"Franklin High School will still be a great place to get an education"

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Mar 11, 2009 @ 01:23 AM

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FRANKLIN —

Superintendent Wayne Ogden said he anticipates local schools will receive about $1.3 million in federal stimulus money.

That funding, along with $125,000 in increased circuit breaker aid and the money saved by 51 staff members forgoing raises, will help close a projected $3.3 million gap in next year's budget, Ogden said.

The School Department should get the stimulus money over the next 24-48 months, Ogden said, but it is not yet clear how it can be spent.

Ogden said he hopes to use it to save teaching jobs.

Though many financial variables are still up in the air, Ogden and School Committee Chairman Jeffrey Roy promise to keep parents and school staff up to speed on the numbers.

"It's a very dynamic budget, we're still waiting for the federal stimulus money," Ogden said.

Read the full article from the School Committee meeting in the Milford Daily News here.

"You just gotta believe it's going to happen"

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Mar 11, 2009 @ 01:18 AM

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FRANKLIN —

Despite some rocky relations in the past, the general sentiment among downtown businesses and town officials is one of sympathy for developer John Marini, whose plans were halted by the recession.

On Monday night, Marini told the Planning Board he has not been able to sell any of his 27 upscale condos in the 2 1/2 months they've been on the market, and cannot secure financing to demolish and rebuild 12-28 East Central St., as originally planned.

Instead, he will put $100,000 worth of repairs into the property and lease the first floor spaces for a three-year period.

"I promise to make it look presentable," he told the board.

This article follows up on the presentation to the Planning Board Monday night revealing a revised schedule for completion of the Center Commons project. Marini will be back to the Planning Board in April to file the formal paperwork. You can read the full article in the Milford Daily News here

Live reporting - closing

The meeting is going into executive session and not to return

Live reporting - Superintendent update

5. Information Matters
• Superintendent’s Report

• Enrollment Comparison
• FY08 Per Pupil Expenditure Comparison to State Average

expenses per state average below across all eleven categories counted at the state level
a year ago we were below in 10 of the 11, and forecasted that we would be below in all 11
If we continue this trend, we will be below the state minimum level and the town will be forced to cut from the town side to fund the schools at the minimum level

actually one of the 11, we do want to be below the state average. In that one category, special ed students sent out of district, we are below the state average and should be, that is a good number to be

While we are still meeting scholastic performance and are performing above average, I don't know who long that will last. 2 of our middle schools are one year into a performance plan for not meeting the annual performance requirements

• FHS Building Projects

live reporting - action items

4. Action Items

1. I recommend acceptance of a check for $3,000.00 from the Jefferson PCC for field trips for the Jefferson 1st grade to Southwick and the 5th grade to Freedom Trail. approved 6-0
   
2. I recommend approval of the FHS Art Department’s request for a field trip to NY Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 16, 2009 as detailed. approved 6-0
3. I recommend appointment of Sally Winslow to the position of Assistant Superintendent of Student Services effective July 1, 2009. approved 6-0
4. I recommend approval of the FHS’s request for a recurring field trip for 20 students to the University of New Hampshire on March 14, 2009 for their annual Jazz Festival on March 14, 2009 as detailed. approved 6-0
5. I recommend acceptance of a check for $501.02 from the FHS Class of 1942 for a scholarship for the FHS Class of 2009. approved 6-0
6. I recommend approval of the FHS recurring field trip to Providence Place Mall for Remington Middle School students as detailed. tabled to be brought back next meeting with clarifications
   

Live reporting - Discussion only items

3. Discussion Only Items

• FY 2010 Budget Matters

Ogden - Maureen and I are making the rounds
$200,000 increased circuit breaker
$125,000 central office, administration wage freeze
We are still waiting to receive Federal Stimulus money, possible to get just over a $1 M
Not sure how we can use it yet, the Federal level has not determined the usage yet

Meal tax, etc still being worked in Boston, those could add $1 M to the overall Franklin budget of which some of that would come to the Schools

Budget hearing schedule tentative dependent upon when the final numbers are ready from the State and Federal sources

• Ten-Year Summary of Capitol Projects at FHS

The PDF File of Mike D'Angelo's memo to Wayne Ogden with the listing of capital projects can be found here.

in essence, there is documentation for approx. $4 million of improvements and repairs to the high school over the past 10 years

There is an additional $2.5 million associated with the new field and the repairs of the other fields

EPA grant to clean out chemical storage, etc. Because it is a grant, that is not on this listing

This listing is those items of $10,000 or more.
Replacement of eye wash stations would not meet that criteria so there are additional expenses not reflected here

Live reporting - Horace Mann Enrichment Model

c. Horace Mann Middle School Enrichment Model Presentation

• Anne Bergen
• Rob Vacca
• Jacqui Berger
• Trich Metrick
• Bert Garr
• Mark Brady
• Dr Bergen
  

Wrote a grant to obtain funds to support the program
Gave up some of their Saturday's to take course on gifted and talented curriculum
Expose the kids to exciting things so they will want to read


Mr Garr - enrichment clusters
connecting kids to their passions, get them involved with experiential learning

• One cluster on architectural design, formed a relationship with Harvard on design/CAD
• One on WWI and the Holocaust
• A parent came forward with interest on the JFK Assassination
• Most kids don't mind writing, they just need an opportunity to write about things they like
• A group worked on an on-line music review blog

The showcase will be on Horace Mann's final day of school (whatever it calculates out to be)

Jacqui Berger

• Visited Raythenon, NitroPlastics
• New England Laborers Training Academy (for building and construction)
• With Northeastern and other local universities
• Visited the MIT Museum, spoke with MIT students
• BU Medical, City Lab, 8th graders working on experiments in a real lab environment

main initiative to get kids interested in science


Mr Vacca

NCTA - traveled with 19 other educators to Southeast Asia
made connections with those teachers and continue to share/learn
Professor and 4-5 graduate students scheduled to visit Horace Mann in May
will cost only the gas expense for the graduate students


Mr Brady

Direction of this is to break out of the classroom to make the learning very real
International robotics competition, has two teams at Horace Mann
Find out Sep 5th, the research project behind the project is a great deal of work not seen by others as the focus in on the robots and the competition
Introduce student on personal finance, entrepreneurship
Investing, focus on the assumptions behind how and why you do so, we don't think strategically anymore, 18 months is not strategic
More students in the 18-26 age group actually declare bankruptcy than graduate

Student lead yard sale - May 9th
Any items for sale, please contact the school office

Armenio - I find this fascinating, anything that can make the education ore real is good
Anything you can do to get the community into the classroom is great