Franklin School Committee - Newsletter #2

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"the bill is currently being reviewed, and will be assigned to a committee"

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"A local legislator has proposed a law that he hopes will protect student data as technology becomes more prevalent in the classroom. 

State Rep. Jeffrey Roy, D-Franklin, filed the bill last week. The bill builds off one he put forth during the last legislative session. 

It aims to prevent the use of data garnered through students' technological activities in such things as targeted advertisements. 

"We want data to inform thinking and make education better, but we don't want the data out there in the marketplace," he said. "I think it's fairly obvious that, through the educational community, we have amassed tremendous amounts of data on our students; we haven't, legislatively, kept up with it."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20170126/franklin-legislator-files-student-data-bill

Rep Roy at the School Committee meeting

Representative Jeff Roy appeared before the Franklin School Committee at their January 10, 2017 meeting. He presented and overview of his legislative agenda including the bill on student data privacy. Find more from the meeting in the notes summary

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2017/01/rep-roy-world-languages-and-district.html

MassBudget: A first take on the Governor's budget FY 2018

MassBudget    Information.    Participation.  Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center    Democracy. A First Take on the Governor's Budget The most significant new initiative in the Governor's budget is a common-sense proposal to address the problem of costs for private sector employee health care being shifted from employers onto state government. Fixing that problem should create a more sustainably balanced budget and reduce the pressure for budget cuts that could harm people and communities across the Commonwealth. The budget also includes some targeted new investments, such as to reform Bridgewater State Hospital and to increase funding for the Department of Children and Families. It does not, however, propose substantial new investments to make higher education more affordable, or expand access to early education, or fix our transportation systems. MassBudget will publish a detailed examination of this budget early next week. Based on our first look, these are a few of the more significant elements proposed by the Governor's budget: Creates a $2000 per employee assessment on employers of 11 or more (full-time equivalent) employees who fail to provide health insurance for their employees. Massachusetts' health reform law had included a similar assessment (at a lower amount) previously. That assessment was repealed and subsequently we have seen an increase in the costs incurred by MassHealth to pay for health care for employees not receiving health care coverage from their employer. The proposed assessment could encourage employers to provide coverage and provide revenue to offset state costs when employers don't provide coverage. Leaves early education funding essentially flat - increasing by 0.1 percent to $568.0 million, a funding level unlikely to decrease a waitlist of over 23,000 kids across Massachusetts. Increases Unrestricted General Local Aid to cities and towns by $39.9 million, a 3.9 percent increase over FY 2017 levels, but still 40.5 percent below its FY 2001 level, adjusting for inflation. Makes short-term online rentals - like those available through websites such as Airbnb and VRBO - that are rented 150 days or more during the previous calendar year, subject to the same room occupancy tax applied to regular hotel and motel rooms. The proposal is similar to but narrower than one put forward last year by the Senate (see MassBudget's factsheet on this earlier proposal). The Administration estimates this proposal would generate some $12 million in FY 2018. Increases Chapter 70 Education Aid for local schools by $91.4 million (2.0 percent), roughly in line with the projected rate of inflation. This is less of an increase than has been provided in the state budget in the past couple of years. Reduces state aid for MBTA operations by $60.0 million below FY 2017 levels, while making this sum available to the transit agency's capital budget. In other words, this is a transfer from funds available to pay for regular spending such as for electricity, salaries, and supplies; but provides additional funds avail for one-time expenditures, such as for contracting repairs or purchasing new buses or signal systems. Significantly increases funding by $16.7 million (222.6 percent) for the Turning 22 program under the Department of Developmental Services. This program pays for a share of services provided to eligible young adults with disabilities during their transition year from services that they are no longer eligible for upon turning 22. The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts. MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER 15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700 BOSTON, MA 02108

Sent by nberger@massbudget.org in collaboration with Try it free today screen grab of MassBudget webpage

Franklin Library: Patron Appreciation Day

Patron Appreciation Day at the Franklin Library on Friday, January 27. 

