Live reporting - transportation update

Asst Supt. Maureen Sabolinski, Miriam Goodman

(chart to be made available later)
The chart is an update from one posted in August

Cafasso - If pay-to-ride were to be fee funded it would be approx $670/student

Live reporting - Summer Blackboard

Pandora Carlucci introduces this joint venture between the Life Long Learning and the High School

Supt Ogden with his leadership and collaborative encouragement, this was finally possible

Peter Light's tenacity lead to the success of the program

50 students participated, 3 obtained scholarships to participate

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Peter Light claims it really was a team effort

looking for this to be a self-sustaining program, could extend the program to

a key goal:
create new opportunities for students, limited offerings due to curriculum requirements

Blackboard, an online platform to facilitate learning
this platform is used at some colleges
students completed coursework from around the world
credits for courses offered an completed successfully

mailed to other schools around the state
reaching out to other districts and other students (will help fund the program)

Mr Sutherland - create and set up course, allows for adjustments along the way
allows for secure dialog between students and teacher
there was a learning curve with the program particularly with setting up the test and enabling it to be available online
allowed flexibility to turn in assignments early
11 students took his class in forensics, a lot of reading, a lot of outside research required
his class is archived and available for re-use, embellishment, etc.

Mrs Belastock

Mr Lima provided a demo of the Blackboard

could key the astronomy program to the specific longitude/latitude so that the view of the sky would be as close to actual as possible, assuming no clouds, you could turn around and see the sky

paper copies made available if computer was not available

each Tuesday night, there was a live session, Mr Lima was online, the students had tasks to observe and report back via the online, they could also ask other questions

over 4 weeks, on Tuesday nights averaged about 75 messages each night

Q&A
Armenio - what were the challenges? You're at home, relaxed.
I was at band camp at UNH and taking the course online
Needed self discipline and motivation to do the assignments and complete them on time

Armenio - would you do it again?
yes

Armenio - are you using Accuplacer?
Pam Gould, FHS Principal - yes a possibility, we are looking at it for the future

Trahan - I am blown away, I would love to take the astronomy class myself
I was in Europe and came back, introduced myself and caught up fairly quickly

Trahan - would you be using this info now or later
Doing this music course has helped me with music this year

Rohrbach - anything you experienced that you would like to see done differently or improved?
happy with everything, nothing really to change

Mullen - you took pre-calc and you are a sophomore, what are you going to do with the rest of the high school?
I can take two full years

Mullen - did you find yourself at the same level with others who took the full year course?
Yes, I did not see a difference

Ogden - As juniors, those taking this pre-calc offering will exhaust the curriculum when they are seniors. Exploring options with Dean, Framkingham St and other places to see what can be done

This was done without cost to the community and a small cost to the families. The courses can be taken anywhere on the planet that there is access to the internet. A number of folks have made this a hugh success. A number of faculty did not get the option to participate and will be able to next summer

Cafasso - what is the capacity of a course?
Light - from his pilot experience about 25-30 students to provide good feedback

? - what about the variety of student pacing and ability, how was it for the teaching?
Light - Not a completely different environment from the classroom.
Belastock - need to be aware of time differences when the testing is open and due.
Lima - ability for students to learn from other students

2 minute recess to allow for breakdown of demo

Live reporting - School Committee meeting

Committee Present: Armenio, Cafasso, Kelly, Mullen, Rohrbach, Trahan
Absent: Roy


Call to order Mrs. Mullen

Pledge of Allegiance

Moment of Silence


1. Routine Business

• Citizen’s Comments- none
  
• Review of Agenda- action item D to be removed from agenda this evening
  
• Minutes: I recommend approval of the minutes from the September 23, 2008 School Committee Meeting. Moved to accept - approved 6-0
  
• Payment of Bills Mr. Kelly Moved to accept - approved 6-0
  
• Payroll Ms. Armenio
• FHS Student Representatives
• Correspondence: 1. Budget to Actual

Franklin School Committee Meeting - Agenda - 10/14/08

Franklin School Committee Meeting
October 14, 2008
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 23, 2008 School Committee Meeting.
• Payment of Bills Mr. Kelly
• Payroll Ms. Armenio
• FHS Student Representatives
• Correspondence: 1. Budget to Actual

