of statewide assessment mandates (MCAS). Instructional support and resources such as texts, workbooks, and online instruction are examples of areas that require increases in expenditures.
Curriculum Requirements. The Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks require that districts provide additional instructional staff (e.g. health teachers and guidance staff) to ensure that all curriculum areas are addressed. The periodic review and alignment of every curriculum area requires substantial investment in time (including committee review, curriculum development, printing and dissemination of curricula) and resources (texts, consumable items, and online access).
The length of the school year (180 days) requirement impacts costs incurred for snow and ice removal and climate control in multiple buildings.
Note: on the length of the school year, it is defined in days (180 required) but as we recently found out with the Horace Mann/Oak Street complex problem, the State has not yet defined how much time qualifies as a "day" of school.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Financial Plng Comm 03/26/09
The live reporting from the Financial Planning Committee meeting held 3/26/98
Live reporting - Financial Plng cont'd
let's get to the "what we can do about this"
One point was to prove that we have been fiscally responsible. It has been done, the recent bond rating proves that point as well. We should continue to manage in the fiscally conservative manner as we have done.
Should add "reduction in property value" as a bullet? This is a big fear of a lot of folks.
the compensation package for employees needs to be sustainable as well as competitive
discussion on splitting the focus group into two, one group comes at 7:00 and one comes at 8:00.
April 2 -
- If we don't provide funding, the quality of education and services will go down.
- We would need to look the inherent cost structure of salaries and benefits.
- We would need to look at the unfunded mandates.
One point was to prove that we have been fiscally responsible. It has been done, the recent bond rating proves that point as well. We should continue to manage in the fiscally conservative manner as we have done.
Should add "reduction in property value" as a bullet? This is a big fear of a lot of folks.
the compensation package for employees needs to be sustainable as well as competitive
discussion on splitting the focus group into two, one group comes at 7:00 and one comes at 8:00.
April 2 -
Live reporting - Financial Planning Committee 3/26/09
Attending: Ogden, Zollo, Kelly, Hardesty, Bartlett, Trahan, Cameron
Missing: Whalen, Nutting, Roche, Wilschek
---------
Note: I am joining meeting late as I was participating in the Steering Committee for the School District Strategic Planning process. I'll catch up to the earlier points when I have had a chance to listen to my recording.
---------
Reviewing the current deck and providing feedback on the contents and positioning of the slides
There needs to be an explanation of the difference between operational and capital dollars.
Missing: Whalen, Nutting, Roche, Wilschek
---------
Note: I am joining meeting late as I was participating in the Steering Committee for the School District Strategic Planning process. I'll catch up to the earlier points when I have had a chance to listen to my recording.
---------
Reviewing the current deck and providing feedback on the contents and positioning of the slides
There needs to be an explanation of the difference between operational and capital dollars.
New Cafe Dolce sign
Cool interview with Dave and BJ at the soon to open Cafe Dolce here in Franklin, originally uploaded by shersteve.
I spent a few minutes Dave Purpura and BJ Carlucci this afternoon at the soon to open Cafe Dolce coffehouse here in downtown Franklin.
The results of the interview and additional pictures will be posted in a day or so.
Teacher salary freezes are not the solution to Franklin's financial issues
Disclosure: Mrs Sherlock teaches kindergarten at the Oak Street School. Our two daughters are the product of Franklin's school system, both graduated from FHS and (#1) is out in the working world and (#2) is working to complete her college studies.
The financial issues here in Franklin have been brewing for many years. Jeff Nutting, our fantastic Town Administrator, has worked very well to operate within the constraints provided by the Franklin voters. The Franklin portion of the overall Town budget has declined from about 70% to 50% as we benefited from political connections and the generosity of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
The real issue that will require action is the unfunded Federal and State mandates that drive the costs up. The impact is seen mostly on the school side but there are almost equal restrictions on the Town side.
The time has come to understand the mandates that have been imposed upon us and to take on the Don Quixote approach to go tilting the State House and other government bodies to get these mandates changed.
A listing of the mandates driving the school budget is being posted on Franklin Matters. This listing was compiled by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. The listing can be found here: http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/search?q=%22state+education+mandates%22
Let's not make the teachers the scape goat because you think they are an easy target.
Let's focus our energy on getting the systemic changes made so we not only get this resolved once but for all.
I am ready to charge the ivory towers to get unfunded mandates changed. Will you join me?
Flickr photo credit
"thought that I better get out just in case"
GHS
FRANKLIN —
The boiler room of Franklin Paint Co., at 259 Cottage St., suffered structural damage when it caught on fire at about 1:30 p.m. yesterday, said Fire Chief Gary McCarraher. No one was hurt.
The fire was quickly contained, though firefighters tore at the building from the roof to ventilate it and check for fire inside the walls, McCarraher said.
The fire appeared to be accidental, McCarraher said. It broke out after some employees were doing work in the boiler room. The fire was under control about half an hour later, he said.
"Raw materials in the boiler room caught on fire and damage spread to the roof," McCarraher said. "The structure of the boiler room has a lot of damage, and there is light smoke damage throughout the room."
Read the full article about the fire in the Milford Daily News here
"asking employees to take the brunt from a lack of planning"
GHS
FRANKLIN —
Responding to the School Committee's plea for a salary freeze to save teachers' jobs, the head of the teachers' union is saying it's unlikely.
"I'm particularly concerned that they're looking at teachers to bail people out, because it's just such a tough place to be," said Franklin Education Association President Chandler Creedon, who is a school psychologist at Horace Mann Middle School.
The district is facing a worst-case scenario of a $2.9 million budget deficit.
Agreeing to freeze salaries will save $800,000 and only 15 or 16 teachers, Creedon said.
If everyone also stayed frozen in their lane and step, Creedon said, the town would save $1,760,000.
"I don't even want to consider the lane and step freeze," Creedon said.
Part of the reason teachers receive such pay increases is to offset the cost of obtaining a master's degree, which is required for educational licensure within five years of hire, he said.
The average teacher must invest $38,000 to keep their job, he said.
"We'd like to talk about options and not giving up a negotiated pay raise," Creedon said.
Read the full article about the complicated situation in the Milford Daily News here
"the situation got out of control"
GHS
FRANKLIN —
Police have charged a 17-year-old from Wrentham with raping a 17-year-old Franklin girl behind Town Hall earlier this month.
Following questioning on March 18, police charged Brian K. Poirier, of 510 Franklin St., Wrentham, a King Philip Regional High School student.
Police learned about the alleged rape when Franklin High School Assistant Principal Joseph DiLorenzo told Officer Donald MacLean on March 17 that the victim, a Franklin High student, needed to talk to him, MacLean wrote in the police report.
The girl told MacLean that Poirier, who worked with her, had been pursuing her via text messages. On March 6, she agreed to go with him to McDonald's during their work breaks around 7 p.m., MacLean said.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
State Education Mandates - Part 5
From time to time, particular around the budget period, reference is generally made to Franklin Public Schools having to support "unfunded mandates." I managed to find a listing of such compiled by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. This is Part 5 in the series:
The full listing is available here (DOC)
Home Schooling
The district must monitor and document all home-schooled students. This includes identifying families and reviewing detailed home schooling plans for compliance with state guidelines. Though school districts are required to provide this oversight there are not funding or reporting requirements to or from the state.
