MassBudget: Senate Ways & Means budget proposal

MassBudget    Information.    Participation.  Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center    Democracy. Analyzing the Senate Ways & Means Budget Proposal Like the proposals from the Governor and the House, the Senate Ways and Means (SWM) Committee budget for Fiscal Year 2018 (which begins July 1) would generally maintain existing service levels while making small targeted new investments in several areas, particularly in education. This budget also joins the House in addressing a major fiscal challenge identified by the Governor: the increases in MassHealth costs related to declines in employer-provided health care and increases in private-sector employees receiving their health coverage through MassHealth.  The Governor had proposed a $2,000 per-employee assessment on employers who failed to meet certain benchmarks for providing coverage to their employees. While this amount is significantly less than the $5,000 or more it would generally cost employers to provide coverage for their employees directly, the assessment has been criticized by some in the business community.  The Senate Ways and Means Committee, like the House, authorizes the administration to develop a plan that addresses concerns raised by the business community and generates $180 million in revenue (the Governor's original plan would have generated $300 million in FY 2018). In the House and SWM proposals, the assessment would also expire after two years. By creating only a temporary revenue source for what is likely to be an ongoing expense, the legislature would increase the budget's reliance on temporary revenue, which will make it more difficult to produce a balanced budget in future years. The SWM budget proposes increased investment in early education and care, local public schools, and higher education.  It proposes an increase of almost $15 million for the Commonwealth Preschool Partnership Initiative, which will expand access to early education, particularly for three-year-olds.  The SWM budget also proposes an increase of $129 million in Chapter 70 local aid for education, modestly more than the Governor and House. Unlike those budgets, it recommends substantial increases in higher education funding ($42 million over current funding levels). Like proposals from the Governor and House, this budget does not propose significant new funding to make progress on some of the big challenges our Commonwealth faces, such as significantly expanding early education; making sure that our schools have the resources they need to provide high quality education for all children in the Commonwealth; or fixing our existing transportation infrastructure while constructing the infrastructure for future growth. While tax revenue in FY 2017 has been coming in below projections, the SWM budget, like those of the Governor and the House, continues to use the consensus revenue estimate previously agreed to by the House, Senate and Governor.  There is some uncertainty about what the FY 2017 tax revenue numbers will mean for FY 2018. Revenue connected with people filing and paying their 2016 taxes in April was down substantially, which  reflects economic conditions in the prior year.  On the other hand, the most recent data on withholding taxes - which track current economic performance - were strong (although sales tax receipts, which also reflect current conditions, have not been strong). In other words, while the decline is cause for concern, it is not clear how it will affect the trend going forward. State finance law directs the Governor to make that determination and update his budget accordingly: "If the governor determines ... that the tax revenues or non-tax revenues supporting the general appropriation bill have materially decreased... the governor shall submit to the general court by message recommended corrective amendments to the governor's original budget submission to ensure that total appropriations recommended in the general appropriation bill do not exceed total revenues supporting said bill. Such message shall be submitted to the general court within 15 days from the date of such determination." The rest of this Budget Monitor examines the Senate Ways and Means Committee proposals for major state programs in greater detail. Links from the Table of Contents below allow readers to jump quickly to specific sections. Each section also provides links to our on-line budget tools including our Budget Browser (which provides funding information for every account in the state budget going back to FY 2001) and, where applicable, to our Children's Budget and Jobs and Workforce Budget. Click on a Budget Monitor section below: Child Welfare Disability Services Early Education Economic Development Elder Services Environment and Recreation Juvenile Justice K-12 Education Higher Education Housing Law and Public Safety Libraries Local Aid MassHealth and Health Reform Mental Health Other Human Services Pensions Public Health Revenue State Employee Health Insurance Transitional Assistance Transportation To read the full Senate Ways and Means Budget Monitor, click here (LINK). 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

