... kindergarten registration for the 2009-2010 school year will continue at Horace Mann Middle School on Monday, Feb. 9, from 4 to 6 p.m. for the parents of children who have been born on or before Aug. 31, 2004.Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here..........
... as a matter of policy only one of the following may be used as bonafide proof of residency:
- a record of a recent mortgage payment and/or tax bill;
- a copy of lease and record of recent rental payment;
- a landlord affidavit (notarized letter) and record of recent rental payment;
- a Section 8 agreement;
- a signed HUD settlement statement;
and a valid driver's license; photo ID card; passport or other government-issued photo ID.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Kindergarten registration details
Friday, February 6, 2009
"It's just too big a deal to leave to chance"
I mentioned having a choice on where to go Thursday evening: The Financial Planning Committee or the WASTED panel discussion at Franklin High School. I chose the Financial Planning meeting and did my reporting here.
Our teen drinking problem, really more broadly terms substance abuse problem, because it is not just drinking, touches all the communities around us. Here is a report on the effort in Medway.
MEDWAY —
Our teen drinking problem, really more broadly terms substance abuse problem, because it is not just drinking, touches all the communities around us. Here is a report on the effort in Medway.
MEDWAY —
Marilyn Belmonte has a message for parents who say underage drinking is just a matter of kids being kids: It's a whole new world out there.
"There's a real change in the mentality," said Belmonte, a youth substance abuse prevention coordinator, to a group of parents assembled at Medway High School Wednesday night for "Turning Off the Tap," a presentation about underage drinking.
Recent incidents like the alcohol-related death of Plainville teen Taylor Meyer last October have moved the subject to the front burner, and the program detailed alarming new trends in teenage alcohol use, including extreme drinking games and binging.
"It really has changed," Belmonte said. Kids in the instant-gratification age are looking for quick fixes, and new trends, such as flavored alcohol. Walk into any store, she said, and you'll find shelves lined with attractive packages of vodkas in kid-friendly watermelon and cherry, perfect for teens looking to consume straight alcohol. Add in energy drinks as popular mixers and you've got the perfect storm, she said.
"They're mixing alcohol, which is a depressant, with energy drinks, which are stimulants, and the battle gets fought out in the heart," said Belmonte.
Parents can help by laying down the law. Recent studies show that the kids least likely to drink are those whose parents make it clear that such behavior is off limits.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here.
"What is the town is doing to control costs?"
I had a choice last night: Attend the WASTED panel discussion at the High School or continue my live reporting from the Financial Planning Committee meeting. It was not an easy choice. Our teens need attention and help. But if we don't have a good explanation for what the Town is budgeting for and why, some citizens will continue to dwell on negatives forcing the Town into some serious troubles with all operations never mind taking care of our future (via our children, young and old).
My report on the meeting can be found here.
The Milford Daily News report is here:
My report on the meeting can be found here.
The Milford Daily News report is here:
Franklin financial questions to be answered
The long-range financial planning committee is still hammering away at its three-year plan for the town, and will soon be soliciting feedback on its work from a selected cross-section of residents.
The committee already has a list of 50 frequently asked questions about town finances, compiled earlier by School Committee member Matthew Kelly, but they want to be sure they thoroughly address residents' concerns.
Committee members will narrow Kelly's list to about 15, answering common inquiries or misconceptions about town financial matters, including Proposition 2 1/2 tax override questions, in a public format.
"The purpose of this is to serve as a sanity check to make sure our report is answering the questions that interested citizens are likely to have, or should have," Kelly wrote in his report.
The Green Reel: "Everything's Cool"
The Green Reel: a series of films for sustainable living will be shown on Sunday evenings this winter.
What: "Everything's Cool"
When: 7:00 PM on February 8, 2009
Where: Agudas Achim, 901 North Main St, Attleboro or directions here
read more about the file "Everything's Cool" here
Sponsors:
What: "Everything's Cool"
When: 7:00 PM on February 8, 2009
Where: Agudas Achim, 901 North Main St, Attleboro or directions here
Free and open to the public.
