The progress is significant.
Prior pictures can be found here and here.
Monday, September 1, 2008
No School for Horace Mann, Oak St, or ECDC on 9/2/08
Just received an automated message via the new town system alerting us to a "mechanical failure" at the Horace Mann, Oak Street and ECDC complex which will cause there to be no school on Tuesday, September 2.
No teachers or students should report on Tuesday, September 2.
No teachers or students should report on Tuesday, September 2.
NO SCHOOL - Tuesday, September 2
- Horace Mann Middle School
- Oak Street Elementary School
- Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC)
Ed Cafasso Letter - Part 1
Hello everyone!
I hope you are enjoying the long holiday weekend. As we begin the 2008-09 school year in Franklin, I want to share you with some objective facts about the state of your schools.
The first section of the report below provides a summary of academic performance in Franklin as of today. A second section summarizes the financial performance of the school district based on the most recent data available.
To me, as a parent, a citizen and a member of the School Committee, this data demonstrates that, up to now, the Franklin Public Schools have been high performing academically and have used taxpayer resources in a highly efficient manner to produce those results. How long can it continue? That’s the big question. You be the judge.
Academic Performance
The Franklin Public Schools received four commendations in 2007-08 from the Office of Educational Quality Assurance (EQA) that directly affect and speak to student performance: High MCAS scores, curricular alignment with state frameworks, the district professional development program, and the mentoring program.
The district analysis of the 2007 MCAS data continues to identify the Franklin Public School System as a “high performance” district in all tests at all grade levels.
The complete MCAS report may be found on the Franklin Public Schools main web page at the following link: http://www.franklin.ma.us/auto/schools/FPS/instruct/MCAS/default.htm
In addition, the Franklin schools met the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) standard for 2007 in both ELA and Mathematics. This is an important improvement indicator for Franklin and identifies the district as “No Status” for two years running. From 2003-2005, the district did not meet AYP (subgroups only). In 2006, the district made AYP and maintained this status for a second year (2007). This two-year performance has officially removed the Franklin Public Schools from the “Identified for Improvement – subgroups” status.
District and school NCLB Report Cards may be viewed on the Franklin Public Schools website at the following link:
http://www.franklin.ma.us/auto/schools/FPS/instruct/nclbrptcd/default.htm
At Franklin High School, the graduation rate for the Class of 2008 was 98.7%. Of the graduates, 73.1% chose to attend a public or private four-year college, and 15.4% chose to attend a public or private four-year college. Graduates chose to attend a wide range of well-known colleges or universities, including Boston College, Boston University, Bates, Brandeis, Dean College, Harvard, Hofstra, Northeastern, Providence, Syracuse, University of Pennsylvania, and U-Mass.
School Financial Performance
According to April 2008 data from Massachusetts Department of Education, Franklin spent $9,586 per pupil. (This data is for the 2006-07 academic year, the most recent calculated by the state.)
Fifty-one (51) school districts spent less per pupil than Franklin, and 277 spent more per pupil than Franklin. In other words, 84% of the school districts in the state spent more per pupil than Franklin. The average per pupil expenditure among school districts in Massachusetts stood at $11,859, which was $2,273 more than Franklin’s.
The average teacher salary in Franklin stood at $56,366, according to the DOE data. Statewide, the average teacher salary was $58,257.
Franklin’s budget for fiscal year 2009 is approximately $88 million. The school budget for the current academic year is $49.9 million, approximately $3 million less than the amount required to maintain the same level of service as last year. The town budget is funded largely by two key revenue streams – property taxes, which provide $48.8 million or 55% of the total, and state and local aid, which provides $33.5 million or about 38% of the total.
Chapter 70 education aid accounts for the vast majority of the state aid distributed to Franklin and totals $28.7 million in the current fiscal year. Almost 58% of the budget of Franklin Public Schools is paid for through Chapter 70 funds.
Enjoy the weekend! I plan to e-mail a second school update tomorrow evening.