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

Upcoming Events in Franklin, MA Area: FRI 5/19/17 - THU 5/21/17

FRIDAY 5/19/17
8:30pm   DayBreakers with special guests Copilot and Colbis the Creature @ The Black Box

SATURDAY 5/20/17
8-11am   Downtown Beautification Day @ Franklin Downtown
8:30am-6pm   12th Annual Franklin Elks Ride for Oil for Vets Fund @ Elks Lodge
9am - 12pm  Action and Impact - Community Arts Advocacy Day @ Franklin Senior Center
9am-12pm   Spring Cleaning 5th Grade Fundraiser (Books, Clothes) @ Parmenter Elementary
9am-3pm   Book Sale ($1 a book) @ Franklin Public Library
10-1pm   Franklin Historical Museum Open
12-3pm   Clarion Farm Open House @ Clarion Farm, 444 Lincoln Street
4pm   FSPA Spring Concert @ FHS
5:30-8:30pm   Help Bowl Away Cancer (Relay for Life  FUNdraiser) @ Ryan's Family in Millis
7pm   FSPA Spring Concert @ FHS

SUNDAY 5/21/17
8am-2pm   HMEA IncreadABLE Day and 5K @ Dell (50 Constitution Blvd)
9am-12pm   Bag Sale (fill a bag with books for $5) @ Franklin Public Library
11am-1pm   The Boston Red Sox Fenway Experience @ HMEA IncreadABLE Day, 50 Constitution Blvd.
1-4pm   Franklin Historical Museum Open
1pm   FSPA Spring Concert @ FHS
1:15pm   Trip Down Memory Lane with Joseph Landry: Franklin Churches @ Franklin Historical Museum
4pm   FSPA Spring Concert @ FHS
4:30pm   Downtown Partnership: Spring Progressive Dinner @ Downtown Franklin

MONDAY 5/22/17
8am   SAFE Coalition 2nd Annual Golf Tournament @ Franklin Country Club
7-8:30pm   Learn To Cope Franklin Chapter Meeting @ FUSF

WEDNESDAY 5/24/17
3:30pm   Teen Lounge @ Franklin Public Library
6pm   Kindergarten Info Night @ Oak Street School
6:30pm   Kindergarten Info Night @ Hellen Keller School

THURSDAY 5/25/17
4pm   Family Coloring Book Club @ Franklin Public Library
5-8pm   Franklin Historical Museum Open
7-8pm   Healing Hearts Community Support Group @ Franklin YMCA
7:30pm   Stony Brook Camera Club @ Anglican Church of the Redeemer (31 Hayward St)

For the Town of Franklin Public Calendar click HERE.

For all other events and Franklin happenings click HERE.

*To submit an event for the Community Calendar, please use this FORM

“Immigration is a controversial topic in the public discourse today'

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

"Chanting “Immigrants are welcome here, say it loud and say it clear,” and holding up signs that read “Hate has no home here,” about 20 protesters gathered in front of the Veterans of Foreign Wars building to support immigrant communities. 

The demonstration was initially planned to protest a discussion on immigration hosted by director of policy studies for the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) Jessica Vaughan that would have taken place in the building Thursday night. 

However, the event, sponsored by the Franklin Republican Town Committee, was cancelled during the afternoon after Larry Bederian, commander of the VFW Post 3402, refused to host political events under the VFW’s roof. 

“We will not have a part of it. We are neutral,” said Bederian. “The VFW is not to be used for political harassment.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20170518/franklin-group-hate-has-no-home-here

sign on some Franklin lawns

Thursday's Boston Globe covered a study by MIT on the effects of immigration on Boston's economy.

"At hotels, nursing homes, and restaurants in and around Boston, roughly half the workforce is made up of immigrants. Among doctors, scientists, and software engineers, a third were born in another country. 