2. Guests/Presentations

• Summer Blackboard
• Transportation Update

3. Discussion Only Items

• Ballot Question #1
• FY10 Budget Timeline
• Superintendent Search

4. Action Items

1. Moved that the Franklin School Committee opposes Question 1, a ballot initiative that would eliminate the state income tax. Passage of Question 1 would cut the state budget by 40%, cause massive reductions in local aid to cities and towns, and result in drastic reductions in school programs.
2. I recommend acceptance of a check for $400.00 from money left over from a community service grant awarded to 2 Remington Teachers to be used for supplies for RMS.
3. I recommend acceptance of the donation of a “Fun Hoop” for the Keller Elementary School in memory of Noreen Coffey from FPS Staff (Cost: $800.00)
4. I recommend acceptance of a check for $800.00 from the Horace Mann PCC to fund Middle School Magic at HMMS.
5. I recommend acceptance of a check for $5,000 from the Jefferson PCC for admission, buses and nurse for a field trip to Plimoth Plantation and a Grade 4 trip which has not yet been finalized.
6. I recommend acceptance of a check for $1,420.00 from the ECDC PCC to purchase a laminator for the ECDC.
7. I recommend approval of the recurring trip to Mt. Monadnock in Jaffrey, NH on October 25, 2008 for 30 students in the Remington Adventure Club.
8. I recommend acceptance of the donation of a ½ size string bass, (said value: $1,200.00), from Ms. Colleen Pierson for the Davis Thayer Elementary School Music Program.
9. I recommend acceptance of a check for $3880.50 from the Keller PCC for a 1st grade field trip to Jane & Paul’s Farm and a 3rd grade field trip to Plimoth Plantation as described on the attached form KCD-E.
10. I recommend acceptance of a check for $180.39 from Target’s Take Charge of Education Program for In-house enrichment for the Horace Mann Middle School.
11. I recommend transferring $1,268.17 from the Brick School Revolving account to the Town of Franklin.

5. Information Matters
• Superintendent’s Report

1. Enrollment Comparison (9-28-07 to 9-26-08)
2. MCAS
3. Art Gallery
4. Special Ed. Tuition Increases
5. Revolving Account

• 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

candidate orientation/parent meeting on Oct. 23

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Oct 13, 2008 @ 10:52 PM

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FRANKLIN —

After learning that organizers were canceling the Junior Miss program due to a lack of money, a local woman decided to rescue this year's competition.

"I have a 14-year-old daughter (Jordan) who can't wait to do Junior Miss ... in the year 2013," said Jill M. Bedoya, who took part in a competition here in 1988 and served on Junior Miss committees at both the town and state levels.

"I stepped forward to offer my services to run this year's program so there were no girls left without the opportunity to participate in and experience a Junior Miss program. Junior Miss has been a part of my family for many, many years. My father, Tom Mercer and my aunt, Raye Lynn Mercer, ran the Franklin program for about 10 years, prior to taking over the Massachusetts state program, which they both ran for years. I grew up with Junior Miss," Bedoya said.

She refused to let the 40-year-old program, open strictly to Franklin High School senior girls, cease.

Many people put the program together, she said, and they just needed a little support.

"I have lots of contacts and I'm trying to use my coordination abilities to give the Franklin committee some support," she said.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here

WHY VOTE NO TO THE INCOME TAX PROPOSAL?

WHY VOTE NO TO THE INCOME TAX PROPOSAL?

The income tax question on the ballot this fall is a reckless proposal that will have severe and immediate consequences for all of us. This binding referendum will take more than $12 billion—nearly 40 percent—out of the state budget, driving up local property taxes and leading to drastic cuts in services. Our communities will suffer sweeping education cuts, steep reductions in public safety personnel and further deterioration of roads and bridges. Times are hard enough. Let’s not make them worse.