Music by Jamie Barrett at 3:30 PM.

http://www.franklinma.gov/franklin-public-library/bulletins/patron-appreciation-day

https://twitter.com/JamieBarrettGTR/status/824010493975285760

http://franklinpl.blogspot.com/2017/01/patron-appreciation-day-friday-january.html

License your Dog today. New easy online registration!

ViewPoint Cloud is the vendor whose software is being used by the Town of Franklin for their online dog licenses and future expansion to include other online transactions. ViewPoint published this article on their company blog about the work they are doing with Franklin.

"Franklin’s vision for customer-service means rising to meet the expectations of residents in a digital age. While staff at the counters are friendly and knowledgeable, Town Hall is only open from 8am-4pm. To Hellen, providing better government services looks a lot more like what you’d expect from Google or Amazon. 

“The world’s operating in a global, 24/7 environment, and people are conducting business at all hours of the day. My hope is in the very short-term we can transition our little place in the world, Franklin, MA, into a 24/7 storefront. We want people to expect that out of government, and we want to deliver on it. When someone says, ‘oh shoot I need to license my dog and today’s the deadline,’ we want that service to be a Google search away. We want to be a one stop shop for people’s questions and services,” explains Hellen. 

With this idea in mind, Hellen and other department heads agreed that updating their permitting system was an important step in providing citizens with greater access to government services.

Continue reading the article online
http://viewpointcloud.com/blog/case-studies/franklin-ma-changes-paradigm-government-service-epermitting/

License your Dog today. New easy online registration!
https://franklinma.viewpointcloud.com/

License your Dog today. New easy online registration!

FHS wrestling dominates Mansfield, boys hockey tops Foxboro

"On Wednesday, the Panthers were recognized for their impressive season, which includes only one dual meet defeat to Marshwood (Maine) in a tournament in Merrimack, N.H. over the weekend. 

Mass Wrestling named Franklin the top team in the state, across all divisions, and the Panthers went out on Wednesday night against Mansfield in the James Albertini Gym and showed why they are so highly regarded. 

Franklin won the opening eight weight classes of the dual meet, four of them by pin and another by tech, and lost only two of the 14 matches on its way to a comprehensive 59-8 team victory. With King Philip losing to Oliver Ames in another of Wednesday’s dual meets, the Panthers also clinched at least a share of the league title with one dual meet remaining. 

“I told the kids that we have a target on our backs,” said Franklin coach Carmine Collace about the message before the meet against the Hornets. “Teams are going to come out and wrestle us hard and they’ve got to step up. If they want to remain the No. 1 team in the state, then you’ve got to wrestle tough and they did.”

Continue reading the wrestling recap by Josh Perry online
https://hockomocksports.com/franklin-wrestling-dominates-at-mansfield-clinches-share-of-title/

Additional photos from the wrestling match can be found here
https://hockomocksports.smugmug.com/20162017/Winter-201617/Mansfield-Franklin-Wrestling-1/

Ian Bakalars won his match at 113 pounds by pin, as Franklin rolled to a big win over Mansfield and clinched a share of the Kelley-Rex dual meet title. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)

Boys Hockey = Franklin, 6 @ Foxboro, 0 – Final

Girls Hockey = King Philip, 5 @ Franklin, 0 – Final

https://hockomocksports.com/wednesdays-schedule-scoreboard-012517/

Via the Twitterverse

Panthers pick up another division over Foxborough 6-0. Hard hat to @Holmesy183 pic.twitter.com/pLBNJGe0fC

— Franklin Hockey (@FHS_Puck) January 26, 2017

Franklin 6 Foxboro 0, hard hat to Holmes @FHSSports @MassHSHockey @MyHockeyLive @In_The_Slot @MetroWestSports @HockomockSports