MCAS Testing
MCAS testing is required annually in grades 3 through 10. Students must pass the grade 10 testing in math and English in order to graduate from high school. All students must be proficient in English/Math by 2014, requiring needed extra help and extra time on task to meet this goal. District must continually upgrade the curriculum to keep up with the testing.
• Districts must provide special tutoring for students who do not do well in the testing and must track and contact non-graduates if they fail MCAS. This requires guidance time and mailings.
• The costs for instructional time and funds associated with the preparation for, documentation for, administration of, and reporting about the multiple assessments in grades 3-10 are difficult to quantify.
The full listing is available here (DOC)
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
"That would be wonderful,"
GHS
MEDWAY —
Medway Public Library is on the verge of certification, after being outside the Minuteman Library Network for nearly three years, said Robert Maier, director of the state's Board of Library Commissioners.
"Everything I've heard from (Medway Board of Library Trustees Chairwoman) Wendy Rowe suggests, if Town Meeting approves a (sufficient) budget, the library should be cued up to come back to the program and have certification," said Maier.
While there are three major requirements that Medway must meet to rejoin, the biggest variable is getting a qualified library director - and sharing Franklin's library Director Felicia Oti a few days a week will do the trick, he said.
Oti works a total of 35 hours per week in Franklin. If the sharing agreement goes forward, she will spend about 14 of those 35 hours in Medway. Oti's annual salary is about $80,000. Medway would cover about $32,000 of her salary, explained Rowe who is acting director of Medway library.
"If Medway makes an arrangement for a part-time director, that will meet the requirement of the (certification) program. ... It's my hope it works out that way for Medway, it's been a long time," Maier said.
Read the full article about the combination of the Franklin and Medway libraries in the Milford Daily News here
"Last night's proposals are not the final word"
GHS
FRANKLIN —
Faced with the prospect of cutting 62 jobs, the School Committee last night urged teachers and other staff to take a pay freeze that could save $1 million.
Reading from a prepared statement, School Committee Chairman Jeffrey Roy officially asked the 600-member Franklin Education Association to voluntarily take a pay freeze.
"Time is of the essence," Roy said.
Besides teachers, the association represents teachers aides, nurses, secretaries and van drivers.
Superintendent Wayne Ogden also appealed to residents to call state Rep. James Vallee, D-Franklin, and state Sen. Scott Brown, R-Wrentham, to pressure them to stop the state's supposed plan to renege on its offer of $448,381 in stimulus money to Franklin schools.
Read the full article about the budget cuts in the Milford Daily News here
You can also read the live reporting from the meeting summarized here
State Education Mandates - Part 4
From time to time, particular around the budget period, reference is generally made to Franklin Public Schools having to support "unfunded mandates." I managed to find a listing of such compiled by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. This is Part 4 in the series:
The full listing is available here (DOC)
McKinney-Vento and Costs Associated with Homeless and Transient Students
This component of No Child Left Behind requires that schools accept any homeless student who wishes to attend the public school. In addition, McKinney-Vento requires the school district to transport any homeless students living in town to the schools in their old home district.
Services to English Language Learners
Provides required ELL services to all students who are not fluent in English. Specially certified teachers must provide this service. There are educational materials and testing costs associated with the ELL services that are provided.
• All classroom teachers who service ELL students in their classrooms must have ten hours of training each year until they fulfill a requirement of 50 hours of training.
• All communications that need to be sent to the homes of all students (not just ELL) whose parents do not speak English as their first language must be translated into their native languages.
• ELL training is required even when only one (1) student in the district is an ELL student.
• Districts are required to provide Sheltered English Immersion services for students whose first language is not English. Districts are responsible for developing procedural manuals, forms, parent outreach, interpreters, and translation of documents. Districts are also required to provide Sheltered English Immersion training in Categories 1, 2, 3, and 4 for all staff who work with English Language Learners. All levels and types of services as provided for English-speaking students must be provided for ELL students in their primary language. Every student whose first language is not English is required to be assessed, to determine language proficiency upon registration and admission to the public school; stages of language acquisition need to be determined in order to identify the level of services required for each student. Students must also be supported by staff members in order for them to participate in Massachusetts English Language Acquisition – Oral (MELA-O) and Massachusetts English Proficiency Assessment (MEPA) in reading and writing as well as the MCAS assessments.
The full listing is available here (DOC)
Kindergarten Information Night Schedule
FRANKLIN - Parents of children who will be attending kindergarten in the fall are invited to attend the Kindergarten Information Night at their particular school.
Following are the dates and times:
J.F. Kennedy Elementary, Wednesday, April 8, at 6:30 p.m.;
Parmenter Elementary, Tuesday, April 14, at 6:30;
Jefferson Elementary, Wednesday, April 15, at 6;
Helen Keller Elementary, Wednesday, April 15, at 6:30;
Davis Thayer Elementary, Thursday, April 16, at 6:30
Oak Street School, Wednesday, April 29, 6:30.
Originally posted online at WickedLocal/Franklin Gazette here
Franklin's Earth Day Celebration
Franklin's Earth Day Celebration
Saturday April 18th, 2009
Beaver Pond
Starts at 9:00 AM
Volunteer to clean up targeted areas and assist with planting flowers and shrubs around Franklin.
- Please bring your own water bottle.
- Please bring your own gloves and rakes.
- Community service certificates will be issued.
- T-shirts to the first 200 volunteers.
- Clean up goes to 1:00 PM
Get some Eco-Info at Beaver Pond:
- Water conservation kits and rain barrel display.
- Mercury thermometer exchange for digital thermometers.
- Recycling tips and composting information.
- Energy conservation tips.
- Much more ! ! !
You can register on the Town website here
School Committee Meeting 03/24/09
The collection of posts from the School Committee meeting held 3/24/09
- Live reporting - closing
- live reporting - action items
- Live reporting - general Q&A
- Live reporting - High School
- Live reporting - Middle Schools
- Live reporting - Elementary Q&A
- Live reporting - Elementary schools
- Live reporting - FY 2010 overview
- Live reporting - FY 2010 Budget
- Live reporting - Strategic Planning update
- Live reporting - Capital projects at FHS
- Live reporting - presentations
- Live reporting - School Committee 3/24/09
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
SchCom Letter to FEA
The letter as read by School Committee Chair Jeffrey Roy during the meeting 3/24/09:
Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io
Live reporting - closing
nothing else on the agenda was needed, they are going into Executive Session on one matter not to return.
