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

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

When it's time to worry

 

 

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

 

 

When it's time to worry

via Dangerously Irrelevant by dr.scott.mcleod@gmail.com (Scott McLeod) on 2/15/09

Robert Fried says…

There is a simple test we can perform to find out whether or not our children are truly learning. We can ask them, not the usual question, "How was school today, Honey?" or "What did she teach you in your math class?" but rather, "Did you learn anything in school today that you really want to know more about?" If the answer is … usually no, you have cause for worry - even if your child brings home a good report card. [The Game of School, p. 7]

 

 

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Franklin: 188 King Under Agreement

Franklin: 188 King Under Agreement, originally uploaded by shersteve.

Walking late Friday, Dolores and I noticed that the house at 188 King St which I have posted progress shots on during its construction is actually under agreement.

This is a good sign!

"Local renewable energy businesses are optimistic"

"Depending on who you talk to, there's something like 19 provisions in total that could benefit solar energy," Chleboski said.

One provision would lift a cap on federal tax credits for solar-powered hot water heaters, Artner said. Heat-Flo of Hopedale manufactures these devices, and Jay Santello, a Franklin contractor who installs solar equipment, said he uses a sun-powered hot water heater at his own home year-round.

"My hot water is fantastic and my gas bills have gone down substantially," Santello said.

The stimulus plan also would make it possible to convert certain commercial tax credits for solar grants. These credits might have been attractive to companies in the past, but they became less so as companies saw tax bills drop anyway because of diminishing profits, Chleboski said.

Read the full article on renewable energy in the Milford Daily News here

"We are gearing our classes toward the bad economy"

Joan Borgatti, director of adult education in Franklin, said the town has started to gear its classes toward people interested in making some extra cash.

This semester, the center is offering a course on how to start a dog-walking or pet-sitting business, she said.

"Classes about interviewing well and networking did not do well," Borgatti said. "We really thought they would."

Read the full article on Adult Education in the Milford Daily News here

STATE EDUCATION MANDATES - Part 1

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. Over a series of postings, I'll share that listing here.

STATE EDUCATION MANDATES – Partially or Unfunded Requirements

Many laws, initiatives and requirements that may have been well intended, from a multitude of governmental agencies create “un-funded mandates” at the local level. These mandates must be coupled with adequate and sustainable funding sources. Often local mandates required by the state are attributed to federal requirements. The cause and effect of these growing local burdens and links to their funding support are a frustrating source of conflict to state / local harmony and cooperative efforts.

Several years ago the Massachusetts Association of School Business Officers (MASBO) reported on this issue and the points made are incorporated in this document. The MA Association of School Superintendents and MASC have also included items listed below.

General Overview of the General Regulatory Requirements with Cost Implications

The largest legislated program to fund public education, known commonly as the Chapter 70 funding system, does not cover in full the cost of mandates inherent in the law and regulations. The system remains essentially as it was at the start of the Education Reform program in 1993. The reimbursement formula has been modified somewhat and annual funding has increased significantly, but school districts have for many years had to budget for expenses that outstrip both the rate of inflation and the state’s ability to grow state aid to education faster than the cost-of-living for schools.

In addition to funding shortages, some of the mandates that districts must address are:

· Time and Learning standards that required some districts to expand time spent on classroom instruction.

· Curriculum frameworks that have been established in seven areas, requiring new and expanded areas of educational activity.

· Implementing, adhering to, or complying with any one of the 15 assessment, accountability and accreditation systems that were created by Education Reform or imposed by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education or the US Department of Education, including No Child Left Behind[1]. Superintendents have estimated that the growth of compliance mandates has expanded ten-fold and one estimate is that every educator in a public school spends as much as 160 hours per year on pure compliance requirements that are not classroom instruction or preparation for teaching.

· The Department of Education has produced a list of 106 reporting requirements (the “checklist”) that are required of superintendents each year.

· Federal regulatory compliance is an added burden as districts fulfill obligations to No Child Left Behind and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

The full listing is available here (DOC)

"The state needs another 30 to 45 days"

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Mar 20, 2009 @ 11:49 PM

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FRANKLIN —

U.S. Rep. James McGovern assured a room of about 100 local officials that the state's anticipated $8.7 billion in stimulus funds will be fairly distributed, not sent to Boston.