— Coach Spillane (@FHS_PuckCoach) January 26, 2017

4-0 against Bridgewater-Raynham, making that a 3 games without a goal allowed, coon hat to Colin Hedvig pic.twitter.com/NLrS6VHoWI

— FHS Panthers JV Puck (@PanthersJvPuck) January 26, 2017

Great 59-8 win over Mansfield with pins from Carlucci, Bakalars, Racca, Zogby, MacLean, Hernandez, and Johnson also a tech from Farrell. pic.twitter.com/boC05wosjI

— Franklin Wrestling (@FHSWrestle) January 26, 2017

Final: Franklin 59, Mansfield 8, Brian Perry picks up the win at 285 to wrap it up for the Panthers #hockomock

— Josh Perry (@Josh_Perry10) January 26, 2017

KP skates to 5-0 win over Franklin @HockomockSports @SunChronSports @In_The_Slot @MassHSHockey

— KP Girls Ice Hockey (@KPGHS_IceHockey) January 25, 2017

[Girls Winter Varsity Ice Hockey] King Philip Rgnl HS defeats Franklin HS, 5 to 0.

— FranklinAthletics (@FHSSports) January 25, 2017

MassBudget: Tools to understand the MA state budget proposals

Online tools that make it easy to understand and compare FY 2018 budget proposals

MassBudget    Information.    Participation.  Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center    Democracy. Tools for Understanding State Budget Proposals  Tomorrow the Governor will kick off state budget season by releasing a detailed Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 budget proposal. The Governor's proposal begins an important process of determining what we as a Commonwealth hope to do together through our government, and detailing how we will pay for those things. Key subsequent steps in the process: In April, the House will debate and approve its FY 2018 budget proposal. In May, the Senate does the same. In June, a joint House/Senate conference committee reconciles differences between these two budgets. The final budget plan, which requires the Governor's signature, will ideally be completed by July 1st, the beginning of FY 2018. Since the state budget is often the most important policy document of the year, our team at MassBudget works hard to produce the following resources to helping you stay informed and engaged in the public debate. We hope you find them useful! Budget Monitors Shortly after each major budget release, we produce a written Budget Monitor that analyzes major proposals across a range of key areas (e.g. education, transportation, health care, revenue). As soon as they're written, we send Monitors out to our email list and post them on our website. Here is our FY 2018 Budget Preview, which lays out major fiscal challenges entering the upcoming fiscal year. And here is a link to our Budget Resources page which includes our Monitors from previous fiscal years.   Budget Browser  Our Budget Browser, which we will update shortly after release of the Governor's FY 2018 spending proposals, is a user-friendly online tool where you can track all state spending back to FY 2001. You can drill down to individual programs (called line items) or look at clusters of programs that support similar activities (e.g. Child Welfare). You can adjust for inflation so that comparisons over time make sense, and you can generate your own tables and graphs. Each line item of the Browser has a "Proposals" tab, where you can compare each of the FY 2018 proposals as they are released. Please go here to learn more about the Budget Browser.   Children's Budget and Jobs and Workforce Budget These two web tools are similar to the Budget Browser in that they track state funding for programs in these areas--state programs related to children and state programs that support jobs and workforce training. But they go an important step further by also including written program descriptions and links to other useful resources for more detail. These tools are also updated during the budget season.                       Taxes We also have resources on our website that look specifically at Massachusetts taxes. Among these resources, we recently published a paper that looks at special interest tax breaks which cost the state $1 billion in 2017, and another that looks at the economic effects of tax reforms that would generate revenue to invest in education and transportation.                                                    Finally, do not hesitate to reach out directly to any of our analysts, who are the true experts behind each of these great resources. You'll find contact information and their respective research areas on our website's staff page. The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts. MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER 15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700 BOSTON, MA 02108

Sent by nberger@massbudget.org in collaboration with Try it free today

Reminder: Franklin Art Association - Meeting - Feb 1

Adam O’Day

The Franklin Art Association will meet on Wednesday, February 1, 2017 from 6:30 to 9:00PM at the Franklin Senior Center, 10 Daniel McCahill Street in Franklin. 