Greater Boston’s economy relies on immigrants much more heavily than the country as a whole. And with the city’s unemployment rate at less than 4 percent and foreign-born workers providing nearly all the growth in the labor market in recent years, a continued stream of immigrant workers is essential for the local economy to thrive, according to a report out Thursday by MIT researchers that provides a detailed breakdown of who these local immigrants are and where they work. 

President Trump’s clampdown on immigration could have serious consequences on Boston-area employers, local workforce development and business leaders say, and some are calling for more liberal immigration policies to fuel the region’s economic growth."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2017/05/17/mit-study-immigrants-vital-boston-economy/l9PszENhVRsffVWvQVa1yO/story.html?event=event12

"Executive Summary

Immigration is a controversial topic in the public discourse today. Are we a stronger nation and economy because of our historic openness to immigration or should we close the borders and restrict access? What would happen to the economy if we took these steps, and what would be the impact on jobs, employers and economic growth?

The goal of this report is to answer these questions for the Boston area. We will see that our
economy and our firms depend heavily on immigrants, and the implications of restricting
immigration are grim indeed.

America is a nation of immigrants, as is Massachusetts and the Boston area even more so. In
2015, immigrants accounted for 13 percent of the United States civilian population, yet they
represented 16 percent of the Massachusetts civilian population and 22 percent of the Boston area civilian population. Even more strikingly, immigrants make up 29 percent of the adult working age civilian population in the Boston area.

If immigrants represent a large fraction of the people in the Boston area, then it makes sense to expect that they are important to the local economy. This report addresses this, but does so by focusing on a narrow version of the question – how do immigrants contribute to the workforce of the employers in the region? The many other contributions of immigrants to our economy—such as their consumption of goods and services and their entrepreneurial energy—will be left to another investigation.

The findings in this report are based on an analysis of large scale surveys conducted in 2014 and 2015 and additionally on interviews with employers that we conducted during the winter of 2017.

Details on the surveys and how we organized the data are provided in the box on methods below.

Some of the highlights of our findings are:
• Boston immigrants are settled members of our community. They are just as likely to be married and have children as are natives, and 68 percent have lived in the United States for 11 years or more.
• Boston’s immigrants come from all parts of the world. For example, 32 percent are from Asia and 25 percent are from the Caribbean and Central America.
• Boston’s immigrants constitute 27 percent of employees aged 25 to 64. Many industries are
heavily dependent on them, and in 18 industries immigrants constitute 20 percent or more of the workforce. For example 22 percent of employees in professional, scientific, and technical industries, 56 percent of employees in hotels and motels, 53 percent of employees in home health, and 29 percent of employees in hospitals are immigrants. The Boston region could not succeed economically nor provide goods and services to its citizens without the contribution of the region’s immigrant employees.
• Employers speak highly of the contributions of immigrants to the success of their firms and express concerns that immigration may be curtailed.
• Immigration is a key source of growth for our workforce. In 2015, a remarkable 54 percent of working age people moving into the Boston area were immigrants, and two-thirds of them came directly from abroad.
• Despite the central role of immigrants in our workforce, significant challenges to fulfill the
true potential of immigrants remain. Too many immigrants have low earnings and low levels of education. Policies to address these challenges are important."


The full MIT Study PDF can be viewed here
https://jvs-boston.org/images/pdf/Osterman%20Report%20-%20Final.pdf

The full MIT Study PDF can be viewed here

FHS boys and girls lacrosse, baseball, and boys tennis post wins on Thursday

From Hockomock Sports, we share the results of the FHS spring sports action on Thursday, May 18.

Softball = Franklin, 4 @ King Philip, 16 – Final (6 inn.)

– King Philip junior Jess Bonner connected for a pair of home runs and knocked in a total of five runs as KP put up its second largest offensive output of the season. Meg Gorman added four hits, including three doubles and Hailey McCasland, Nicole Carter, Brooke Taute and Sydney Phillips each had two hits. Jenn Hutnyan earned the win, striking out 10. Franklin sophomore Ally Shea hit her first home run and finished with three RBI while freshman Anna Balkus had two hits.