These e-mails are provided as a constituent service. If you are receiving duplicates or if you no longer wish to receive these updates, please let me know. If you know of someone you would like to add to the distribution list, please send along their email address. Thanks!
Ed Cafasso, Member
Franklin School Committee
I hope you are enjoying the long holiday weekend. As we begin the 2008-09 school year in Franklin, I want to share you with some objective facts about the state of your schools.
The first section of the report below provides a summary of academic performance in Franklin as of today. A second section summarizes the financial performance of the school district based on the most recent data available.
To me, as a parent, a citizen and a member of the School Committee, this data demonstrates that, up to now, the Franklin Public Schools have been high performing academically and have used taxpayer resources in a highly efficient manner to produce those results. How long can it continue? That’s the big question. You be the judge.
Academic Performance
The Franklin Public Schools received four commendations in 2007-08 from the Office of Educational Quality Assurance (EQA) that directly affect and speak to student performance: High MCAS scores, curricular alignment with state frameworks, the district professional development program, and the mentoring program.
The district analysis of the 2007 MCAS data continues to identify the Franklin Public School System as a “high performance” district in all tests at all grade levels.
- All students continue to outperform the state averages on the same tests in English Language Arts (ELA), Mathematics, and Science/Technology Engineering (STE).
- All 17 tests, including three Long Composition tests, given in Grades 4, 7, and 10 scored a “High” (80-89.9) or “Very High” (90-100) performance rating.
- MCAS 2007 included, for the first time, the addition of a science competency test at the high school. Students in the class of 2010 must pass a STE test to graduate. The district identified Biology as the test of choice since Biology is a requirement for graduation. The 2007 Grade 9 Biology CPI was 96.7 (Very High), outperforming the state by two performance ratings.
- All Special Education subgroups in Grades 3-10 achieved a higher proficiency index than state subgroups in each of the subject tests.
- All Low Income subgroups achieved higher proficiency indices (PI) than the state subgroups in each tested area with the exception of Grade 7 ELA, which scored equal to that of the state subgroup, and Grade 8 Math, which came in at 3 PI points below that of the state subgroup.
- When compared with 28 top-performing districts in the state by AYP grade levels (3-5, 6-8, 9-12), Franklin outperformed 14 districts in one or more of these AYP reporting categories.
- At the high school, 105 students were awarded the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship based on their Grade 10 MCAS performance. Students qualified for this scholarship by scoring: (a) in the Advanced category in English Language Arts or Mathematics and Advanced or Proficient in the other subject area on the grade 10 MCAS assessments; and, (b) in the top 25% of the students in the district on these tests.
The complete MCAS report may be found on the Franklin Public Schools main web page at the following link: http://www.franklin.ma.us/auto/schools/FPS/instruct/MCAS/default.htm
In addition, the Franklin schools met the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) standard for 2007 in both ELA and Mathematics. This is an important improvement indicator for Franklin and identifies the district as “No Status” for two years running. From 2003-2005, the district did not meet AYP (subgroups only). In 2006, the district made AYP and maintained this status for a second year (2007). This two-year performance has officially removed the Franklin Public Schools from the “Identified for Improvement – subgroups” status.
District and school NCLB Report Cards may be viewed on the Franklin Public Schools website at the following link:
http://www.franklin.ma.us/auto/schools/FPS/instruct/nclbrptcd/default.htm
At Franklin High School, the graduation rate for the Class of 2008 was 98.7%. Of the graduates, 73.1% chose to attend a public or private four-year college, and 15.4% chose to attend a public or private four-year college. Graduates chose to attend a wide range of well-known colleges or universities, including Boston College, Boston University, Bates, Brandeis, Dean College, Harvard, Hofstra, Northeastern, Providence, Syracuse, University of Pennsylvania, and U-Mass.
School Financial Performance
According to April 2008 data from Massachusetts Department of Education, Franklin spent $9,586 per pupil. (This data is for the 2006-07 academic year, the most recent calculated by the state.)