Refreshments and social time will begin at 6:30 followed by a short business meeting and a demonstration by Adam O’Day, a contemporary multimedia artist working from studios in Abington and Medford.

Meetings are free and open to the public. For more information log on to www.franklinart.org.

Multimedia Painting, Hadley Street by Adam O'Day

"some in the Legislature want to see the law curtailed"

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"Voters on Election Day chose to legalize recreational marijuana by a seven-point majority. But now the ultimate fate of the vote is in the Legislature's hands. 

Given some of the bills filed by the deadline last Friday, it could change dramatically. 

Over the next two years, legislators will have the option of signing into law more than 30 bills related to legal pot. The proposals range wildly, from repealing the law entirely to expunging every offense related to the drug. 

Fifteen bills filed by state Sen. Jason Lewis dominated the news cycle on the Friday filing deadline. But the breadth of proposals introduced for this next legislative session suggest that the law voters ratified and the one we end up following could be very different."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20170125/medical-marijuana-changes-could-be-coming

Sunrise Montessori School: Preschool & Kindergarten Open House

Preschool & Kindergarten Open House
Saturday, February 11, 2017 from 11am to 1pm
Sunrise Montessori School
31 Hayward St.
Franklin

Free event. The public is welcome to learn about our Montessori preschool and kindergarten programs.

Website: www.MySunriseMontessori.com

Contact: Karen Roeber, Director at 508-541-8010 or Director@MySunriseMontessori.com

Preschool & Kindergarten Open House - Saturday, February 11, 2017 from 11am to 1pm

Entertainment choices for Franklin this weekend - Jan 28-29, 2017

There are several entertainment choices for Franklin this weekend:

• The Electric Youth have two performances on Saturday at THE BLACK BOX
• Peter Mulvey appears with Pamela Means at the Circle of Friends Coffeehouse Saturday night.
• Sari Gruber, soprano and Cameron Stowe, piano perform for LiveARTS on Sunday
• Irina Fainkichen, violinist and Irina Kotlyar, pianist perform at THE BLACK BOX also on Sunday

Franklin cultural arts choices for the weekend of Jan 28-29, 2017

Related posts on the individual performances can be found here

• Electric Youth

http://www.franklinculturaldistrict.org/2017/01/electric-youth-2017-debuts-two-shows-at.html

• Peter Mulvey/Pamela Means

http://www.franklinculturaldistrict.org/2017/01/circle-of-friends-peter-mulvey-january.html

• Sara Guber/Cameron Stowe

http://www.franklinculturaldistrict.org/2017/01/livearts-concert-update-gruber-and.html

• Irina Fainkichen/ Irina Kotlyar

http://www.franklinculturaldistrict.org/2017/01/captivating-artists-performing-romantic.html

FHS Girls basketball wins

Boys Basketball = Franklin, 42 @ Canton, 46 – Final

– Canton held Franklin to its lowest scoring output of the season, limiting the Panthers to 30 points to three quarters. The Bulldogs trailed 30-26 heading into the final frame before winning the fourth 20-12. It marks Canton’s first win over Franklin in over a decade. “Beating a team like Franklin is a tall order,” Canton head coach Ryan Gordy said. “We needed to execute and play with mental toughness every possession. We grew up as a team tonight.” Canton junior Tony Harris scored a game-high 15 points and hauled in six rebounds while sophomore Devin Foster had 12 points and four rebounds.

Girls Basketball = Canton, 30 @ Franklin, 54 – Final

– Franklin had three players reach double figures in a double-digit win over visiting Canton. Carli Koffinke led all scorers with a game-high 16 points while Ali Brigham and Bea Bondhus each chipped in with 10 points in the win. Canton sophomore Julia Hamilton scored a team-high 11 points for the Bulldogs.

