School Committee Meeting Summary 2/26/08

School Committee meeting agenda

The FHS Renovation options (audio)

FHS Renovation options Q&A (audio)

Pictures of the FHS renovation options

Rep James Vallee statement (audio)

Rep James Vallee Q&A (audio)


--- 5 minute break ---

School Committee meeting FY 09 budget highlights

-- Note: there is a gap here, due to some fat fingering I missed recording the budget presentation itself. I pick up with the Q&A following the presentation.

FY09 Budget Q&A part 1 (audio)

FY09 Budget Q&A part 2 (audio)

FY 2007 2008 Budget Transfers (audio)

Some of the Action Items (audio)

KCD Policy (gifts) passes 6-1

KCD Policy (gifts) (audio)

FHS Accreditation Warning Received (audio)

Completing the Superintendent's Report (audio)

This completes the meeting for 2/26/08

Pictures from the FHS presentation

Option One - the new auditorium and science wing would be added to the right of the existing facility

Option Two - the auditorum would be added to the right (as in One) but the science wing would be added to the left

Option Three - the auditorum and entrance would be re-done up front, the science wing wold be added on the right and more would be done in the central sections of the building

This a rendering of what the new school would look like from the air above Oak Street for Option Three

This rendering depicts the new school option building on the left of the existing field house, coming into the tennis courts and baseball/softball fields (but not to the new track). The fields used in this new building option would be relocated to the space where the old building stands now (after it was torn down).

FHS Renovation - Q&A (audio)

Question & Answer section following the presentation by Kaestle Boos on the options for renovating Franklin High School. Questions from committee members in order of appearance: Roy, Mullen, Armenio, Trahan, Kelly and Cafasso.

Time: 15 minutes, 0 seconds



MP3 File


My notes from the discussion:

Michael McKean (?) representing Kaestle Boos on the Franklin High School renovation options.

• approximately 30 months for total renovation
• approximately 24 months to build a new school keeping the existing field house
• students will adjust quickly during the construction, the teachers and parents generally have more of an issue adjusting
• in the renovation options, the traffic flow remains mostly the same other than attempting to separate the parent drop offs from the buses
• the auditorium would be about $7 million (as sized at 26000 sq foot)
• all the options would connect on the second level, for brevity of the presentation they were not shown here
• this is not simply building on the roof as the existing building was done before the current seismic codes were put into place
• the new building option would locate the building further away from the existing homes

Franklin High School Renovation Alternatives (audio)

The presentation by Kaestle Boos on the options for renovating the existing building or building a new school around the existing field house.

Time: 13 minutes, 28 seconds



MP3 File

In the news - school cuts looming

School cuts looming in Franklin

By Joyce Kelley/Daily News staff

After explaining how Franklin spends about $2,200 less per pupil than the state average, Superintendent Wayne Ogden told the School Committee why he will have to cut 45 positions next year. The department needed a 6.7 percent budget increase to provide level service, but is slated to receive 1.5 percent, which includes the loss of about $400,000 in projected revenue from Medicaid that the town is now keeping, said Ogden.

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Read the full article here.

Gift policy passes 6-1

The School Committee passed the KCD policy (otherwise known as the "gift policy") by a 6-1 vote.

This could eliminate the Brick classroom from operation next year by restricting gifts for targeted educational purposes. The budget is not final but the writing appears on the wall.

Additional info can be found here and here.

SchComMtg 2/26/08

SchComMtg 2/26/08, originally uploaded by shersteve.

Superintendent Wayne Ogden, Interim Finance Director Paul Funk, Asst Superintendent Maureen Sabolinski during the presentation on the outlook for the school department FY 09 budget.

Short summary: not good

• Approx. 45 teachers cut
• Class sizes rise
• Eliminates the late bus
• Bus fee increases from $225 to $325
• No programs are eliminated but most are "changed"

Why these cuts?
While the Commonwealth of MA is increasing the funding to the schools by 9%, the level service budget for the schools would call for a 7.4% increase, the town is currently limiting the schools to a 1.5% increase overall.

Stay tuned, this is the first pass. The budget season is upon us. There is much more discussion to come before the budget is final.