Boys Lacrosse = Taunton, 0 @ Franklin, 19 – Final

Girls Lacrosse = Franklin, 19 @ Taunton, 4 – Final

– Mairead Gogeun paced the Panthers’ offense with four goals and one assist and Shannon D’Arcangelo and Grace Platner each found the back of net once as Franklin clinched the outright Kelley-Rex title for the fifth straight season. FHS head coach Kristin Igoe Guarino said Kate Morse and Molly O’Reilly both played well defensively in the win. Abbey Kingman scored a pair of goals for the Tigers and Lorna Li came up with 17 saves in the loss.

Boys Tennis = Franklin, 4 @ Foxboro, 1 – Final

– Franklin earned two wins in singles play and two more in doubles to defeat Foxboro on the road. Eli Brooks won 6-1, 1-6, 6-2 at second singles and Rohan Herur secured a 6-1, 6-1 win at third singles. The team of James Johnston and Derek Wu won 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 at first doubles and Tyler DiPalma and Rahul Hosdurg won 6-4, 6-4 at second doubles.

Girls Tennis = Foxboro, 4 @ Franklin, 1 – Final

– Foxboro swept doubles play and took two wins in singles action to defeat Franklin. Lexi Nelson (second singles) and Julia Muise (third singles) each won 6-0, 6-0. The team of Kayla Prag and Olivia Dantona won 6-1, 6-0 at first doubles and Morgan Krockta and Kendall Milender prevailed with a 6-4, 6-3 win at second doubles. Franklin’s Hannah Sweeney won 2-6, 6-0, 6-4 at first singles.

Baseball = Mansfield, 3 @ Franklin, 6 – Final

"When the showdown between rivals Mansfield and Franklin was moved from Tuesday to Thursday because of rain, it meant to two things: the winner of the game would now clinch at least a share of the Kelley-Rex title and Franklin’s starting pitcher would be different. 

Franklin ace Jake Noviello toed the rubber on Wednesday against Attleboro, meaning that the Panthers would go with their number two starter. 

But luckily for the Panthers, their number two is also an ace. 

Junior Jason Ulrickson (6-0) scattered five hits in 5.2 innings of work to earn the win and also delivered at the plate, going 2-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored, leading the Panthers to a 6-3 win over the Hornets under the lights on the campus of Franklin High School."

Continue reading the baseball game recap written by Editor in Chief Ryan Lanigan
https://hockomocksports.com/ulrickson-franklin-baseball-clinch-share-of-kelley-rex-title/

Franklin’s Jake Macchi (left), Bryan Woelfel and Alex Haba (right) converge with Jake Noviello following the final out. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)

For the results around the Hockomock League
https://hockomocksports.com/thursdays-schedule-scoreboard-051817/

Via the Twitterverse

GREAT DAY for FHS Athletics! Girls Lax & Baseball earn Hock Championship honors... joining champs Boys Lax and Girls Track. #PantherPride

— FranklinAthletics (@FHSSports) May 19, 2017

Franklin 6, Mansfield 3. WP-Ulrickson. S-Woelfel. With win Franklin secures a piece of Kelley-Rex title. Next up: at Framingham (5/19) 3:45.

— FHS Baseball (@FHSCoachZBrown) May 19, 2017

For a third straight year, the Panthers are Undefeated in the League and are the overall Hock Champs @HockomockSports @bostonlaxnet

— Franklin Lacrosse (@Franklin_Lax) May 18, 2017

"nothing suspicious had been found"

"Police did not report any progress after a brutally hot day of searching Thursday for a missing 20-year-old college student. 

Franklin’s Michael Doherty, a Duke University junior, has been missing since he left a Phyllis Lane house party at around 1:30 a.m. Sunday. 

Franklin Police Deputy Chief James Mill said the day’s search was focused around the use of K9 dogs and searchers on the water. With the heat, he said, fewer ground units were being used, and those involved were given frequent breaks. 

