When folks gather and the buzz rises, that is all goodness!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
"starting with nothing but their vision"
GHS
FRANKLIN —
As it now stands, the 1.42-mile trail through Franklin State Forest looks like "a BMX course" or "mogul ski hills," but bicyclists, equestrians and politicians who gathered at the trail head yesterday envisioned a smoother path.
The goal is to forge a trail from Franklin to Bellingham, and ultimately to Palmer in Central Massachusetts.
Among those at yesterday's brainstorming session, state Rep. James Vallee said he wants to create a trail conducive to bicycling, horseback riding, hiking and other activities.
"It's in pretty good condition, it's in a pretty good state," but not quite ready for such pursuits, he said.
read the full article about the efforts to improve the rail trail in the Milford Daily News here
State Education Mandates - Part 7
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 7 of the series:
The full listing is available here (DOC)
Residency
Residency waivers and concerns arising from private entities such as sports boarding facilities within district boundaries and the implications of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Act impact district budgets (also see above). Sports boarding camps attract players from various towns, states and countries. Local districts are required to educate said students without regard to tuition payments because residency statutes state that if a student is not at such a facility “solely for the purpose of education,” they are allowed to attend at no cost to the student.
• Residency also becomes an issue when a residential special education institution is located in a Massachusetts community. Students admitted to that institution sometimes attract the family, or a guardian member of the family, to relocate to the community for purposes of being closer to the resident student. This includes formerly out of state as well as in-state residency shifts and families with multiple residents. Such shifts determine assignment of costs to the host resident community.
• While there is local control on the admission to kindergarten there is a great deal of differentiation of starting age. Under choice students may be entered into a district at an earlier age and then require placement at the resident school district.
Vocational Education
School districts allow students to attend out-of-district vocational schools when programs are not offered in the regional district to which the local district belongs. Unlike the Charter School Reimbursement, there is no apparent reimbursement for vocational placement, though the vocational student, like the charter student, is counted in the Foundation Budget of the sending district. In addition, school districts are required to transport these secondary students to the schools of their choice. There is only partial (up to 50%) reimbursement for vocational education transportation.
Amy Speace at The Circle of Friends Coffeehouse - 4/4/09
Amy Speace and her band, the Tearjerks, will perform at the Circle of Friends Coffeehouse on Saturday, April 4th at 8:00 PM. This New York-based singer/songwriter demonstrates why she's quickly become one of her adopted hometown's most celebrated emerging artists. Possessing a commanding voice, a distinctive melodic sensibility and an uncanny knack for nailing complex emotions in song, Speace makes music that's both illuminating and effortlessly accessible. Time Out New York stated, "Amy Speace plays sweet, twangy folk music with a clear voice and an innocent vulnerability," while The Nashville Scene noted that she "balances wry humor with open-hearted honesty." And renowned Nashville critic Robert K. Oermann, writing in Music Row, dubbed her a "new star."
"Amy Speace has one of those fetching voices, the kind that taps you on the shoulder and motions seductively for you to follow it around corner after dark corner. You don't know where you're going to end up or how you'll ever find your way back, but that doesn't matter right now: you're enjoying the trip." Scott Brodeur, No Depression
Here is a clip of her song "The weight of the World" to entice you to attend and hear her in person.
Enjoy!
The Circle of Friends Coffeehouse website is here
The Amy Speace website is here
Friday, March 27, 2009
"learning is not a linear exercise, it’s random, it’s self-directed, it looks like spaghetti."
It’s been a great 10 days in Australia, one that’s been too packed for much blogging, obviously, and one that was highlighted yesterday by a visit to one of those “I really wish my kids went to school there” type of schools in a Melbourne suburb. It’s hard to capture everything that’s cool about the Wooranna Park Primary School in a blog post, but let me boil it down to this: the kids are driving the learning, from the design of the school and the curriculum to the decision making around school policy and more. It’s one of those inquiry-based learning environments where the moment you step into it you just feel something different. Different spaces. Different colors. Different conversations. Different stuff up on the walls.Read the full posting by Wil Richardson on his blog here.
Franklin has been a model district for others in the state to come and view, especially with regards to the kindergarten program. Will that continue?
Franklin, we will need to decide which way we want to go. We can step up to properly fund the schools and our future. Or not.
What will Franklin decide?
YouTube Edu - 100+ Colleges on YouTube
Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:
via Free Technology for Teachers by rbyrnetech@hotmail.com (Mr. Byrne) on 3/26/09
It looks like YouTube is making an attempt to be a little more school friendly. YouTube recently launched YouTube Edu. As Read Write Web reported, YouTube Edu is the aggregation of more than 100 college and university videos from the institutions themselves. The videos include college campus tours as well as lectures from professors. YouTube Edu can be searched by institution, by popularity, or by topic.Applications for Education
If YouTube is not blocked in your school district, YouTube Edu could be a nice resource for those involved in helping students research and select a college to attend. The lecture videos could provide a nice complement to instruction in a high school setting.