"There are days when I think my job is tough, and then I think of you - you have it tougher, you're on the ground, you're on the front lines," McGovern told town, school and state officials at yesterday's special briefing on the federal stimulus package at Franklin's Municipal Building.

"There is $8.7 billion coming to Massachusetts, and the whole point is to have it work. My hope is, there's something for everyone, but it's the state's discretion," said McGovern, D-3rd.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here.

View the video recording of the presentation at the Franklin web site here

extra Special Ed funding announced

MetroWest Daily News

Posted Mar 20, 2009 @ 11:51 PM

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Massachusetts school districts will receive $280 million from the federal stimulus package during the next two years to help them pay the cost of special education, with figures in the region as high as $636,500 for Marlborough and $1.1 million for Framingham.

Gov. Deval Patrick announced yesterday at Brockton High School that half of the money will be distributed by the end of the month and the rest of it will be allocated this fall.

Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester said the funding will allow districts to provide necessary special education services without cutting into the regular education budget.

,,,,

Franklin: $729,767

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here

Grow the air you breathe

Yes, fascinating stuff.




I wonder if there will be a run on these plants?

Slide show: Trivia Bee 2009

A recap of the Trivia Bee held on Thursday, March 19th.




Enjoy!

FHS bottle and can drive Sat 3/21 - 9 AM to 1 PM

FHS bottle and can drive Sat 3/21 - 9 AM to 1 PM, originally uploaded by shersteve.

a better picture to share

School Activities - Friday Night

Driving around I see notices for the following:

Parmenter School - Auction Friday night 3/20/09 at 7:00 PM

Davis Thayer - Talent Show at Horace Mann Auditorium, 3/20/09 at 7:00 PM


Are there other school activities I may have missed?

Add a comment or send me an email and I can update this listing!

Franklin: FHS Bottle & Can Drive 3/21/09

Franklin_FHSCanBottleDrive, originally uploaded by shersteve.

According to this sandwich board sign on the corner of King and Forest Streets, there will be a bottle and can drive at Franklin High School this Saturday the 21st.

Worthy of note, signs like these are not permitted currently nor would they be under the revisions of the sign bylaw underway. There was a presentation at the Downtown Partnership meeting on 3/19/09. There will be additional publi hearings as the revision comes before the Town Council and the Planning Board.

If you are interested in using signs like this or any other signs to help advertise a special event, I recommend you watch carefully to find out when the public hearings will be held. I will post the information to Franklin Matters as I find out.

“Second graders only get one chance at second grade"

As part of his Massachusetts Recovery Plan to secure the state’s economic future, Governor Deval Patrick today announced he will commit $168 million in federal education recovery funds to ensure every district in the Commonwealth reaches so-called foundation spending levels next school year. For Franklin, that means that an additional $448,381 in the school budget. This will reduce our anticipated deficit for FY10 to approximately $2.5 million.

Read the full article on the Franklin School Committee blog here

"We were a total team effort"

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Mar 19, 2009 @ 11:55 PM

Last update Mar 19, 2009 @ 11:56 PM

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FRANKLIN —

Placing Martha Stewart's quote, "It's a good thing," was easy enough for Town Treasurer/Collector James Dacey in last night's annual Trivia Bee.

But Dacey's team, the "Franklin Munibees," comprised of Dacey, Town Administrator Jeffrey D. Nutting and Fire Chief Gary McCarraher, were lost when it came to identifying the HBO series, "Big Love."

Thus, they could not hold onto their "world championship title," as Nutting called it, from last year's Bee, which is put together by the Franklin Education Foundation to fund classroom grants.

Everyone knew the television character who once said, "We lost a daughter, Edith, but we gained a meathead," Archie Bunker and the puppeteer who told TV Guide she loved to shock waiters by ordering lamb Shari Lewis. (She rode to fame on a puppet named Lamb Chop.)

Read the full article about the Trivia Bee in the Milford Daily News here