Fifty-one (51) school districts spent less per pupil than Franklin, and 277 spent more per pupil than Franklin. In other words, 84% of the school districts in the state spent more per pupil than Franklin. The average per pupil expenditure among school districts in Massachusetts stood at $11,859, which was $2,273 more than Franklin’s.
- Franklin spent $201 per pupil on school administration. The state average was $401
- Franklin spent $480 per pupil on instructional leadership. The state average was $770.
- Franklin spent $4,718 per pupil on classroom and specialist teachers. The state average was $4,513.
- Franklin spent $90 per pupil on professional development. The state average was $222.
- Franklin spent $190 per pupil on instructional materials, equipment and technology. The state average was $356.
- Franklin spent $213 per pupil on guidance and counseling. The state average was $328.
- Franklin spent $862 per pupil on pupil services. The state average was $1,081.
- Franklin spent $923 per pupil on operations and maintenance. The state average was $1,041.
- Franklin spent $908 per pupil on insurance and retirement programs. The state average was $1,929.
The average teacher salary in Franklin stood at $56,366, according to the DOE data. Statewide, the average teacher salary was $58,257.
Franklin’s budget for fiscal year 2009 is approximately $88 million. The school budget for the current academic year is $49.9 million, approximately $3 million less than the amount required to maintain the same level of service as last year. The town budget is funded largely by two key revenue streams – property taxes, which provide $48.8 million or 55% of the total, and state and local aid, which provides $33.5 million or about 38% of the total.
Chapter 70 education aid accounts for the vast majority of the state aid distributed to Franklin and totals $28.7 million in the current fiscal year. Almost 58% of the budget of Franklin Public Schools is paid for through Chapter 70 funds.
Enjoy the weekend! I plan to e-mail a second school update tomorrow evening.
These e-mails are provided as a constituent service. If you are receiving duplicates or if you no longer wish to receive these updates, please let me know. If you know of someone you would like to add to the distribution list, please send along their email address. Thanks!
Ed Cafasso, Member
Franklin School Committee
"You forget everything around you"
GHS
FRANKLIN —
Turning 37 years old isn't a milestone for most people, but for Babe, a beautiful white Appaloosan horse, it's close to a miracle and reason for her loved ones to celebrate.
In human years, Babe would be about 148 years old, estimated Cathie LaBastie, who owns and runs the property at 469 Maple St. with her husband, Steve LaBastie.
Cathie LaBastie said for a horse to be considered old 15 years ago "was to live to the early 20s. Now, old is 32 maybe."
Horses live longer today thanks to improvements in medical care and feed, she said.
Babe's long life is credited to Holliston resident Julie Mahoney, who has cared for the horse over the past 16 years.
And Babe has played an equally vital role in her owner's life, said Mahoney, who wants to pay tribute to her "faithful companion" before her 37th birthday next March.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily New here
Sunday, August 31, 2008
"I would say the response has been very positive"
MetroWest Daily News
From the outside, they looked like any other assortment of little old ladies.
Moments after I walked into the Sunshine Club at Franklin's Senior Center, Lena Vitti filled me in on the rules: "You have to smile to come in the door."
Little did I know I was stepping into the lion's den.
I'd gone to Franklin to take on Vitti and a handful of other seniors in a game of what's become the hottest must-have item at area senior centers - Wii bowling.
Sure, I was a Wii newbie - the closest I'd come to using the video game system was a display at Best Buy, but being in my early 30s, and part of the generation that grew up with video games, I went in feeling pretty confident.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
In the Globe - Ogden resigns
By Rachel Lebeaux Globe Correspondent / August 31, 2008
Franklin's superintendent of schools submitted his resignation Tuesday night, citing layoffs in the wake of voters turning down a tax increase as the deciding factor.
"I came to Franklin in May 2006 to help move the public schools from good to great. Instead, we are beginning another academic year moving in the opposite direction," Superintendent Wayne Ogden wrote in his resignation letter to the School Committee. "We will start the 2008-2009 school year with 180 more students than when I arrived, and a budget that is several million dollars short of keeping pace with this growth."