If YouTube is blocked in your school, you may want to look at some of these alternatives:
20+ Educational Alternatives to YouTube
Six More Educational Alternatives to YouTube
Academic Earth
Next Vista
Save 20% on all books & DVDs from National Geographic!
Things you can do from here:
- Subscribe to Free Technology for Teachers using Google Reader
- Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites
"make sure those who are underage are not able to get liquor"
GHS
FRANKLIN —
The Franklin Mobil Inc. faces a possible suspension of its liquor license after allegedly selling alcohol to a minor, police announced yesterday.
A clerk at The Franklin Mobil, 660 West Central St. (Rte. 140), sold a six-pack of Bud Light to a 20-year-old man in a sting operation March 13, said police Lt. Thomas J. Lynch.
"We had an underage operative go into the Mobil gas station, he grabbed a six-pack of Bud Light, put the money on the counter, the guy rang it up and he handed over the money and walked out with a six-pack in a brown paper bag," Lynch said.
The clerk did not ask for identification, Lynch said.
Mobil management could not be reached for comment yesterday.
The Mobil store has not had any past offenses, he said.
Read the full article about this sting operations and others to be conducted here in the Milford Daily News.
"Capital projects like the senior center did not put the town in debt"
GHS
FRANKLIN —
In one of its final tweakings of a long-term financial plan and report for the town, the Fiscal Planning Committee decided its wants to stress that the recession is not responsible for Franklin's recurring deficit.
"We have a crisis trend, a recurring fiscal deficit ... and it's been exacerbated by the macro-fiscal crisis," said Councilor Shannon Zollo.
The committee should give one set of recommendations for dealing with the current crisis in the short term, and another set for ending the structural deficit, Zollo suggested.
Echoing Zollo's sentiments, Vice Chairman Doug Hardesty said, "The fundamental message is, with or without this economic crisis, this problem exists in Franklin."
Committee members agreed that they do not want people to have a misperception that the recent salary freezes agreed to by town unions solves the structural deficit problem.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
State Education Mandates - Part 6
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 6 in the series:
Note: on the length of the school year, it is defined in days (180 required) but as we recently found out with the Horace Mann/Oak Street complex problem, the State has not yet defined how much time qualifies as a "day" of school.
CurriculumThe full listing is available here (DOC)
Frameworks. Districts revise and create new curricula to conform to the state curriculum frameworks and demands for timely update as the revises and updates frameworks on a regular basis. This work must be done after school and during the summer. Instruction hours must provide at minimum 990/900 hours of instructional time.
Individual Student Success Plans. Districts are required to deploy administrative, teaching, secretarial, guidance, and technology staff and resources (including but not limited to intervention programs in ELA and Math) to ensure that students receive additional support services that address individual student needs as a result of statewide assessment mandates (MCAS). Instructional support and resources such as texts, workbooks, and online instruction are examples of areas that require increases in expenditures.
Curriculum Requirements. The Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks require that districts provide additional instructional staff (e.g. health teachers and guidance staff) to ensure that all curriculum areas are addressed. The periodic review and alignment of every curriculum area requires substantial investment in time (including committee review, curriculum development, printing and dissemination of curricula) and resources (texts, consumable items, and online access).
The length of the school year (180 days) requirement impacts costs incurred for snow and ice removal and climate control in multiple buildings.
Note: on the length of the school year, it is defined in days (180 required) but as we recently found out with the Horace Mann/Oak Street complex problem, the State has not yet defined how much time qualifies as a "day" of school.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Financial Plng Comm 03/26/09
The live reporting from the Financial Planning Committee meeting held 3/26/98
Live reporting - Financial Plng cont'd
let's get to the "what we can do about this"
One point was to prove that we have been fiscally responsible. It has been done, the recent bond rating proves that point as well. We should continue to manage in the fiscally conservative manner as we have done.
Should add "reduction in property value" as a bullet? This is a big fear of a lot of folks.
the compensation package for employees needs to be sustainable as well as competitive
discussion on splitting the focus group into two, one group comes at 7:00 and one comes at 8:00.
April 2 -
- If we don't provide funding, the quality of education and services will go down.
- We would need to look the inherent cost structure of salaries and benefits.
- We would need to look at the unfunded mandates.
One point was to prove that we have been fiscally responsible. It has been done, the recent bond rating proves that point as well. We should continue to manage in the fiscally conservative manner as we have done.
Should add "reduction in property value" as a bullet? This is a big fear of a lot of folks.
the compensation package for employees needs to be sustainable as well as competitive
discussion on splitting the focus group into two, one group comes at 7:00 and one comes at 8:00.
