Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Live reporting - Superintendent
Superintendent’s Report
more uniform practices across the district
you will hear more about this, it is a multi-year initiative
later this year, should have Michelle Kingsland Smith and some of the lab teachers come in to provide an update
9/29/08 - Horace Mann Auditorium, kick off
School Committee Sub-Committee Reports - none
School Committee Liaison Reports - none
- FEA Contract
- Literacy Initiative
more uniform practices across the district
you will hear more about this, it is a multi-year initiative
later this year, should have Michelle Kingsland Smith and some of the lab teachers come in to provide an update
9/29/08 - Horace Mann Auditorium, kick off
School Committee Sub-Committee Reports - none
School Committee Liaison Reports - none
Live reporting - action items
Action Items:
- I recommend approval of the Budget Transfers as detailed on the attached memo.
- I recommend approval of the request of the BICO Board of Directors to amend the preamble of the existing agreement of the BICO Collaborative to include the School Committee of the Town of Easton, MA.
- I recommend acceptance of a check for $400.00 from the Remington PCC for supplies for RMS.
- I recommend acceptance of a check for $600.00 from the Annie Sullivan PCC for 8th grade YMCA end-of-year trip buses.
- I recommend acceptance of a check for $9,028.50 from the Davis Thayer PCC for Field Trips and In-House Enrichment as listed on the attached.
- I recommend acceptance of a check for $300.00 from the Remington PCC for a 6th grade field trip to the YMCA.
Live reporting - future agenda items
Cafasso - could we get an update from each of the principals
Trahan - any update on the new building committee?
Rohrbach - an update from Pandora on life long learning
Sabolinski - community health council
Roy - get an update from Chandler on ballot question 1, should bring that before the committee to see if we will take a position
Trahan - if we don't take a position, we should at least let the folks know what it means to the Franklin situation
Trahan - any update on the new building committee?
Rohrbach - an update from Pandora on life long learning
Sabolinski - community health council
Roy - get an update from Chandler on ballot question 1, should bring that before the committee to see if we will take a position
Trahan - if we don't take a position, we should at least let the folks know what it means to the Franklin situation
Live reporting - late bus appears to be coming back
Jeff Roy
previous meeting determined there was no funding for the late bus
after the meeting, parents, administrators, and the bus company stepped up to the plate
the bus company negotiated a better rate, reduced the cost to approx. $10,000
local PCC's started fund raising, commitments made for funding
Roy explored if the Town would be open to picking up the cost of the late bus, Feeley will bring it to the Council, Bartlett also aboard bringing it to the council
a collective effort
Is this for the middle and high school?
Initially for the middle school, could get that answer as the final details are worked out
previous meeting determined there was no funding for the late bus
after the meeting, parents, administrators, and the bus company stepped up to the plate
the bus company negotiated a better rate, reduced the cost to approx. $10,000
local PCC's started fund raising, commitments made for funding
Roy explored if the Town would be open to picking up the cost of the late bus, Feeley will bring it to the Council, Bartlett also aboard bringing it to the council
a collective effort
Is this for the middle and high school?
Initially for the middle school, could get that answer as the final details are worked out
Live reporting - high school experience
Director: Pandora Carlucci
Facilitors: Kristin Letendre, Kristy Yankee
A first year program to help incoming students to adapt to the high school experience
Student perspective: Emma Kripp
interested in the Freshman transition
The Freshman Collaborative was a good program but the felt there was more to do
four day course, team building/project adventure
incorporated the 7 Habits for Highly Effective Teens
started each day with an ice breaker, merging students from the four middle schools helped to get to know some others they may not have come across before
academic sessions on English, Science, and Math
worked on items from the 7 Habits
goal setting, mission statement creation, collaborative worj
time management, planning
Emma:
liked the program, it helped a lot
coming from the Charter School was an adjustment
met four of her five teachers during the program
I think they should continue this for future classes
next year, get locker assignments
get schedule and planner during the session
to meet some of the Freshman guidance counselors
would like a greater participation of incoming students
incorporate some professional development for teachers to help
Mullen:
good work, had heard about it and this filled in some gaps
Rohrbach:
how do students get lost?
Yankee:
on email conferences, communications between parents and teachers as soon as issues arise
Trahan:
excellent
MacLeod:
Did students have to pay?
Slight:
How are you going to increase the enrollment?
Yankee:
Start earlier, spread word of mouth
Armenio:
Carlucci, Gould:
Scholarship form is available on the website
The more people sign up, the cheaper it will be
logistics were being worked up still so we were later this year than we would like to be
Rohrbach:
sell the t-shirts at Stop&Shop
would have you any this else?