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Do you believe?
This is quite an inspirational performance from a student in Dallas; Dalton Sherman.
As you review this, translate the questions he asks to put Franklin in place of Dallas.
Do you believe in Franklin?
Do you believe in getting the best for Franklin's students?
If you do, then the time for action has never been more so than now. Don't just wait for an election.
Supt Ogden's resignation should be a wake up call for Franklin.
Let's stop being so immature and grow up.
We can not continue to live with a small town mentality.
The world has changed enormously in the last 30 years.
The choice is before us. Do you believe in Franklin?
What are you going to do about it?
As you review this, translate the questions he asks to put Franklin in place of Dallas.
Do you believe in Franklin?
Do you believe in getting the best for Franklin's students?
If you do, then the time for action has never been more so than now. Don't just wait for an election.
- Show up in person at School Committee meetings
- Show up in person at Town Council meetings
- Get the Financial Planning Committee to get the plan together to figure out how we are going to sufficiently afford supporting our beliefs
Supt Ogden's resignation should be a wake up call for Franklin.
Let's stop being so immature and grow up.
We can not continue to live with a small town mentality.
The world has changed enormously in the last 30 years.
The choice is before us. Do you believe in Franklin?
What are you going to do about it?
It 's official - "It’s the perfect combination"
GateHouse News Service
FRANKLIN —
Community Web site specialist AmericanTowns.com and government Web site provider Virtual Town Hall has announced that the town of Franklin, Massachusetts has contracted with them to serve as its principal source of community information and to host its municipal Web site, respectively.
AmericanTowns.com will now provide a hyper-local platform where residents and organizations of Franklin can find and share the best local information about their community, including a unified calendar of events; announcements by and links to local organizations; and local services and resources. Virtual Town Hall, one of the major national providers of online services to city, town and county municipalitie, is now host to Franklin’s Web site.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here.
Listen to the podcast where I discovered the local site had moved to AmericanTowns here.
Friday, August 29, 2008
an average of $65,000 to $135,000 annually per prisoner
GHS
FRANKLIN —
News of School Superintendent Wayne Ogden's resignation "devastated" a lot of teachers and school officials across the district, said Chandler Creedon, president of the Franklin Teachers' Association and a school psychologist.
Creedon said he is "terribly saddened" by Ogden's resignation.
"I think there are a lot of people who are devastated by this. He had a lot to offer Franklin. He had some great insight into what we could do with the students, and I'm sad that, for whatever reason, he didn't get a chance to (realize his visions)," Creedon said.
Ogden was always fair and very good to work with, Creedon said.
"He was really just pretty wonderful," he said.
Many teachers and staff are "very sad" and shocked over the news, he said.
Everyone was hoping for a great year, Creedon said.
Creedon said he doesn't blame Ogden for resigning, and lauded his bravery in making a statement.
"It was a very courageous statement that he made. Basically, he's saying he doesn't think he can work in an environment where people aren't really concerned about education," Creedon said.
"I'm not sure the community will get that message," he said.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
Thursday, August 28, 2008
"We're entering some tough times"
GHS
FRANKLIN —
School Superintendent Wayne Ogden formally gave his resignation Tuesday, saying in a press release that restrictive budgets and massive layoffs preclude him from moving the schools "from good to great."
"I have no desire to continue to dismantle our school system and, as such, I no longer feel I offer the right fit to lead the Franklin schools," Ogden said in a statement released by his office yesterday.
Ogden, who came to Franklin in May 2006 after serving as assistant superintendent for Wayland public schools, will end his tenure June 30, 2009, fulfilling three years of a five-year contract.
"I came to Franklin ... to help move the public schools from good to great. Instead, we are beginning another academic year moving in the opposite direction," he said in the statement.
Franklin starts the 2008-2009 school year with 180 more students than when Ogden first arrived, and a budget that is several million dollars short of keeping pace with that growth, he said.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT TO RESIGN EFFECTIVE JUNE 30, 2009
FRANKLIN, MA (August 27, 2008) – Superintendent of Schools Wayne R. Ogden today announced his decision to resign his position effective June 30, 2009. Ogden formally tendered his resignation to the Franklin School Committee Chairman, Jeffrey N. Roy following last night’s committee meeting.