Though a one-mile radius around Doherty’s last-known position had been searched, Mill said, certain locations had been identified for further scrutiny, either because clues (such as Doherty’s shirt and shoes, found on previous days) had been discovered there, or because of their difficult terrain. According to Mill, Mine Brook - the marshy body of water at the center of search efforts - varies widely in its depth, and is unpredictable."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20170518/franklin-no-progress-in-doherty-search

Posted by a reader to the Franklin Matters Facebook page

Reminder: Action and Impact - Community Arts Advocacy Day - May 20

You are invited to the following event: ACTION & IMPACT: Community Arts Advocacy Day Event to be held at the following time, date, and location: Saturday, May 20, 2017 from 8:15 AM to 12:00 PM (EDT) Franklin Senior Center 10 Daniel McCahill Street Franklin, MA 02038 View Map Attend Event Action & IMPACT: Community Arts Advocacy Day is a multi-town event bringing together artists, art advocates, cultural organizations, and local businesses to participate in a morning of grassroots activism and education supporting the importance of arts and arts education in our culture. Action & IMPACT is a FREE program of the Franklin Cultural Council, with additional support from the Norfolk Cultural Council, Cultural Alliance of Medfield, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and MASSCreative. Agenda: 8:15 - 9:00:            Registration, Breakfast & Networking 9:00-9:15:              Welcome Address 9:15-9:30:               Why Advocate?...the economic and cultural impact of the arts and what advocacy can achieve 9:30-9:50:              Your Arts Story "Elevator Pitch"…using your personal story to advocate for change 9:50-10:10:            Creative Break to Advocate…grassroots advocacy activities 10:15-11:00:          Educational Workshop Session 1 11:00-11:45:          Educational Workshop Session 2 11:45-12:00:          Wrap up & Social Media Call to Action…one last advocacy action! Workshops: Tips for Successful Grant Writing — Barb Gardner, Franklin Cultural Council & Lillian Gould, MFA Barb, a grant writer for Tufts University, and Lillian, a grant writer for the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, will offer specific tips and information on ways to improve your future Cultural Council grant applications, as well as resources for finding other grants and suggestions on ways to write a successful grant app. Leveraging PR & Email Marketing— Tamara Starr, Franklin Cultural Council Tamara is a former Content Producer for the Boston Globe and former editor of Patch.com and knows what it takes to grab the attention of the press. This workshop will focus on how to write a great press release, managing relationships with editors, examples of impactful "letters to the editor" that support your arts and advocacy message, and more! Community Engagement through Social Media—Charity Stolarz & Taylor McVay, Norfolk Cultural Council Learn to leverage the power of social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to connect to your community and amplify your message. Charity and Taylor will give you a crash course in the basic usage of the most popular social media platforms, along with tips and advice on which platforms are best suited for use in various circumstances. You'll get tools and techniques to boost your reach and maximize engagement with your target audience, and a chance to practice posting, liking, sharing and retweeting in real time with a workshop full of new social media followers. No social media experience necessary!  Lobbying Your Town for Arts Funding — Jean Mineo, Cultural Alliance of Medfield Jean successfully lobbied the town of Medfield 3 years ago to match Mass Cultural Council funding. She, in conjunction with the MCC, developed a Toolkit and Webinar on the topic outlining the successful strategies to use as well as pitfalls to avoid when approaching your town for funding. The Ins and Outs of How to Advocate— MA Representative Jeff Roy & Andre Green, MASSCreative Representative Roy will talk to us about the issues he faces regarding State arts funding budgeting, the objections his colleagues might have to supporting the arts, and how to successfully address those objections when advocating. Andre, Political Director at MASSCreative, will then expand on our earlier elevator pitch activity to guide people in coming up with talking points and "scripts" for advocacy meetings with legislators, giving time to role play these meetings with Rep Roy and others. Art Builds Business Builds Art: Creating Symbiotic Corporate/Arts Relationships Local businesses and arts organizations can create mutually beneficial, symbiotic relationships. Corporations offer sponsorship and funding for the arts, while the arts foster a desirable work environment, increased efficiency and morale, and build competitive advantages for businesses. This workshop will explore those relationships and how to create them within your community. Share this event on Facebook and Twitter We hope you can make it! Cheers, Franklin Cultural Council