Emma:
I would add a history teacher
Mrs Kipp:
This was great, I wish this had been available for my son who also came from the Charter School to the high school.
Sabolinski:
Loved to observe the culture and climate created during the week
The poster overview of the High School Experience program, including the t-shirt!
This photo can also be found on Flickr at
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3290/2884013510_6a09f67646.jpg
Facilitors: Kristin Letendre, Kristy Yankee
A first year program to help incoming students to adapt to the high school experience
Student perspective: Emma Kripp
interested in the Freshman transition
The Freshman Collaborative was a good program but the felt there was more to do
four day course, team building/project adventure
incorporated the 7 Habits for Highly Effective Teens
started each day with an ice breaker, merging students from the four middle schools helped to get to know some others they may not have come across before
academic sessions on English, Science, and Math
worked on items from the 7 Habits
goal setting, mission statement creation, collaborative worj
time management, planning
Emma:
liked the program, it helped a lot
coming from the Charter School was an adjustment
met four of her five teachers during the program
I think they should continue this for future classes
next year, get locker assignments
get schedule and planner during the session
to meet some of the Freshman guidance counselors
would like a greater participation of incoming students
incorporate some professional development for teachers to help
Mullen:
good work, had heard about it and this filled in some gaps
Rohrbach:
how do students get lost?
Yankee:
on email conferences, communications between parents and teachers as soon as issues arise
Trahan:
excellent
MacLeod:
Did students have to pay?
Slight:
How are you going to increase the enrollment?
Yankee:
Start earlier, spread word of mouth
Armenio:
Carlucci, Gould:
Scholarship form is available on the website
The more people sign up, the cheaper it will be
logistics were being worked up still so we were later this year than we would like to be
Rohrbach:
sell the t-shirts at Stop&Shop
would have you any this else?
Emma:
I would add a history teacher
Mrs Kipp:
This was great, I wish this had been available for my son who also came from the Charter School to the high school.
Sabolinski:
Loved to observe the culture and climate created during the week
The poster overview of the High School Experience program, including the t-shirt!
This photo can also be found on Flickr at
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3290/2884013510_6a09f67646.jpg
Live reporting - Teacher's Contract
The teachers union and School Committee gave formal signature to the Teachers Contract.
Asst Supt Sabolinski updated that the secretaries contract was also signed this afternoon. They chose not to come out for the formal signature.
Asst Supt Sabolinski updated that the secretaries contract was also signed this afternoon. They chose not to come out for the formal signature.
Live reporting - School Committee meeting 9/23/08
Full committee present this evening: Armenio, Cafasso, Kelly Mullen, Roy, Rohrbach, Trahan
Student Representatives: Pat Slight, Brittany MacLeod
-----
Call to order Mr. Roy
Pledge of Allegiance
Moment of Silence
1. Routine Business
asking for the School Committee to endorse the vote against the Question 1
a similar vote garnered 45% of the vote in an earlier election, early polls show that this could very well pass if the public is not fully informed of what impact it could have
would serve to damage our economy, would force property tax increases
those who would say NH has a better model without a personal income tax, should realize that their property taxes are #1 in the nation
progress reports already
SAT exams on Saturday
project to watch the media for specific individuals; Ogden, Sabolinski included in the search
Student Representatives: Pat Slight, Brittany MacLeod
-----
Call to order Mr. Roy
Pledge of Allegiance
Moment of Silence
1. Routine Business
- Citizen’s Comments -
asking for the School Committee to endorse the vote against the Question 1
a similar vote garnered 45% of the vote in an earlier election, early polls show that this could very well pass if the public is not fully informed of what impact it could have
would serve to damage our economy, would force property tax increases
those who would say NH has a better model without a personal income tax, should realize that their property taxes are #1 in the nation
- Review of Agenda
- Minutes: I recommend approval of the minutes from the September 9, 2008 School Committee Meeting.
- Payment of Bills Mr. Kelly
- Payroll Ms. Armenio
- FHS Student Representatives
progress reports already
SAT exams on Saturday
project to watch the media for specific individuals; Ogden, Sabolinski included in the search
- Correspondence
"Educating our kids makes absolutely basic economic sense"
Why, indeed, do we sink far more funding into retroactive punishment than into setting a foundation for a child's success? But it's one thing to demonstrate that a holistic and preventative approach makes economic sense, and quite another to actually change the approach. Most people would rather apply a band-aid or suppress a symptom than identify a root cause and treat it. Transformative innovation doesn't come easy. Innovators need not only to be persuasive and patient, they need to weather the discouraging words of doubters, to do much with little when skeptics won't lend a hand, and to hold a clear vision of what the solved problem will look like. Anyone who has seen a solution from miles away and forged a path to get there knows this.From the award winning World Changing blog, read the full post here
I had the good fortune to hear Geoffrey Canada speak at the GEL 2006 Conference. He is quite an impressive individual. Persuasive? He defines the word.