live reporting - action items
4. Action Items
- I recommend approval of the remington recurring field trip to Providence Place Mall for Remington Middle School students as detailed. Approved 7-0
- I recommend approval of the Budget Transfers as detailed. Approved 7-0
- I recommend acceptance of a check for $136.67 from Target’s Take Charge of Education program for Horace Mann Middle School’s in-house enrichment. Approved 7-0
- I recommend acceptance of a check for $188.30 from Target’s Take Charge of Education program for Annie Sullivan Middle School’s gift account. Approved 7-0
- I recommend acceptance of a check for $107.18 from Target’s Take Charge of Education program for Remington Middle School’s scholarship fund. Approved 7-0
- I recommend acceptance of a check for $3,600.00 from the Parmenter PCC for the following field trips: Gr. 2 - Stony Brook; Gr. 3 – Plimoth Plantation; Gr. 4 – Museum of Science; and Gr. 5 – Freedom Trail. Approved 7-0
- I recommend approval of the FHS Girl’s Lacrosse Team recurring field trip to Guilford, CT for a Scrimmage and Dinner on April 4-5, 2009. Approved 7-0
- I recommend preliminary approval of the FHS Track Team’s trip to Philadelphia, PA/Mt. Laurel, NJ on April 22-24, 2009 for the Penn Relay track meet if they qualify for the event. Approved 7-0
- I recommend acceptance of the donation of 50 disposable cameras from CVS for the Davis Thayer 5th grade graduating class. Approved 7-0
Live reporting - general Q&A
Trahan - To summarize, the time line is still unclear, how the revenue will be distributed amongst the Town departments is still unclear? And you mentioned the survey amongst the high school teachers, so have others been duly involved, informed, etc.
Ogden - yes, the principals have been talking with them, Maureen and I are also cycling around to the schools and PCC's.
Armenio - I am worried about "finding money". These stimulus funds are one time funds, they are not in the revenue base.
Ogden - yes, the Federal stimulus is two years, the state portion is coming, the answer as to whether it deducts from Chap 70 or not is unknown.
Ogden - the late bus is not in this budget
Sabolinski - we stopped protecting class size about two years ago, the educational gaps are growing, the last bastion of curriculum and instructional support is within the elementary level. There is no district wide instructional support.
Ogden - this is totally new and potentially devastating to the budget (covering for the unemployment within the school budget), it spirals down a hole
Cafasso - I am not convinced about the half day kindergarten. In order to keep class sizes reasonable (albeit high) we have to short change the kids in their initial year? I am not convinced of it at this point. I am not convinced that a school closure and a re-districting might not be a solution.
Mullen - we haven't had the conversation yet about what are the "sacred cows"? We still need to discuss those things. You haven't made the asst superintendent change and that is not in the presentation but should be.
Ogden - the vendor has offered a package that would cost the district $250,000 less if we did several things, 1 - larger co-pay for tier 1 and 2 drugs, 2 - some doctor visits.
Sabolinski - we also got a reduction as our claims were down. We have a healthy group.
Mullen - can you look at the high school fees?
Light - we are still in discussion on this, I think it would double the fees for sports. There would also be a simialr increase in activity fees.
Slight - we are $125/sport. Doubling would be $250. Compared to other towns, Canton for example is $350, we are lower.
Roy - I want to guauge the committee's feeling on fees? I would like to keep an open mind on fees. Other consessions might be out there.
Roy reads a letter to the school teachers union president: a copy of this will be made available later. Formally asking the union for a wage freeze, the freeze would be applied to saving teachers.
Ogden - yes, the principals have been talking with them, Maureen and I are also cycling around to the schools and PCC's.
Armenio - I am worried about "finding money". These stimulus funds are one time funds, they are not in the revenue base.
Ogden - yes, the Federal stimulus is two years, the state portion is coming, the answer as to whether it deducts from Chap 70 or not is unknown.
Ogden - the late bus is not in this budget
Sabolinski - we stopped protecting class size about two years ago, the educational gaps are growing, the last bastion of curriculum and instructional support is within the elementary level. There is no district wide instructional support.
Ogden - this is totally new and potentially devastating to the budget (covering for the unemployment within the school budget), it spirals down a hole
Cafasso - I am not convinced about the half day kindergarten. In order to keep class sizes reasonable (albeit high) we have to short change the kids in their initial year? I am not convinced of it at this point. I am not convinced that a school closure and a re-districting might not be a solution.
Mullen - we haven't had the conversation yet about what are the "sacred cows"? We still need to discuss those things. You haven't made the asst superintendent change and that is not in the presentation but should be.
Ogden - the vendor has offered a package that would cost the district $250,000 less if we did several things, 1 - larger co-pay for tier 1 and 2 drugs, 2 - some doctor visits.
Sabolinski - we also got a reduction as our claims were down. We have a healthy group.
Mullen - can you look at the high school fees?
Light - we are still in discussion on this, I think it would double the fees for sports. There would also be a simialr increase in activity fees.
Slight - we are $125/sport. Doubling would be $250. Compared to other towns, Canton for example is $350, we are lower.
Roy - I want to guauge the committee's feeling on fees? I would like to keep an open mind on fees. Other consessions might be out there.
Roy reads a letter to the school teachers union president: a copy of this will be made available later. Formally asking the union for a wage freeze, the freeze would be applied to saving teachers.
Live reporting - High School
Peter Light, High School principal
Still referencing the presentation posted earlier here
Estimating an additional 92 students at the high school for next year
Science safety dictates 24 as class size, schedules were then worked to accomplish this
Net reduction of 17 staff at high school
4 support (1 asst principal, 1 guidance, 1 secretary, 1 librarian)
8 core academic
5 non-core
Avg class size grows to 47 and 45, numerically that is how it works out, we can't physically fit that many in a room
A reduction from 1017 hours of instructional time to 890 hours, which would be below the state requirements
Adverse impact of Scenario B, lowers the avg class size but increases the case load for a teacher up to 200!
Important slide maps the critical considerations according to this year and each of the scenarios, A and B
If we go with Scenario A, we would likely go from "warning" status to "probation".
Scenario A with 8 teachers added back...
Armenio - I can understand 30 elementary in a classroom, at the high school these are adult size bodies, where do they fit?
Light - not easily
Armenio - there is an issue at the high school with text books, with 92 coming in, where do we stand?
Ogden - we did put in requests for capital to purchase the additional books, per Jeff Nutting the Council will be acting on the capital requests shortly.
Cafasso - how does NEASC work with class size?
Ogden - NEASC doesn't get into the specifics, they are looking at the overall performance
Cafasso - I am struggling with some avg class sizes being lower at the high school than at the elementary level where they should be lower
Rohrbach - what is the avg class load for the high school?
Light - I believe it is 80-100 student class load
Mullen - Would you keep the three languages?
Light - yes, with either of these.
Cafasso - what if you did cut one language?
Light - that would affect anyone with the language requirement to go on to college.
Still referencing the presentation posted earlier here
Estimating an additional 92 students at the high school for next year
Science safety dictates 24 as class size, schedules were then worked to accomplish this
Net reduction of 17 staff at high school
4 support (1 asst principal, 1 guidance, 1 secretary, 1 librarian)
8 core academic
5 non-core
Avg class size grows to 47 and 45, numerically that is how it works out, we can't physically fit that many in a room
A reduction from 1017 hours of instructional time to 890 hours, which would be below the state requirements
Adverse impact of Scenario B, lowers the avg class size but increases the case load for a teacher up to 200!
Important slide maps the critical considerations according to this year and each of the scenarios, A and B
If we go with Scenario A, we would likely go from "warning" status to "probation".
Scenario A with 8 teachers added back...
Armenio - I can understand 30 elementary in a classroom, at the high school these are adult size bodies, where do they fit?