Eventbrite, Inc. | 155 5th St, 7th Floor | San Francisco, CA 94103

Tri-County RVTHS Holds Senior Project Fair and Announces Award Winners

Tri-County RVTHS held its annual Senior Project Fair in the high schools’ gymnasium. The event was held for seniors to showcase their amazing innovations to the community as they applied the knowledge and skills they’ve acquired in their career programs toward developing their Senior Project. Four seniors were recognized for their superior creativity and design. They are:

• 1st Place: Christopher Perno of Bellingham - Construction Craft Laborers for his Outdoor Fireplace
• 2nd Place: Marilyn DuValley of North Attleboro - Carpentry for her Wooden Tableware
• 3rd Place: Jack Sullivan of Franklin - Graphic Communications for his Stop Motion Video
• The Student Colleague Choice Award - Ally Bettencourt of North Attleboro - Carpentry for her Guitar

The Senior Project is a capstone project for all Tri-County students. In their junior year, students must research a topic which partners with their trade program area but is outside of the curriculum. Under the direction of their English instructors they take that information and produce an extensive research paper. They then develop and manufacture a product that is relevant to their research.

Vocational instructors provide assistance and advice during the development of the product, as well as the research process. The completed product must reflect a minimum of 40 hours of work, which is provided during senior year in the final week of November and first week of December. Students turn in their finished products in January. The seniors present their products to a panel of industry professionals and Tri-County faculty members. The top three products from each Career Program are then selected to be displayed during the Senior Project Fair.

“In order to be successful in the modern workplace as well as in college, our graduates must master this integration process,” said Mary Ellen MacLeod, Director of Cooperative Education. “The Senior Project serves as a vehicle for Tri-County students to develop and exhibit these vital skills while putting them into real-life practices. We believe the community has been inspired and in awe of what our students have achieved.”

Tri-County RVTHS, located at 147 Pond Street in Franklin, is a recipient of the High Schools That Work Gold Achievement Award and serves the communities of Franklin, Medfield, Medway, Millis, Norfolk, North Attleboro, Plainville, Seekonk, Sherborn, Walpole, and Wrentham. For more information, visit www.tri-county.us.

image from home page of http://www.tri-county.us/

Franklin Beautification Day, May 20th 8AM - 11AM

This coming Saturday is Franklin Beautification Day, May 20th 8AM - 11AM
COMMUNITY SERVICE HOURS WILL BE GIVEN AT BOTH LOCATIONS

Help needed at following locations and times:

1. 7:00 AM - 8:00 AM at Fairmount Farms at 887 Lincoln St to transport plants to Downtown or Town Common locations. Trucks or SUV's will make the job easier.

2. 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM at Downtown Franklin - 20 volunteers needed to help do the plantings in downtown area and bridges. Prefer high school age and/or Adults due to traffic and safety.

busy volunteers making Franklin look beautiful!

3. 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM at the Town Common - 20 volunteers needed to help the Franklin Garden Club plant and mulch. There will be A FEW hundred plants and two trucks of mulch and many young muscles need to help distribute and spread it around. Feel free to bring your garden tools and wheel barrows, just put your name on them!

Eileen Mason providing guidance on what to do

spreading much on the Town Common

Adult, students and young children are all welcome to participate at this site.

Feel free to email emason4234@gmail.com or call 508-330-4234 with any questions.



Additional photos of prior beautification days can be found on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1551606135109407/permalink/1888838038052880/