Gymnastics = Franklin, 121.6 @ Oliver Ames, 136.15 – Final


For all the results around the Hockomock League on Tuesday
https://hockomocksports.com/tuesdays-schedule-scoreboard-012417/

via the Twitterverse

via @CoachMacCreery  https://twitter.com/CoachMacCreery/status/824052361169670144

Good team win over Canton tonight 54-30. Won 4 of last 5. Keep the focus on improving.

— Franklin Girls Bball (@fhsgvbasketball) January 25, 2017

[Boys Winter Varsity Basketball] Canton HS defeats Franklin HS, 46 to 42.

— FranklinAthletics (@FHSSports) January 25, 2017

Varsity upset by Canton 46-42. Get the next one boys.

— FHS Boys Basketball (@fhsboysbball) January 25, 2017

And we've gone final here at Franklin with the Panthers getting the 54-30 victory! #HardWorkPaysOff @HockomockSports @FHSSports

— CoachMac (@CoachMacCreery) January 25, 2017

Franklin with a 36-23 lead heading into Q4. @FHSSports @HockomockSports pic.twitter.com/2zWZ0zyKPR

— CoachMac (@CoachMacCreery) January 25, 2017

JV beat Canton 60-39. Good job boys!

— FHS Boys Basketball (@fhsboysbball) January 24, 2017

Freshmen beat Canton 77-33. Great team win!

— FHS Boys Basketball (@fhsboysbball) January 24, 2017

[Girls Winter Varsity Gymnastics] Oliver Ames HS defeats Franklin HS, 136 to 121.

— FranklinAthletics (@FHSSports) January 25, 2017

So proud of this team!! It's a win for us every time!! pic.twitter.com/t7NuKiavzK

— FHS Gymnastics (@fhs_gymnastics) January 25, 2017

10 Brick Wall Tips for Genealogists

Everyone needs a little help and encouragement to jump-start the research, especially on hard-to-solve cases. Marian will present 10 brick wall tips that will help every genealogist look at their research challenges in a fresh way. 

This presentation, by Marian Pierre-Louis of Fieldstone Historic Research, will bring you the momentum you need to get your family history research back on track.

During the library building project, the Franklin Public Library Genealogy Club will meet at the Franklin Historical Museum, 80 West Central Street.

When: Thursday, January 26, 2017 at 6:30 PM

Franklin Historical Museum on a sunny day

For additional info about the Historical Museum

http://franklinhistoricalmuseum.org/

For additional info about the Franklin Library

http://www.franklinma.gov/franklin-public-library

For additional info about the Genealogy Club

http://vbuchanio.wixsite.com/franklingenclub

"We just want people to know that everything's open for business"

"Though the busy season at the Franklin State Forest has passed, state officials are reminding area residents that the property remains open during the winter. 

The state Department of Conservation and Recreation put out a notice this month to promote the winter recreational use of the 843-acre forest. Park Supervisor William "Tom" Ashton said that there are many ways that locals make use of the land, even after snow has fallen. 

"During the wintertime, there are activities like snowshoeing and hiking," he said, adding that cross-country skiing and fat tire snow biking are other options. "We want to let people know that, 'Hey, we're still here - we have a beautiful park with a lot of wonderful scenery.'" 

The notice highlights the forest's pine trees as being especially scenic when they are blanketed in new snow."

Continue reading the article online
http://franklin.wickedlocal.com/news/20170116/franklin-state-forest-remains-open

• The park hiking map

http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/dcr/parks/trails/franklin.pdf

My wife and I took a walk on a recent Sunday. We started from the SNETT and then took a side trail into the State Forest to pick up the old logging trail in the forest that ended up at the water tower. It was a good walk.

winter forest land

look up once in a while, quite a view

old logging road

remnants of trees come in odd shapes

and yes, in New England forests you will find stone walls