Even Ben Franklin said:
If a man empties his purse into his head, no one can take it away from him. An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Question 1 - Yes or No?
As part of the preparation for November's election, the major question for MA will be Question 1 on the ballot:
The State Income Tax Repeal is also known as Massachusetts Question 1. It is an initiated state statute that will appear on the November 4, 2008 ballot in Massachusetts.[1]
If the measure passes, it will end the state's current 5.3% income tax on wages, interest, dividends and capital gains. If that happens, Massachusetts will join Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming in not taxing income. Two other states, New Hampshire and Tennessee, have an income tax, but only on interest and dividends.
Read more on this link here
The Boston Sunday Globe hosted the opposing views on the Opinion Page.
You can read the Yes side here
You can read the No side here
In the News - diabetes, Charter School
GHS
FRANKLIN —
More than anything, Ivy Patten wants a cure for juvenile diabetes, so her 14-year-old son, Tyler, can live a normal life.
The possible complications he and others diabetics face are "not a pretty picture," she said: blindness, amputation, nerve damage, kidney problems and death.
"My fears are several. First, a cure will not come very soon. You're always afraid blood sugar is going to go too low and he'll go into a seizure, pass out and die, and it's a very real fear," Patten said.
Many things can trigger problems with a diabetic's blood-sugar level, she said, and often they are not under a person's control.
Technology can help people manage diabetes, she said, but that is not enough.
"We really need to get a cure ASAP," said Patten, especially because the longer a person has diabetes, the greater his or her chances of complications.
,,,,,
For more information about the walk at the Franklin Town Common on Saturday, Sept. 27, which takes place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., log on to www.hotshots4thecure.org.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
-------------------------
Milford Daily News
FRANKLIN —
Renting out the historic Red Brick School is a top priority for the Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School, said Principal Kevin O'Malley.
"The topic is still under discussion here. I can assure you, it's a front-burner issue," O'Malley said.
Charter school officials have met with the Brick School Association and had several discussions with Town Administrator Jeffrey D. Nutting about leasing the nearby property.
O'Malley has introduced the topic to the charter school's board of trustees, who will discuss the prospect at their next meeting, on Oct. 2 at the school library, he said.
"The idea is to have position papers presented where we'll talk about whether it's a good idea or not a good idea for the school," O'Malley said, noting that he is unsure whether the board will vote on Oct. 2.
"We're at a point where it's in everyone's best interest to discuss this thing and come to a conclusion. If we don't decide (on Oct. 2), then we will very soon," he said.
Town officials have been great and are making the process easy, O'Malley said. He said the charter school community wants to give back to Franklin, too.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
School Committee Agenda 9/23/08
September 23, 2008
Municipal Building – Council Chambers
7:00 P.M.
Municipal Building – Council Chambers
7:00 P.M.
AGENDA
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 September 9, 2008 School Committee Meeting.
- Payment of Bills Mr. Kelly
- Payroll Ms. Armenio
- FHS Student Representatives
- Correspondence:
2. Guests/Presentations:
- Signing of FEA Contract
- FHS Experience
3. Discussion Only Items
Budget to Actual
4. Action Items:
- I recommend approval of the Budget Transfers as detailed on the attached memo.
- I recommend approval of the request of the BICO Board of Directors to amend the preamble of the existing agreement of the BICO Collaborative to include the School Committee of the Town of Easton, MA.
- I recommend acceptance of a check for $400.00 from the Remington PCC for supplies for RMS.
- I recommend acceptance of a check for $600.00 from the Annie Sullivan PCC for 8th grade YMCA end-of-year trip buses.
- I recommend acceptance of a check for $9,028.50 from the Davis Thayer PCC for Field Trips and In-House Enrichment as listed on the attached.
- I recommend acceptance of a check for $300.00 from the Remington PCC for a 6th grade field trip to the YMCA.
5. Information Matters:
Superintendent’s Report
- Literacy Initiative
- FEA Contract
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. Executive Session
Contractual Negotiations
8. Adjourn
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Harvest Festival visitors - Thank You!
A hearty "Thank you" to all that I had a chance to talk with at the Harvest Festival in downtown Franklin today.