Light - not easily
Armenio - there is an issue at the high school with text books, with 92 coming in, where do we stand?
Ogden - we did put in requests for capital to purchase the additional books, per Jeff Nutting the Council will be acting on the capital requests shortly.
Cafasso - how does NEASC work with class size?
Ogden - NEASC doesn't get into the specifics, they are looking at the overall performance
Cafasso - I am struggling with some avg class sizes being lower at the high school than at the elementary level where they should be lower
Rohrbach - what is the avg class load for the high school?
Light - I believe it is 80-100 student class load
Mullen - Would you keep the three languages?
Light - yes, with either of these.
Cafasso - what if you did cut one language?
Light - that would affect anyone with the language requirement to go on to college.
Live reporting - Middle Schools
Library would be cut K-12
Many labs are not done this year at Annie Sullivan. 30 students in the lab does not create a safe environment for the lab to be conducted. This will spread to the other two middle schools with the increase in class sizes.
Math class size could be as high as 38!
Middle school is the foundation for the high school in math and science
The emotional needs of the 6th graders were considered. The effects are no less devastating across the school classes.
Between 0-3 years and between 11-14 years, the growth is critical.
Armenio - I did not understand case loads until about six weeks ago. If you are looking at an essay driven test or report, how long is that?
Ogden - for a 120 students, 10 minutes per student, would be 20 hours outside the classroom.
Armenio - without the proper feedback timing, the student would be continuing to make the mistakes.
Cafasso - foundational decision, with the cuts as they are, how were they allocated?
Ogden - 50% of the students are in the elementary by population, with the other 50% split between middle and high school.
Cafasso - no one wants to pit one level against another, how do we explain this?
Ogden - The worst scenario in the elementary school teacher would have 36 students to deal with, papers, etc. Compared to the middle school teacher with 120, and from 120-150 at the high school.
Cafasso - cuts were apportioned according to where the students are.
5 minute recess
Many labs are not done this year at Annie Sullivan. 30 students in the lab does not create a safe environment for the lab to be conducted. This will spread to the other two middle schools with the increase in class sizes.
Math class size could be as high as 38!
Middle school is the foundation for the high school in math and science
The emotional needs of the 6th graders were considered. The effects are no less devastating across the school classes.
Between 0-3 years and between 11-14 years, the growth is critical.
Armenio - I did not understand case loads until about six weeks ago. If you are looking at an essay driven test or report, how long is that?
Ogden - for a 120 students, 10 minutes per student, would be 20 hours outside the classroom.
Armenio - without the proper feedback timing, the student would be continuing to make the mistakes.
Cafasso - foundational decision, with the cuts as they are, how were they allocated?
Ogden - 50% of the students are in the elementary by population, with the other 50% split between middle and high school.
Cafasso - no one wants to pit one level against another, how do we explain this?
Ogden - The worst scenario in the elementary school teacher would have 36 students to deal with, papers, etc. Compared to the middle school teacher with 120, and from 120-150 at the high school.
Cafasso - cuts were apportioned according to where the students are.
5 minute recess
Live reporting - Elementary Q&A
Cafasso - from the enrollment numbers we see, I know how hard this would have been to figure out. The 30 reductions would be 25 teachers and 5 support.
Mullen - How many kindergarten teachers would be affected?
We would lose 9. With the 8 possible coming back, it would still be better to go with half day and improve the class sizes elsewhere in the elementary level.
Mullen - There is not a lot of items to play with at the elementary level. Teachers generally teach self contained, need prep time, etc.
Mullen - we haven't really talked about what are the "sacred cows"? We need to talk about where we want to invest the teachers back into the district.
Ogden - We did not proportion the addbacks. We targeted the two areas for reasons of class size.
Armenio - this is just devastating period. We haven't heard yet from the middle school and high school. If we go to half day, what does that do to preparation on the frameworks. We aren't teaching to the test but we do have MCAS to consider?
Kindergarten will only get half the material. Time in 1st grade would be spent going over material that could have been covered under the full day plan.
Ogden - Facilities is already visiting the classrooms to see how we could deconstruct to fit the amount of students into the classrooms. Computers, centers, etc would have to be moved out.
Goal is to reduce class size from K-5. The lower class size, the better academic success. Anything you see up there is higher than what we have seen this year.
Ogden - If the revenue picture improves, we can consider adding teachers back. This is the most dynamic budget we have worked with in years.
Rohrbach - if we add back the 8 positions, you're still recommending going with half day kindergarten. What would be the tipping point?
About in the 20's, you can't really teach 4th grade with 30 in the class.
Sabolinski - going to half day saves $700,000, closing Davis Thayer doesn't come close to that.
We don't want to do this (go to half day kindergarten).
Unemployment costs would be approx. $1.2 million. The Town may not cover that. We should be prepared to absorb that within the school budget.
This magnitude of cut would affect every teacher in their first three years and get significantly up into those with 4, 5 and 6 years of experience.
Mullen - How many kindergarten teachers would be affected?
We would lose 9. With the 8 possible coming back, it would still be better to go with half day and improve the class sizes elsewhere in the elementary level.
Mullen - There is not a lot of items to play with at the elementary level. Teachers generally teach self contained, need prep time, etc.
Mullen - we haven't really talked about what are the "sacred cows"? We need to talk about where we want to invest the teachers back into the district.
Ogden - We did not proportion the addbacks. We targeted the two areas for reasons of class size.
Armenio - this is just devastating period. We haven't heard yet from the middle school and high school. If we go to half day, what does that do to preparation on the frameworks. We aren't teaching to the test but we do have MCAS to consider?
Kindergarten will only get half the material. Time in 1st grade would be spent going over material that could have been covered under the full day plan.
Ogden - Facilities is already visiting the classrooms to see how we could deconstruct to fit the amount of students into the classrooms. Computers, centers, etc would have to be moved out.
Goal is to reduce class size from K-5. The lower class size, the better academic success. Anything you see up there is higher than what we have seen this year.
Ogden - If the revenue picture improves, we can consider adding teachers back. This is the most dynamic budget we have worked with in years.
Rohrbach - if we add back the 8 positions, you're still recommending going with half day kindergarten. What would be the tipping point?
About in the 20's, you can't really teach 4th grade with 30 in the class.
Sabolinski - going to half day saves $700,000, closing Davis Thayer doesn't come close to that.
We don't want to do this (go to half day kindergarten).
Unemployment costs would be approx. $1.2 million. The Town may not cover that. We should be prepared to absorb that within the school budget.
This magnitude of cut would affect every teacher in their first three years and get significantly up into those with 4, 5 and 6 years of experience.
Live reporting - Elementary schools
36 grade level configurations, six elementary schools, six grades at each school
Red indicates class size exceed the school committee guidelines; only five of the 36 would meet the guidelines
The high class sizes will be costly for academic success
To meet guidelines, needed to think out of the box, how? Change kindergarten from full time to half-day.
The second elementary slide shows how the nine kindergarten teachers would be re-positioned to help reduce the class sizes in the worse cases. This would still leave 24 classes with size exceeding guidelines.
Switching to half-day would be devastating, we have been a model district. Others in the state have visited us to see how it works.