April 2 -
Live reporting - Financial Planning Committee 3/26/09
Attending: Ogden, Zollo, Kelly, Hardesty, Bartlett, Trahan, Cameron
Missing: Whalen, Nutting, Roche, Wilschek
---------
Note: I am joining meeting late as I was participating in the Steering Committee for the School District Strategic Planning process. I'll catch up to the earlier points when I have had a chance to listen to my recording.
---------
Reviewing the current deck and providing feedback on the contents and positioning of the slides
There needs to be an explanation of the difference between operational and capital dollars.
Missing: Whalen, Nutting, Roche, Wilschek
---------
Note: I am joining meeting late as I was participating in the Steering Committee for the School District Strategic Planning process. I'll catch up to the earlier points when I have had a chance to listen to my recording.
---------
Reviewing the current deck and providing feedback on the contents and positioning of the slides
There needs to be an explanation of the difference between operational and capital dollars.
New Cafe Dolce sign
Cool interview with Dave and BJ at the soon to open Cafe Dolce here in Franklin, originally uploaded by shersteve.
I spent a few minutes Dave Purpura and BJ Carlucci this afternoon at the soon to open Cafe Dolce coffehouse here in downtown Franklin.
The results of the interview and additional pictures will be posted in a day or so.
Teacher salary freezes are not the solution to Franklin's financial issues
Disclosure: Mrs Sherlock teaches kindergarten at the Oak Street School. Our two daughters are the product of Franklin's school system, both graduated from FHS and (#1) is out in the working world and (#2) is working to complete her college studies.
The financial issues here in Franklin have been brewing for many years. Jeff Nutting, our fantastic Town Administrator, has worked very well to operate within the constraints provided by the Franklin voters. The Franklin portion of the overall Town budget has declined from about 70% to 50% as we benefited from political connections and the generosity of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
The real issue that will require action is the unfunded Federal and State mandates that drive the costs up. The impact is seen mostly on the school side but there are almost equal restrictions on the Town side.
The time has come to understand the mandates that have been imposed upon us and to take on the Don Quixote approach to go tilting the State House and other government bodies to get these mandates changed.
A listing of the mandates driving the school budget is being posted on Franklin Matters. This listing was compiled by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. The listing can be found here: http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/search?q=%22state+education+mandates%22
Let's not make the teachers the scape goat because you think they are an easy target.
Let's focus our energy on getting the systemic changes made so we not only get this resolved once but for all.
I am ready to charge the ivory towers to get unfunded mandates changed. Will you join me?
Flickr photo credit
"thought that I better get out just in case"
GHS
FRANKLIN —
The boiler room of Franklin Paint Co., at 259 Cottage St., suffered structural damage when it caught on fire at about 1:30 p.m. yesterday, said Fire Chief Gary McCarraher. No one was hurt.
The fire was quickly contained, though firefighters tore at the building from the roof to ventilate it and check for fire inside the walls, McCarraher said.
The fire appeared to be accidental, McCarraher said. It broke out after some employees were doing work in the boiler room. The fire was under control about half an hour later, he said.
"Raw materials in the boiler room caught on fire and damage spread to the roof," McCarraher said. "The structure of the boiler room has a lot of damage, and there is light smoke damage throughout the room."
Read the full article about the fire in the Milford Daily News here
"asking employees to take the brunt from a lack of planning"
GHS
FRANKLIN —
Responding to the School Committee's plea for a salary freeze to save teachers' jobs, the head of the teachers' union is saying it's unlikely.
"I'm particularly concerned that they're looking at teachers to bail people out, because it's just such a tough place to be," said Franklin Education Association President Chandler Creedon, who is a school psychologist at Horace Mann Middle School.
The district is facing a worst-case scenario of a $2.9 million budget deficit.
Agreeing to freeze salaries will save $800,000 and only 15 or 16 teachers, Creedon said.
If everyone also stayed frozen in their lane and step, Creedon said, the town would save $1,760,000.
"I don't even want to consider the lane and step freeze," Creedon said.
Part of the reason teachers receive such pay increases is to offset the cost of obtaining a master's degree, which is required for educational licensure within five years of hire, he said.
The average teacher must invest $38,000 to keep their job, he said.
"We'd like to talk about options and not giving up a negotiated pay raise," Creedon said.
Read the full article about the complicated situation in the Milford Daily News here
"the situation got out of control"
GHS
FRANKLIN —
Police have charged a 17-year-old from Wrentham with raping a 17-year-old Franklin girl behind Town Hall earlier this month.
Following questioning on March 18, police charged Brian K. Poirier, of 510 Franklin St., Wrentham, a King Philip Regional High School student.
Police learned about the alleged rape when Franklin High School Assistant Principal Joseph DiLorenzo told Officer Donald MacLean on March 17 that the victim, a Franklin High student, needed to talk to him, MacLean wrote in the police report.
The girl told MacLean that Poirier, who worked with her, had been pursuing her via text messages. On March 6, she agreed to go with him to McDonald's during their work breaks around 7 p.m., MacLean said.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
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