I trust you will find some worthwhile information here. Please consider subscribing via
If you don't find something you are looking for, let me know and I'll see what I can do.
I trust you will find some worthwhile information here. Please consider subscribing via
- RSS Feed
- iTunes
If you don't find something you are looking for, let me know and I'll see what I can do.
FM #15 - The 5 Things you need to Know this Week
The 15th podcast on what matters in Franklin, MA. This podcast sumarizes the five things you should know about what happened in Franklin this week.
MP3 File
Session Notes:
Music intro
My intro FM #15
This podcast for Franklin Matters will focus on the 5 things you need to know about what happened this week.
First, the Town Council appointed the new School Building Committee. This is the one that will work on the high school but because there will be other school buildings that will need work on them before the high school is completed, the committee is not called the High School Building Committee. The State Dept of Education has guidelines that determine the make of the committee so the Town Council was expressly careful to follow the guidelines in making their appointments.
In this clip from the Town Council meeting on 9/17/08, we hear Chair Chris Feeley read the appointments
- insert clip from Town Council/Chris Feeley with the announcement -
Thomas Cameron William Goode Rob Halter Michael LeBlanc Thomas Mercer Scott Nathan
Second, the bylaw to rezone some parcels along RT 140 near the Knights of Columbus and Dunkin Donuts ends up being rescheduled for another meeting as it was evident that the matter was not going to gain enough votes. Two councilors were absent with a two thirds majority required to pass. One factor for the lack of cohesion on the decision was the Department of Planning and Community Development had not provided the additional information required by a couple of members of the council.
In this segment from the Town Council Meeting of 9/17/08, you’ll hear the request and the response from Brian Taberner.
- insert clip from B Taberner with Vallee saying he wasn’t aware of the outstanding request -
Third, the working sessions for the Finance Planning Committee (FPC) started in earnest this past Thursday night. Fire Chief McCarraher spent about 45 minutes reviewing his operation followed by Police Chief Williams. These two discussions were the most informative of all the meetings I have attended in the past 18 months. The information generated from this session will be very helpful in the telling the story as the FPC goes forward.
You should recall that the FPC is charted with developing a long term plan for the Town, assuming there is an override next year (very likely) what is the long term outlook, how many will there need to be, or is something like the Arlington plan going to work in Franklin.
Fourth, doubting anonymous should be satisfied now. As reported in the Franklin Gazette delivered on Friday, and in the Milford Daily News on Sunday, Supt Wayne Ogden confirmed that yes, there really were 44 teachers laid off and not replaced. Debbie Pellegri and the Brick School Association filed a FOI request and obtained the information on the teachers let go. Now that you have the info, you have the proof that the teachers were indeed let go. Let it go. Let’s get on with business. Let’s work together to avoid another layoff.
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1603414373/Superintendent-Franklin-teacher-layoffs-did-happen
Fifth, I think Question One is the most imminent danger that Franklin faces. Question One is on the ballot in November.
The State Income Tax Repeal is also known as Massachusetts Question 1. It is an initiated state statute that will appear on the November 4, 2008 ballot in Massachusetts.[1] If the measure passes, it will end the state's current 5.3% income tax on wages, interest, dividends and capital gains.
You can find objective information at this link:
http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Massachusetts_State_Income_Tax_Repeal_%282008%29
You can find the Yes position here: http://www.smallgovernmentact.org/
You can find the No position here: http://votenoquestion1.com/?adtrack=education&gclid=CO2I-trz65UCFQpwGgodmkJeew
Where would you cut $11 million from the Town Budget?
Public safety is about 9 M, Central Gov’t Services is about 9 M. Public Works is about 6 M. If 2.8 million cost the town 44 teachers, what would loosing $11 million dollars cost the town?
The idea of the commonwealth is for all of us together to work and pay for the community services we need. If you think taking $11 million dollars out of the Franklin budget would bring you the community you want, I’d like to know what it would look like.
These are the five things that matter to Franklin this week:
This podcast has been a public service provided to my fellow Franklin citizens and voters by Steve Sherlock
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
- The School Building Committee was appointed.
- The bylaw to rezone parcels on RT 140 was moved to another meeting.
- The Finance Planning Committee really got working this week.
- The teacher layoffs were confirmed, doubter anonymous should rest easier now.
- The imminent danger of Question 1 for Franklin's budget.
Time: 11 minutes, 37 seconds
MP3 File
Session Notes:
Music intro
My intro FM #15
This podcast for Franklin Matters will focus on the 5 things you need to know about what happened this week.