This would also eliminate library across the elementary level!
No resources for library in this draft.
Would loose the kindergarten grant, associated aides, and loose of NAEYC accreditation.
If some of the million in additional funds came through, that would add 20 teachers to the district. 8 of those would be allocated to elementary, 8 to the high school and 4 to the middle schools.
The major update is going from full day to half day kindergarten!
Red indicates class size exceed the school committee guidelines; only five of the 36 would meet the guidelines
The high class sizes will be costly for academic success
To meet guidelines, needed to think out of the box, how? Change kindergarten from full time to half-day.
The second elementary slide shows how the nine kindergarten teachers would be re-positioned to help reduce the class sizes in the worse cases. This would still leave 24 classes with size exceeding guidelines.
Switching to half-day would be devastating, we have been a model district. Others in the state have visited us to see how it works.
This would also eliminate library across the elementary level!
No resources for library in this draft.
Would loose the kindergarten grant, associated aides, and loose of NAEYC accreditation.
If some of the million in additional funds came through, that would add 20 teachers to the district. 8 of those would be allocated to elementary, 8 to the high school and 4 to the middle schools.
The major update is going from full day to half day kindergarten!
Live reporting - FY 2010 overview
This is the text live reporting that accompanies the presentation just posted
Original cut of 3.5 now reduced to 2.9 million
Worse case scenario = 60 staff cuts (teachers, etc.)
Ogden says that there is a storm brewing at the State House, rumor today was that the Fed Stimulus dollars announced on Friday may be deducted from the Chap 70 funds which would leave us in a net zero position.
Other sources of revenue are still under discussion at the State level
Possible $250,000 if school employees agree to co-pay changes
School Committee class size guidelines are posted in the presentation for reference.
With the cuts, there will be some changes to these class sizes
Original cut of 3.5 now reduced to 2.9 million
Worse case scenario = 60 staff cuts (teachers, etc.)
Ogden says that there is a storm brewing at the State House, rumor today was that the Fed Stimulus dollars announced on Friday may be deducted from the Chap 70 funds which would leave us in a net zero position.
Other sources of revenue are still under discussion at the State level
Possible $250,000 if school employees agree to co-pay changes
School Committee class size guidelines are posted in the presentation for reference.
With the cuts, there will be some changes to these class sizes
Live reporting - FY 2010 Budget
Here is the document used in the presentation/discussion on the FY 2010 School Budget.
Franklin, MA District Budget 3/24/09
View more presentations from Steve Sherlock.
Live reporting - Strategic Planning update
- Maureen & Miriam – Strategic Planning Update
200 draft logos were initially created by students within the district. That total was whittled down to a couple of dozen that the high school students have then taken to create a digital version of the art. There are now 5-6 logos for the committee to select from.
Live reporting - Capital projects at FHS
3. Discussion Only Items
Mike is talking to the items on the listing above.
Lots of energy reductions in lighting and heating processed in last several years. The utility companies have contributed to those efforts.
Cafasso - When you look at the last five years other than the generator, there really hasn't been much done for the building itself. Can you explain why the Town has not invested in this period?
D'Angelo - When we got the capital in 2005 for what we did, we know that the school building projects were going to be started and pending what that was going to result in, we held off. If something could be replaced and saved in a renovation, we would do that. If something would not be recoverable, why spend money since we don't know whether there was going to be state funding and at what level.
In an unoccupied building, the renovations would take 2 years. In an occupied building like at King Phillip, they were there five years.
We are approaching the crossroads where the State is going to have to say something to us. If they don't, the Building Committee, School Committee and Town Council are going to make a decision.
- Budget to Actual - no questions, discussion
- Mike D’Angelo – Capital Projects at FHS
Mike is talking to the items on the listing above.
Lots of energy reductions in lighting and heating processed in last several years. The utility companies have contributed to those efforts.
Cafasso - When you look at the last five years other than the generator, there really hasn't been much done for the building itself. Can you explain why the Town has not invested in this period?
D'Angelo - When we got the capital in 2005 for what we did, we know that the school building projects were going to be started and pending what that was going to result in, we held off. If something could be replaced and saved in a renovation, we would do that. If something would not be recoverable, why spend money since we don't know whether there was going to be state funding and at what level.
In an unoccupied building, the renovations would take 2 years. In an occupied building like at King Phillip, they were there five years.
We are approaching the crossroads where the State is going to have to say something to us. If they don't, the Building Committee, School Committee and Town Council are going to make a decision.
Live reporting - presentations
2. Guests/Presentations
Certificates for Maddie Gordon and Jake Sargeant – ASMS 8th graders honored at MA Make A Difference award program for their volunteer work in Best Buddies.
Certificates for Maddie Gordon and Jake Sargeant – ASMS 8th graders honored at MA Make A Difference award program for their volunteer work in Best Buddies.
Live reporting - School Committee 3/24/09
Attending: Armenio, Cafasso, Kelly, Mullen, Roy, Rohrbach, Trahan
Missing: none
Call to order Mr. Roy
Pledge of Allegiance
Moment of Silence
1. Routine Business
Missing: none
Call to order Mr. Roy
Pledge of Allegiance
Moment of Silence
1. Routine Business
Citizen’s Comments
Review of Agenda
Minutes: I recommend approval of the minutes from the March 10, 2009 School
Committee Meeting. motion to approve 6-0, passed, 1 abstention
Payment of Bills Mr. Kelly motion to approve, approved 7-0
Payroll Ms. Armenio
FHS Student Representatives
Correspondence: Letter from Mark Tiede & Melissa McCann
"the level of commitment to service, that's unquestioned"
GHS
FRANKLIN —
Franklin's library board of directors lauded Town Administrator Jeffrey D. Nutting's proposal to share the town's library director with Medway to help both towns maintain services.
"If the right things happen, it could be good for both towns. Bottom line is, (we're concerned with) what's best for patrons," said Ken Weidemann, who resigned from his chairmanship last night because he will be moving out of town soon.
Weidemann noted that Franklin and Medway's agreement to share recreational resources seems to be working well, and the town should consider other, similar ventures to save services in a precarious economy.
Read the full article about the Franklin Library Board's view of the combination in hte Milford Daily News here
Nutting was "forward-thinking"
GHS
FRANKLIN —
Knowing that he's going to slash the library's budget by "hundreds of thousands of dollars" to preserve essential services, Town Administrator Jeffrey D. Nutting said he is preparing to share Library Director Felicia Oti with Medway.
Nutting cannot say yet precisely how the budget reduction will impact library hours, services or employees, but it will be enough to necessitate combining resources, he said.
For now, Nutting and Medway officials are only discussing sharing Oti's services, splitting her hours between the two towns, he said.
Oti works a total of 35 hours per week in Franklin. If the sharing agreement goes forward, she will spend about 14 of those 35 hours in Medway. Oti's annual salary is about $80,000. Medway would cover about $32,000 of her salary, explained Medway Board of Library Trustees Chairwoman Wendy Rowe.
If Medway employs a part-time director (via Franklin or on their own), they would meet state certification requirements and receive their certification, Nutting said.
