On the same page - discussion

On the same page - discussion, originally uploaded by shersteve.

David Park and Khadija Hassine were deep in discussion during the Tuesday evening get together as part of the Library program "On the Same Page" facilitated by Margaret Ellis.

The immigrant experience in America was one of the themes in the book, Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 by Stephen Puleo.

What did the recent immigrants have to say about their time here?

• "here in Franklin, it is like a big family, everyone knows somebody"
• "my new 'mother' is downstairs"
• "life is too busy here, all work, work, work"

How did they pick Franklin?

Most acknowledged that the reputation of the school system was the key reason. The location of the commuter rail and the safety of the area were two other prime reasons.

What were difficulties they found here?

• "too many forms, they ask the same questions so many times"
• "making friends, they found neighbors very helpful but those who could be friends had not enough time"

What were differences they found here?

• "so easy to drive here, back in my country it requires much more skill"
• "lives are so independent here, in my country life is more centered on the family"
• "time is so important here, everyone is so busy. I can hear: I have not seen him in two months. Back home, that is not possible."

The Franklin area immigrants represented a diverse collection of countries, from our northern neighbor Canada to Bulgaria, India, Morocco, Poland, and Vietnam.

What could be done

The residential property tax crisis around MA is growing daily. The Commonwealth has some help (possibly) coming our way. Wouldn't it be nice if some of our Federal tax dollars could be put to use?

Consider this:




All the more poignant as we prepare our taxes prior to April 15th.


Many thanks to Ronni Bennett for the link.

In the news - Pirelli Rink, Georgia-Pacific leaves

Town to dedicate rink to fallen soldier

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

FRANKLIN - The Panthers will surrender the ice tonight to let local dignitaries dedicate Veterans Arena Skating Rink to 29-year-old Staff Sgt. Robert R. Pirelli, a soldier killed in Iraq and one-time Franklin High hockey player.

---------------------------

Georgia-Pacific to shutter plant

By Aaron Wasserman/Daily News staff

FRANKLIN - Georgia-Pacific, the global paper products company, will close its packaging facility here in the coming weeks and lay off about 100 workers, it confirmed yesterday.

---------------------------

Tough times ahead - Jeff Roy

Jeff Roy, Chairman of the School Committee closes his posting on Tough Times Ahead

But, no matter how you look at it, we are in for yet another bumpy ride. The School Committee will be discussing the budget scenarios beginning on February 26. We urge you to tune in and follow the progress of the budget discussions that will impact your school system.

Read the full posting on the School Committee blog

In particular, there is some really good work done depicting the money the Commonwealth returns to each community as colors on the map of Massachusetts. Very effective.

Franklin, we should thank our lucky stars for having it as good as we have had for so long.

Stepping Showcase - Dean College 2/23/08 8:00 PM

As part of Dean College's celebration of Black History Month, the group will hold its first Stepping Showcase Saturday night.

Doors open at 8 p.m. Saturday and dancing begins in the Multipurpose Room at 8:30 p.m. The event is open to the public and free of charge.

Performances by the Suffolk Step Team, In The Mak'n Step Squad, University of Bridgeport and Fontbonne Academy will also be featured at the event.

From the Milford Daily News

In the news - destination downtown

Downtown Franklin expected to become a 'destination'

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

FRANKLIN - By the time the Franklin Downtown Partnership finishes its work in three to four years, downtown will be a "destination" rather than a place for "one-stop shopping." ------------------------------

Franklin Schools: At the Break; a letter from Ed Cafasso

Hello everyone!

I hope you are preparing to enjoy winter break week! I just wanted to drop you a short note with an update on a few important school issues.

First, a programming note… If you are in the mood for a date with your spouse that contributes to a great cause, the Horace Mann Middle School PCC is sponsoring a Spring Social on Saturday, March 1, at the Franklin Elks from 7:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. This is a fun event that always offers top shelf, silent auction bargains.

As an added bonus, this year’s social will feature live performances from School Committee Chairman Jeff Roy's band, “Keep Your Day Job.” Tickets are $25 person, which includes a nice hot dinner buffet. A cash bar also will be available. For more information, contact Maureen Roy or Barb Mershimer. I look forward to seeing you there!

Now on to business… If you are as concerned about the future of Franklin High School as I am, I urge you to tune-in to or attend the School Committee meeting at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 26. Representatives of KBA Associates, our architectural design consultants, will be on hand to talk about options for renovating the current facility or building a brand new one on the site. We are also moving closer toward the naming of a citizens committee for the project. That too is likely to be a topic of discussion at the meeting.

If you need to refresh yourself on the challenges with the current FHS building, you’ll find the old feasibility and conditions reports on the Superintendent’s web page

The Committee is also moving into a new budget season and, as usual, the scenarios are not pretty. It will cost us more than $4.1 million to maintain the current level of school services in the fiscal year that begins July 1. That’s the price of predictable price increases for contractual pay raises, health insurance, utilities, etc.

However, town officials are projecting that only $800,000 in new revenue will be available to the schools. That leaves a $3.3 million funding gap that will not be easy to close without what Supt. Ogden calls “seriously painful cuts,” particularly to teaching staff who comprise 90% of our annual budget.

I’ll send out a FY09 budget update email following the Committee meeting on the 26^th. You can find background on budget and fiscal issues on the School Committee web site

At this week’s School Committee meeting, Franklin Police provided an update on their efforts to put in place a lockdown emergency plan for each of our schools. These types of preparations are an unfortunate reality of life in the 21^st century, underscored by the tragic news out of University of Illinois this week. Police officials have approached the issue with professionalism and smart thinking. They stressed that are eager to come to any PCC meeting to outline their approach and answer parent questions.

I hope you have a pleasant week. I saw the first robin of the year the other day and heard a cardinal singing, confirming that spring will indeed get here eventually.

As always, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. I am happy to add or remove any one from the mailing list for these updates.

Ed Cafasso