First, the Town Council appointed the new School Building Committee. This is the one that will work on the high school but because there will be other school buildings that will need work on them before the high school is completed, the committee is not called the High School Building Committee. The State Dept of Education has guidelines that determine the make of the committee so the Town Council was expressly careful to follow the guidelines in making their appointments.
In this clip from the Town Council meeting on 9/17/08, we hear Chair Chris Feeley read the appointments
- insert clip from Town Council/Chris Feeley with the announcement -
Town Officials
- Chris Feeley, Town Council
- Scott Mason, Town Council
- Ed Cafasso, School Committee
- Paula Mullen, School Committee
- Maureen Sabolinski, Ass't Supt of Schools
- Pamela Gould, High School Principal
- Michael D'Angelo, Town/School Facilities Director
- Jeff Nutting, Town Administrator
In this segment from the Town Council Meeting of 9/17/08, you’ll hear the request and the response from Brian Taberner.
- insert clip from B Taberner with Vallee saying he wasn’t aware of the outstanding request -
Third, the working sessions for the Finance Planning Committee (FPC) started in earnest this past Thursday night. Fire Chief McCarraher spent about 45 minutes reviewing his operation followed by Police Chief Williams. These two discussions were the most informative of all the meetings I have attended in the past 18 months. The information generated from this session will be very helpful in the telling the story as the FPC goes forward.
You should recall that the FPC is charted with developing a long term plan for the Town, assuming there is an override next year (very likely) what is the long term outlook, how many will there need to be, or is something like the Arlington plan going to work in Franklin.
Fourth, doubting anonymous should be satisfied now. As reported in the Franklin Gazette delivered on Friday, and in the Milford Daily News on Sunday, Supt Wayne Ogden confirmed that yes, there really were 44 teachers laid off and not replaced. Debbie Pellegri and the Brick School Association filed a FOI request and obtained the information on the teachers let go. Now that you have the info, you have the proof that the teachers were indeed let go. Let it go. Let’s get on with business. Let’s work together to avoid another layoff.
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1603414373/Superintendent-Franklin-teacher-layoffs-did-happen
Fifth, I think Question One is the most imminent danger that Franklin faces. Question One is on the ballot in November.
The State Income Tax Repeal is also known as Massachusetts Question 1. It is an initiated state statute that will appear on the November 4, 2008 ballot in Massachusetts.[1] If the measure passes, it will end the state's current 5.3% income tax on wages, interest, dividends and capital gains.
You can find objective information at this link:
http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Massachusetts_State_Income_Tax_Repeal_%282008%29
You can find the Yes position here: http://www.smallgovernmentact.org/
You can find the No position here: http://votenoquestion1.com/?adtrack=education&gclid=CO2I-trz65UCFQpwGgodmkJeew
Where would you cut $11 million from the Town Budget?
Public safety is about 9 M, Central Gov’t Services is about 9 M. Public Works is about 6 M. If 2.8 million cost the town 44 teachers, what would loosing $11 million dollars cost the town?
The idea of the commonwealth is for all of us together to work and pay for the community services we need. If you think taking $11 million dollars out of the Franklin budget would bring you the community you want, I’d like to know what it would look like.
These are the five things that matter to Franklin this week:
- School building committee
- bylaw rezoning
- FPC working sessions
- teacher layoffs confirmed
- the imminent danger of Question 1
This podcast has been a public service provided to my fellow Franklin citizens and voters by Steve Sherlock
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
"Doubting anonymous" should be satisfied now
Milford Daily News
FRANKLIN —
Weeks into the new school year, some residents are still skeptical that the district actually laid off 44 teachers, an accusation Superintendent Wayne Ogden says he wishes were true.
Referring to an anonymous caller who only identified himself as a former town councilor, who asserted teachers were not given pink slips, or have since been rehired, Ogden said, "He is completely wrong.''
"I wish he were right. I wish that were true. I'd be a happier human being. In fact, I might not have resigned,'' he said.
Residents will be able to check "the truth according to the Department of Education,'' by the end of October, when the department publishes the number of students, teachers and administrators in every school district in Massachusetts, Ogden said.
The department produces both a current list and last year's numbers, so people can compare and view them side-by-side, he said.
.......
This summer, Town Clerk Deborah Pellegri, on behalf of the Brick School Association, submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the School Department, seeking the names of all those teachers and positions that had been cut.
"We weren't doubting (teachers had been laid off), we just wanted to see the people's names and how many people were let go,'' Pellegri said.
The list she received in response to her request identified the names, positions, and corresponding schools of 46 teachers, four of whom were part-time, and two administrators.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
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