"Franklin's fate, with or without sharing the director's time, will be determined by our application for a waiver to the Mass. Library Commission," Nutting said. He said the only way Franklin can meet the Massachusetts Library Commission standard for certification would be to not cut library hours and increase the budget next year.
The waiver request is necessary, he said, because Franklin will not increase the library's budget, and the Franklin library will not be open the minimum 63 hours per week.
Read the full article about the proposed combination of Franklin and Medway's libraries in the Milford Daily News here
PodCamp Western Mass - March 28th - Holyoke
It's time to bring the PodCamp concept to Western Mass. We have a thriving community here of some truly amazing people. This is a chance for Western Mass bloggers, business people, artists, and academics, to get together, make connections, and for everyone to learn how social media can enhance their business, cause or organization. This is also a chance to celebrate the cornucopia of Western Mass. culture, a joyous blend of urban and rural; business, artistic and academic; near enough to other large metro areas, but small enough to hear yourself think.
When: Saturday, March 28, 2009
Where: Open Square in Holyoke, Second Floor
(Open Square is the mill building across the street from The Wherehouse. Entrance to parking is from either Lyman Street or Dwight Street. Open Square is located between the first and second level canals, which are bordered by Race St and Front St. The nearest entrance to the stairs and elevator is marked with a very large white "4".)
- Please use the tag PodCampWesternMass or hashtag #pcwm or #pcwm09 for content related to this event
Rough Schedule:
Looking to set up 3 breakouts for each session time after the Opening Remarks
8:30 to 9:00 - Welcome desk and coffee (?)
9:00 to 9:30 - Opening Remarks: Explanation of Unconference Format.
9:30 to 10:30 - Session 1
Break (1/2 hr.)
11:00 to Noon - Session 2
Noon to 2:00 - Lunch
2:00 to 3:00 - Session 3
Break (1/2 hr)
3:30 to 4:30 Session 4
4:30 to 5:00 Closing Remarks
You can register for PodCamp Western Mass here
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I will be traveling out to Holyoke to run the Welcome Desk, if anyone would like to join drive from Franklin with me, please let me know.
State Education Mandates - Part 3
From time to time, particular around the budget period, reference is generally made to Franklin Public Schools having to support "unfunded mandates." I managed to find a listing of such compiled by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. This is Part 3 in the series:
Transportation to School for the General Student PopulationThe full listing is available here (DOC)
Districts are required to provide transportation to all students in grades K through 6 who live two miles or more from the school. Regional districts receive transportation reimbursement for about 85% of these costs, but municipal school district aid was eliminated during lean budget years and has not been restored.
Administrative Mandates with Cost Implications
In addition to the 15 systems identified above, other mandates with cost implications include:
• Criminal records checks for all staff having unsupervised contact with students and other school employees.
• Emergency evacuation plans add training time, signs, posters and other means of alerting.
• Title I Requirements for costs associated with delivery of services and the reporting and documentation requirements often exceed funding.
• Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI) training – requires that the district provide training for instructors who then instruct a majority of staff members in techniques to de-escalate student crises. Associated costs are incurred to hire substitutes for classes whose teachers are required to participate in training.
• Pre-school requirements – Districts must ensure that they provide integrated (ratio of regular and special education) settings for all students in accordance with the regulations of Early Education and Care. The requirements for assessment, evaluation, and provision of services are costly.
Industry: HR & Benefits Advisory Group
Always on the lookout for information on the companies doing business in Franklin, I find this press release announcing a new advisory group headquartered here.
New HR & Benefits Advisory Group to Help Employers Reduce Costs by Streamlining HR, Benefits and Payroll Processes
Newly-launched national organization of human resources and benefits advisors offers integrated local market expertise, technology services and outsourced solutions
Franklin, MA (PRWEB) March 23, 2009 -- The HR & Benefits Advisory Group (http://www.hrbagroup.com) (HRBA Group), a national group of affiliated independent Human Resources and Benefits Advisors, announced the successful launch of their organization dedicated to delivering integrated solutions that reduce employers’ operational costs and simplify the administration of human resources, benefits and payroll.
By joining forces, HRBA Group participants can better satisfy the complex and changing requirements of employers. Those who leverage the HRBA Group’s extensive set of integrated local market expertise, technology, services and outsourced solutions will yield higher returns on investment and solve the tough problems faced each day.
"Because of the changing environment and economy, our clients and prospects are not only asking us to provide them with competitive products, but to also help integrate and streamline their entire HR, benefits and payroll process, so it’s as efficient as possible," said Johnny Angelone, Principal of Benefit Commerce group (http://www.benefitcommerce.com), a division of Angelone & Associates in Scottsdale, Arizona. "As an HRBA Group Broker, we can deliver an expanded array of national, best-of-breed HR & benefit products, services and technologies at economies-of-scale costs, while still providing personalized service that employers and their employees need and appreciate."
With over 20 participant locations across the United States, and expansion plans to include 100 regional participant firms nationally by year-end, HRBA Group brokers and consultants have served thousands of employers across the country while delivering both simple and complex HR and benefits solutions. The strategy to share ideas, best practices, and local intelligence with peers around the country to ensure quality, implementation, and price brings measurable value to employers of all sizes.
"Employers are demanding more services due to the increasing complexity of managing HR and Benefits and a dynamically changing work environment," said Mark Van Den Branden, Principal of Advanced Insurance (http://www.advancedinsurance.net) of Warren Michigan. "The HRBA Group aligns us with firms in different geographic markets and with complimentary services. Our HRBA Group participation allows us to extend our commitment to provide superior local knowledge and customer service and gives us access to state-of the-art products, services and technologies at below market prices."
The HRBA Group also launched their website at http://www.hrbagroup.com. The site includes a list of service offerings and a simple way for employers to find HRBA Group Participants in their area.
About The HRBA Group
The HR & Benefits Advisory Group (HRBA Group) is a national group of affiliated independent Human Resources and Benefits Advisors. HRBA Group Participants are relentlessly dedicated to helping employers lower operational costs and solve the tough problems faced each day by delivering integrated solutions that simplify the administration of human resources, benefits and payroll. By joining forces, participants offer local market expertise and an extensive set of technology, services and outsourced solutions. Participants also share ideas, best practices, and local intelligence with peers around the country to ensure quality, implementation, and price. For more information, please visit www.hrbagroup.com (http://www.hrbagroup.com).
This press release was distributed through eMediawire by Human Resources Marketer (HR Marketer: www.HRmarketer.com) on behalf of the company listed above.
HR & Benefits Advisory Group is headquartered at 9 Summer St here in Franklin.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Let's go fly a kite
One fun summer and spring activity of youth was to fly a kite. Here is a brief 5 minute video on how the next generation of kites can provide electricity.
Ben, are you listening?
Enjoy!
Ben, are you listening?
Enjoy!
Free Worksheets for Elementary Classrooms
Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:
via Free Technology for Teachers by rbyrnetech@hotmail.com (Mr. Byrne) on 3/21/09
Education.com is a website designed to help parents, teachers, and students find learning activities, studying tips, advice from other parents, and general education reference materials. What brought me to Education.com was a search for reproducible worksheet activities for elementary school classrooms. Education.com has reproducible worksheets designed for preschool through fifth grade students. The worksheets can be searched by grade level or by topic. Each worksheet is available in pdf format for free.Applications for Education
I've never bought a worksheet book for an elementary school classroom, but a quick search of Amazon revealed that a teacher could quickly sink $50 or more to have a set of workbooks sufficient for all subjects taught in an elementary school classroom. The worksheets on Education.com could be useful for cutting down on the number of worksheet books an elementary school teacher needs to purchase.