Here is what we know

• The income tax proposal will cost the Commonwealth more than $12 billion in revenues
• That’s 40 percent of the state budget
• This is a binding proposal that will become law effective January 1, 2009

This reckless proposal will:

• Drive up local property taxes
• Have dire consequences for our communities, putting:
  • Education at risk with:
    • Larger class sizes
    • Fewer afterschool programs
    • More school closings
  • Health care at risk for:
    • Seniors
    • Working families
    • People with disabilities
  • Public safety at risk with:
    • Fewer emergency response personnel
    • Longer 911 wait times
    • Fewer police officers and firefighters
  • Our infrastructure at risk with:
    • Unsafe bridges
    • Broken roads and more potholes
    • Cuts in service to public transportation
• Put our fragile economy and job market at even greater risk

What to do about it

1. Pledge to VOTE NO
2. Sign up for email from VoteNoMA.com to stay informed. You can do that here. As volunteer opportunities arise we will contact you.
3. Tell your friends and family to VOTE NO. Let them know that you think this is a reckless and bad idea. Send them to VoteNoMa.com and ask them to learn more and sign up to help as well.

Times are hard enough. Let’s not make them worse.

This info came from the folks at Vote NO on Question 1

"The mirror simply slid down the wall"

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

Milford Daily News

Posted Oct 13, 2008 @ 12:32 AM

Last update Oct 13, 2008 @ 12:33 AM

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FRANKLIN —

Even after a century, members of the philanthropic Ray family may still be hanging around their old haunts, according to staff at Dean College.

Workers at Ray House, which serves as the school's admissions office, and several staff members, including Vice President of Enrollment Jay Leiendecker, have reported encounters with spirits they believe are Ray family members. The house was their former home, built in the 1800s.

Sensing a spirit, or seeing a shadow flash by is not rare at Ray House, Leiendecker said.

"It's not once every so many years - there's definitely a spirit living in the house," he said, adding, "Nothing bad has happened."

In fact, if the otherworldly inhabitants are members of the Ray family, he said they're probably quite friendly ghosts, because they were incredibly charitable people in life.

Although encounters are common, they can still be startling.

"We had window-washing crews come here on weekends, and a man was washing the window inside and out one Saturday," Leiendecker said, pointing to his tall office window overlooking the campus, "and he apparently went screaming for the hills after he saw ... something."

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here

More home heating saving tips

Today's Sunday Globe covers a number of the same home energy saving tips covered in the presentation at the Franklin Public Library this past Monday evening. The graphical depiction of the savings in the online edition is not the same as the graphic that appears in the print version. It leaves off the dollar savings and payback periods. You'll need to read the full article to find that info.

Read the full article in the Boston Globe here

The presentation from the Library session earlier this week can be found here.

"We ask them virtually to perform miracles"

The Framingham and Franklin school systems face a common problem - the need to hire a new superintendent - but they're looking to solve it in different ways.

They're among at least 11 school systems in the region that have either hired new district leaders in the past year or are in the process of doing so. Some, like Franklin, have sought to nurture internal talent and hire from within the school district. Others, like Framingham, have put out a nationwide call for applications.

Both approaches reflect a desire to hire the best leaders from what area school officials say is a shrinking pool of candidates for a growing number of openings.

Just last week, Shrewsbury's longtime superintendent, Anthony Bent, announced he will be retiring at the end of the academic year.

Bent, who has headed Shrewsbury's system for 15 years, said the School Committee will search for his successor both inside and outside the district, casting a broad net in order to "have the best potential pool to choose from."

Thomas Scott, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, said there have been between 50 and 60 superintendent vacancies in each of the last five years, up from fewer than 10 annual openings a decade ago. Each open slot used to draw 75 or more applications, whereas school districts are now lucky to get 20 applications, he said.

Read the full article in the Boston Sunday Globe West section here

Parking fees increase at MBTA

The MBTA's oversight board voted yesterday to raise parking rates by $2 at all of its lots and garages beginning Nov. 15 as part of a plan to pay back wages owed to union employees.

For many daily riders, the increase will have the same effect as a $10-per-week fare increase, or about $500 per year. Rates currently vary, from $1 per day at ferry yards, to $2 at commuter rail station lots, up to as much as $5 at the four most expensive garages.

"That's doubling it," said Margie Katz, a record supervisor at the University of Massachusetts at Boston who takes the commuter rail to work from the Campello station in Brockton, where daily rates had been $2. "It will be an extreme hardship."

Read the full article here in the Boston Globe

"It's really depressing"

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Oct 10, 2008 @ 10:10 PM

Last update Oct 10, 2008 @ 10:53 PM

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MILFORD —

Calling the global economic crisis and financial pressure "the perfect storm" for taxpayers to pass Question 1, which repeals the state income tax on Nov. 4, legislators implored local politicians to rally against it.