For more info: 508-695-2389
For more info: 508-695-2389
read more about the file "Everything's Cool" here
Sponsors:
Agudas Achim
Crystal Spring Center
Simply Keep It Local
Oak Knoll Wildlife Sanctuary
Citizens for a Sustainable Local Economy
Murray Unitarian Universalist Church
Green Committee of First Universalist Society of Franklin
New Dawn Earth Center
Oake Knoll Ayrshires
Franklin Area Climate Team
White Barn Farm
St Mark's Episcopal Church-Foxboro
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Public Transit Funding in Serious Peril
I received the following press release from GATRA this afternoon:
Taunton –
1 - Stay tuned to find out what this means to the Franklin routes.
or
2 - Take action and contact your local Representatives and Senators to ask them to adequately fund public transportation services for Franklin
Your choice.
Taunton –
The proposed fiscal year 2010 budget released by Governor Deval Patrick has severely cut back on the Administration’s commitment to provide for local public transportation services. This proposed budget only provides for 49 million dollars of the 64 million dollars needed to fund the 15 regional transit authorities operating regular bus and demand response service throughout the Commonwealth. The Regional Transit Authorities are the only remaining reimbursable line item left in the state budget and this proposed budget is actually paying for services that are operating now. “Due to the fact that we are already eight months into our fiscal year drastic cuts in service will need to be made in order to make up for this reduction in funding,” noted GATRA Administrator Francis Gay.You can chose to do one of two things:
GATRA’s Advisory Board will be meeting in late February to discuss the current budget implications and to devise a plan moving forward. In the meantime the GATRA Administrator is asking residents throughout the GATRA region to contact their local Representatives and Senators to ask them to adequately fund public transportation services in the region when devising the House and Senate versions of the budget. If the proposed budget number stays anywhere near what the Governor has recommended there will be significant deficits for all the Regional Transit Authorities statewide.
GATRA is a political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, one of 15 Regional Transit Authorities in the state with an operating budget of more than $22 million. GATRA’s management companies operate more than 90 vehicles providing over 775,000 customer rides in 26 communities.
1 - Stay tuned to find out what this means to the Franklin routes.
or
2 - Take action and contact your local Representatives and Senators to ask them to adequately fund public transportation services for Franklin
Your choice.
Live reporting - Financial Plng - continued
There are elements within each department where no matter how well we do planning, the factors are beyond our control.
The schools are data rich. The key measures are MCAS scores, per pupil expense, comparisons on administration, teacher salaries, and class size.
The issue with the schools is the decrease in local support of the budget, i.e. the state is paying more and more as a percent of the total school expense. We will soon get to a point where we hit the minimum level for the town to support the school. When we hit that, by law, the town side of the budget will definitely take a hit as the schools will take the money.
Compelling story behind accreditation that we are missing out on except for the high school, and even there, we are in tough shape with a "warning" status now and unless something happens with the facility to help the science labs and technology
Graduation Rate at Franklin High School
March 5th is the planning point for trail review with the focus group. Maybe we should wait to set the forum date until we have the deliverable?
We need to have something when the numbers for the 2010 budget come out.
The schools are data rich. The key measures are MCAS scores, per pupil expense, comparisons on administration, teacher salaries, and class size.
The issue with the schools is the decrease in local support of the budget, i.e. the state is paying more and more as a percent of the total school expense. We will soon get to a point where we hit the minimum level for the town to support the school. When we hit that, by law, the town side of the budget will definitely take a hit as the schools will take the money.
Compelling story behind accreditation that we are missing out on except for the high school, and even there, we are in tough shape with a "warning" status now and unless something happens with the facility to help the science labs and technology
Graduation Rate at Franklin High School
- 92% 2006
- 94% 2007
- 96% 2008
March 5th is the planning point for trail review with the focus group. Maybe we should wait to set the forum date until we have the deliverable?
We need to have something when the numbers for the 2010 budget come out.
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