Here are a couple of related resources that may be of interest to you:
World of Teaching - Slideshows for All Subjects
Pete's Power Point Station - A Great Stop of Elementary School Teachers
Save 20% on all books & DVDs from National Geographic!
Things you can do from here:
- Subscribe to Free Technology for Teachers using Google Reader
- Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites
FM #36 - This week in Franklin, MA
This is #36 in the series of podcasts on what matters in Franklin, MA. In this session I focus on the key items from the week ending March 22, 2009.
Time: 9 minutes, 49 seconds
MP3 File
Session Notes
Music intro
My intro
This internet radio show or podcast for Franklin Matters is number 36 in the series.
After a series of special recordings, the 3-part Government and It Role in the Economy
Which was preceded by the wonderful first person narrative by Abraham Bolden as he told of his days in the Secret Service
It is time to return to the matters at hand in Franklin this week, ending March 22, 2009.
This was a roller coaster type week, with some ups and downs. Rumors of what the FY 2010 budget will look like and how the cuts will affect delivery of services we have today are on the downer side. There was a good share of ups however and we'll review those here.
From the Town Council meeting on Wednesday, the cost estimates for repairing the bandstand on the Town Common came in under what was initially forecasted. The seven bids came in between $88,000 on the high side and $48,000 on the low side. The Town will use the low bid and only need to draw on the grant from Toll Brothers to fund the repairs. No other capital dollars will be needed.
The Audit of the FY 2008 financial reports was completed in record time and with two recommendations. One, to establish better policy and procedures around the documentation created by the DPW for their abatements. The dollars were all accounted for but trying to get the appropriate supporting documentation was challenging, hence the recommendation to
correct this.
Two, a recommendation to create a capital budget. This is probably overdue. As you should be aware, Franklin does not have a capital budget. This year the capital plan had over $8 million dollars of items on it and these were the prioritized ones. Of this $8 million, about $1 million is likely to get funded from “free cash”. “Free cash” is usually generated each year from the funds that were left over at the end of the budget year. Funds that either came in higher than expected on the revenue side, or were not fully spent on the expense side. The State will certifiy the “free cash” towards the end of the calendar year (i.e. Nov/Dec) for the prior fiscal year (i.e. ending June 30th). From that time on, Franklin can use the “free cash” for anything it would like. The caution is not to use it for operations as the dollar is really a one time occurrence. Operational dollars need to be funded on a recurring or sustainable manner.
This year, a good portion of the “free cash” was used to cover the shortfall in the snow and ice removal expenses. A second amount was added to the stabilization fund to bring that total to $5 million target. The benefits of keeping the targeted amount in the stabilization fund paid off with the reduce interest expense when the Town went to the market to sell a bond. The balance of the “free cash” is targeted for use on capital. A lawn mower, and the payment on the new ladder truck were already approved. The remaining capital budget is still pending a decision by the Council. They were holding off on Jeff Nutting's advice to see what the final snow and ice amount was going to be. I would think that we can expect a decision on the remaining capital sometime in April.
So this has been all in preparation of the need for a capital budget. The Town has not had one for many years. Maybe it did at one time. While there is talk of the 20 year plan to repair the roads, there is no actual budget to do so. When the Town has been able to get state money, or via use of the water/sewer enterprise accounts to repair the water/sewer mains, then and only then has the road been repaired. This is just one example of the need for a capital budget. The technology needs of the Town would also be better served with one. It does make good financial sense to have one.
At the Downtown Partnership meeting this week, Susan Rohrbach, Renee Danho and I presented on the School Strategy Plan underway. This was previously shared with the School Committee at the January 27th meeting.
The Steering Committee is still making the rounds to the various stakeholder groups within the Franklin community to let them know we are looking at the strategic plan previously created in 2004, and validating that the core values, mission statement and vision are what we want for today. We are preparing a survey to solicit your input. It will be web based but hard copy will be available at locations throughout Town (schools, Library, Town Hall, etc.) A slide show with an audio recording is being prepared to help share the news on this effort..
While at the Downtown Partnership meeting, we heard a presentation from the DPW on proposed changes to the sign bylaw. There was good discussion on this topic. There is still an opportunity to provide feedback. There will be a presentation to the Town Council and Planning Board with formal hearing time to allow for discussion on the implications of the changes. As I hear of that schedule, I will share it here. One potential area for revision that I see is in the temporary sign section where they don't appropriately cover sandwich boards. Sandwich boards are those A frame like signs seen about town. For an example the one last week touting the bottle and can drive at FHS. These signs are technically illegal.
In case you missed it, slide shows of the bandstand, the Trivia Bee and the Harlem Wizards visit were all posted to Franklin Matters this week.
In the week ahead, the School Committee meets on Tuesday and may get a preliminary look at the budget and what it could mean to what schools will operate like next September. I would pay attention to that one.
--------------
This podcast has been a public service provided to my fellow citizens of Franklin, MA
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The musical intro and closing is from the Podsafe Music Network
Jon Schmidt - Powerful Exhilarating Piano Music
Time: 9 minutes, 49 seconds
MP3 File
Session Notes
Music intro
My intro
This internet radio show or podcast for Franklin Matters is number 36 in the series.
After a series of special recordings, the 3-part Government and It Role in the Economy
Which was preceded by the wonderful first person narrative by Abraham Bolden as he told of his days in the Secret Service
It is time to return to the matters at hand in Franklin this week, ending March 22, 2009.
This was a roller coaster type week, with some ups and downs. Rumors of what the FY 2010 budget will look like and how the cuts will affect delivery of services we have today are on the downer side. There was a good share of ups however and we'll review those here.
From the Town Council meeting on Wednesday, the cost estimates for repairing the bandstand on the Town Common came in under what was initially forecasted. The seven bids came in between $88,000 on the high side and $48,000 on the low side. The Town will use the low bid and only need to draw on the grant from Toll Brothers to fund the repairs. No other capital dollars will be needed.
The Audit of the FY 2008 financial reports was completed in record time and with two recommendations. One, to establish better policy and procedures around the documentation created by the DPW for their abatements. The dollars were all accounted for but trying to get the appropriate supporting documentation was challenging, hence the recommendation to
correct this.
Two, a recommendation to create a capital budget. This is probably overdue. As you should be aware, Franklin does not have a capital budget. This year the capital plan had over $8 million dollars of items on it and these were the prioritized ones. Of this $8 million, about $1 million is likely to get funded from “free cash”. “Free cash” is usually generated each year from the funds that were left over at the end of the budget year. Funds that either came in higher than expected on the revenue side, or were not fully spent on the expense side. The State will certifiy the “free cash” towards the end of the calendar year (i.e. Nov/Dec) for the prior fiscal year (i.e. ending June 30th). From that time on, Franklin can use the “free cash” for anything it would like. The caution is not to use it for operations as the dollar is really a one time occurrence. Operational dollars need to be funded on a recurring or sustainable manner.