"If it passes, we can pretty much shut our doors and go home," said Rep. John V. Fernandes, D-Milford, during a legislative breakfast with the Massachusetts Municipal Association at the Milford Senior Center yesterday.

"We can't sit back on such an important question. The cynicism that drives this means we have to explain to people the seriousness of the consequences. I know people who tend to vote for this who work for local government," Fernandes said.

Fernandes, state Sen. Richard Moore, D-Uxbridge, Ashland Assistant Town Manager/Finance Director Mark Purple, and Douglas Executive Director Michael Guzinski, along with others at the forum, believe the question has a very good chance of passing, and it scares them.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here

"some people are just self-centered and narrow-minded"

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Oct 10, 2008 @ 10:34 PM

Last update Oct 10, 2008 @ 10:41 PM

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FRANKLIN —

Neighbors are rallying to save a nearby colony of feral cats, contacting national animal rights organizations after learning Highwood Condominiums' board of trustees plans to trap and euthanize them.

Animal Control officers Cindy Souza and Tracey Holmes say the feral cats' feeding station, which they set up with Purr-fect Cat Shelter of Medway in nearby woods is on state land where trapping is prohibited.

"We've kind of stepped back ... It's really up to the people to stand up to the association at this point," Holmes said.

And they are.

Resident Leslie McShane contacted Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah, to bring attention to the situation.

"I thought they should know what goes on in small towns that want to euthanize their problems ... instead of reaching out to the community to try and find homes for the feral cats or try to relocate the colony to a friendlier area that they can all survive in," McShane said.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here

Question 1 effect on Franklin

Check out these editorials from around the state.

• Tax repeal would result in chaos The Springfield Republican
• Income tax repeal would create chaos Worcester Telegram and Gazette
• For fiscal sanity, no on Question 1 The Boston Herald
• This question is not the answer The Boston Globe
• Reality of Question 1 The Berkshire Eagle
• A ridiculous idea The Cape Cod Times
• Taxes and tactics South Coast Today
• Eliminating income tax is madness The Patriot Ledger

Check out the facts provided here for the effects on Franklin

Or click here to make your own navigation amongst the communities in our Commonwealth of Massachusetts to see the effect if Question 1 passes.

Please don't be swayed by something that sounds too good to be true. You know what happens then, something bad!

"We plan for the worst, hoping it never happens"

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Oct 08, 2008 @ 11:38 PM

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MILFORD —

Just outside Milford Regional Medical Center, men covered from head to toe in protective suits, gloves, rubber boots and breathing apparatus had already decontaminated several victims of a mock terrorist attack when Fire. Lt. Patrick Salmon got a message over his walkie-talkie.

A voice on the other end said the state was reporting: "It may be a terror attack with sarin gas," a nerve agent used in chemical warfare.

Around 7:35 p.m., 55 minutes into a drill mimicking a terrorist incident on a commuter train arriving in Franklin, emergency workers were prepping the third and final victim to bring to the hospital.

"So far, it's good. It's dark out, so we had some issues until we got the lights set up, but now we can keep taking patients" if necessary, Salmon said.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here

"members worried about the safety of students, faculty and staff "

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

Milford Daily News

Posted Oct 09, 2008 @ 12:54 AM

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FRANKLIN —

The Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School's board of trustees last week voted to rent the historic Red Brick School from the town for one year.

"I'm feeling very good about it. I've been a strong proponent on using the building," said John Neas, president of the charter school's board.

Neas said the school faces a critical need for space in its building, which he estimated to be about 35,000 square feet.

"We use every inch of space available to us. We have 416 students and a waiting list of 200 students we can't accommodate," Neas said, noting that the board is looking for another school site. (In the best scenario, he said, they might have a new building in five years.)

And every weekday afternoon, charter school students and staff must vacate the building so that St. Mary's Church, which owns the building, can hold religious ed classes there, Neas said.

"That means our school dismisses at 3:10, and we have from 3:10 to 3:45 for after-school activities. That creates some issues for us," he said.

"This is a possibility for us in terms of having space to do those types of things," Neas said.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here