Ogden issued the following statement:
School Committee Chairman Roy said:
Ogden issued the following statement:
“I came to Franklin in May 2006 to help move the public schools from good to great.
Instead, we are beginning another academic year moving in the opposite direction. We will start the 2008-09 school year with 180 more students than when I arrived and a budget that is several million dollars short of keeping pace with this growth. In the last two budget cycles, I have been forced to reduce school staff by more than 70 employees, the vast majority of them teachers, and to abandon plans to bring our schools to the next level academically. Our investment in the education of our students is now below average in every single category.
“This retreat has occurred despite the best efforts of the school community. The School Committee has an ambitious vision for the students of Franklin that deserves passionate and thoughtful support, but the Committee cannot sustain the academic performance that the community expects when it is not given the funding required to keep pace with basic educational needs. I have no desire to continue to dismantle our school system and, as such, I no longer feel I offer the right fit to lead the Franklin schools.”
School Committee Chairman Roy said:
“The Committee regrets the superintendent’s decision to leave his post after three years of a five-year contract. Our schools are at a crossroads and the challenges we face are serious, but the School Committee intends to do everything we can to prevent a slide toward mediocrity. With the support of our dedicated staff and our hardworking parents and students, our collective goal is to return Franklin schools to the path of greatness.
“School districts throughout the Commonwealth are struggling to recruit superintendents. We know it will be difficult to find a leader willing to come to a community that has begun to step back from supporting its educational mission. The School Committee will begin discussions regarding a successor as quickly as possible in the hopes of finding a highly qualified individual who can help us overcome the challenges ahead. ”
Supt. Ogden resigns
Superintendent Wayne Ogden submitted his resignation to the School Committee yesterday and notified the teachers today.
Updated:
I'll provide a link to the School Committee press release on this matter later. The resignation is effective June 2009.
Mobile post sent by shersteve using Utterz.
Replies.
In the News - late bus eliminated
GHS
FRANKLIN —
At the superintendent's recommendation, the School Committee decided not to have a late bus, despite earlier assurances that it would be saved.
In nearly a 180-degree turnaround from his previous announcement, Superintendent Wayne Ogden last night recommended the School Committee not offer the popular late bus this year, and members did not search for a way to fund it, saying they could not afford it.
Ogden said the board did not need to take any action, because it wasn't in the budget to begin with. He had thought he found the funds for it, but now says they won't have the money.
"I'm sorry to say this, because I really felt a month ago we were going to be able to do that (keep the late bus)," Ogden said, explaining that earlier revenue projections from pay-to-ride bus fees did not materialize as expected.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Live reporting - Action Items
4. Action Items:
o Policy BCG-E – Policy Manual Review Procedure
o Policy BGB – Policy Adoption
o Policy BGF – Suspension of Policies
o Policy BIBA – School Committee Conferences, Conventions & Workshops
as detailed above (paperwork in discussion section).
All policies Accepted - 6-0
- I recommend acceptance of the donation of various scientific supplies, glassware, equipment, safety and storage resources by Spherics, Incorporated for the Franklin High School. Accepted - 6-0
- I recommend approval of the FPS Handbooks Accepted - 6-0
- I recommend adoption of Policy KF – Building Use Accepted - 6-0
- I recommend adoption of Policy Manual Review:
o Policy BCG-E – Policy Manual Review Procedure
o Policy BGB – Policy Adoption
o Policy BGF – Suspension of Policies
o Policy BIBA – School Committee Conferences, Conventions & Workshops
as detailed above (paperwork in discussion section).
All policies Accepted - 6-0
- I recommend acceptance of a check for $400.00 from the JFK PCC for bus fee for a Kindergarten field trip to Southwick Zoo on May 16, 2008. Accepted - 6-0
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)