This year, a good portion of the “free cash” was used to cover the shortfall in the snow and ice removal expenses. A second amount was added to the stabilization fund to bring that total to $5 million target. The benefits of keeping the targeted amount in the stabilization fund paid off with the reduce interest expense when the Town went to the market to sell a bond. The balance of the “free cash” is targeted for use on capital. A lawn mower, and the payment on the new ladder truck were already approved. The remaining capital budget is still pending a decision by the Council. They were holding off on Jeff Nutting's advice to see what the final snow and ice amount was going to be. I would think that we can expect a decision on the remaining capital sometime in April.
So this has been all in preparation of the need for a capital budget. The Town has not had one for many years. Maybe it did at one time. While there is talk of the 20 year plan to repair the roads, there is no actual budget to do so. When the Town has been able to get state money, or via use of the water/sewer enterprise accounts to repair the water/sewer mains, then and only then has the road been repaired. This is just one example of the need for a capital budget. The technology needs of the Town would also be better served with one. It does make good financial sense to have one.
At the Downtown Partnership meeting this week, Susan Rohrbach, Renee Danho and I presented on the School Strategy Plan underway. This was previously shared with the School Committee at the January 27th meeting.
The Steering Committee is still making the rounds to the various stakeholder groups within the Franklin community to let them know we are looking at the strategic plan previously created in 2004, and validating that the core values, mission statement and vision are what we want for today. We are preparing a survey to solicit your input. It will be web based but hard copy will be available at locations throughout Town (schools, Library, Town Hall, etc.) A slide show with an audio recording is being prepared to help share the news on this effort..
While at the Downtown Partnership meeting, we heard a presentation from the DPW on proposed changes to the sign bylaw. There was good discussion on this topic. There is still an opportunity to provide feedback. There will be a presentation to the Town Council and Planning Board with formal hearing time to allow for discussion on the implications of the changes. As I hear of that schedule, I will share it here. One potential area for revision that I see is in the temporary sign section where they don't appropriately cover sandwich boards. Sandwich boards are those A frame like signs seen about town. For an example the one last week touting the bottle and can drive at FHS. These signs are technically illegal.
In case you missed it, slide shows of the bandstand, the Trivia Bee and the Harlem Wizards visit were all posted to Franklin Matters this week.
In the week ahead, the School Committee meets on Tuesday and may get a preliminary look at the budget and what it could mean to what schools will operate like next September. I would pay attention to that one.
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This podcast has been a public service provided to my fellow citizens of Franklin, MA
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The musical intro and closing is from the Podsafe Music Network
Jon Schmidt - Powerful Exhilarating Piano Music
School Committee - 3/24/09 - Agenda
Call to order Mr. Roy
Pledge of Allegiance
Moment of Silence
1. Routine Business
2. Guests/Presentations
Certificates for Maddie Gordon and Jake Sargeant – ASMS 8th graders honored at MA Make A Difference award program for their volunteer work in Best Buddies.
3. Discussion Only Items
4. Action Items
5. Information Matters
Superintendent’s Report
School Committee Sub-Committee Reports
School Committee Liaison Reports
6. New Business
To discuss future business that may be brought before the School Committee.
7. Adjourn
Pledge of Allegiance
Moment of Silence
1. Routine Business
Citizen’s Comments
Review of Agenda
Minutes: I recommend approval of the minutes from the March 10, 2009 School Committee Meeting.
Payment of Bills Mr. Kelly
Payroll Ms. Armenio
FHS Student Representatives
Correspondence: Letter from Mark Tiede & Melissa McCann
2. Guests/Presentations
Certificates for Maddie Gordon and Jake Sargeant – ASMS 8th graders honored at MA Make A Difference award program for their volunteer work in Best Buddies.
3. Discussion Only Items
- Budget to Actual
- Mike D’angelo – Capital Projects at FHS
- Maureen & Miriam – Strategic Planning Update
- FY10 Budget Information
4. Action Items
- I recommend approval of the FHS recurring field trip to Providence Place Mall for Remington Middle School students as detailed.
- I recommend approval of the Budget Transfers as detailed.
- I recommend acceptance of a check for $136.67 from Target’s Take Charge of Education program for Horace Mann Middle School’s in-house enrichment.
- I recommend acceptance of a check for $188.30 from Target’s Take Charge of Education program for Annie Sullivan Middle School’s gift account.
- I recommend acceptance of a check for $107.18 from Target’s Take Charge of Education program for Remington Middle School’s scholarship fund.
- I recommend acceptance of a check for $3,600.00 from the Parmenter PCC for the following field trips: Gr. 2 - Stony Brook; Gr. 3 – Plimoth Plantation; Gr. 4 – Museum of Science; and Gr. 5 – Freedom Trail.
- I recommend approval of the FHS Girl’s Lacrosse Team recurring field trip to Guilford, CT for a Scrimmage and Dinner on April 4-5, 2009.
- I recommend preliminary approval of the FHS Track Team’s trip to Philadelphia, PA/Mt. Laurel, NJ on April 22-24, 2009 for the Penn Relay track meet if they qualify for the event.
- I recommend acceptance of the donation of 50 disposable cameras from CVS for the Davis Thayer 5th grade graduating class.
5. Information Matters
Superintendent’s Report
- FY10 Budget
- Capital Projects at FHS
- Strategic Planning
- “Education in the Flat World” by Yong Zhao
School Committee Sub-Committee Reports
School Committee Liaison Reports
6. New Business
To discuss future business that may be brought before the School Committee.
7. Adjourn
State Education Mandates - Part 2
From time to time, particular around the budget period, reference is generally made to Franklin Public Schools having to support "unfunded mandates." I managed to find a listing of such compiled by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. This is Part 2 in the series:
Massachusetts superintendents. School committee members and school business officers have compiled a partial list of mandates that are listed below:
Regular Education
The full listing is available here (DOC)
Part 1 is here
Massachusetts superintendents. School committee members and school business officers have compiled a partial list of mandates that are listed below:
Regular Education
Provide free and equal (and appropriate) education to all students from kindergarten through grade 12. We believe that Chapter 70 is underfunded by about $1.6 billion that would be required to provide necessary and mandated services.
Special Education
Districts must provide education to special education students from age three to age twenty-two. This must be done in the least restrictive environment.
The cost of providing assessments, evaluations, and specialized instructional services exceeds the funding provided by federal and state sources. In addition, non-instructional services within the review and appeal processes such as arbitration, mediation, and hearings result in extraordinary costs to the district. The personnel, administrative, and technology costs inherent in the delivery of appropriate services are exorbitant. Individual Education Plans dictate where a student must go to school, requiring outplacements and special education transportation.
Special Education Transportation
Currently, about $165 million in mandated but unreimbursed transportation costs are incurred by school districts for students in special education programs.
“504 Services” For Physically Disabled Students
School districts are required to provide students with disabilities with accommodations that will assist in their learning according to federal law. This may include any disability that is not covered by special education. Teachers must accommodate all needs written into a student’s “504 plan.” State and local options are constrained.
The full listing is available here (DOC)
Part 1 is here
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