Franklin Matters

Monday, November 7, 2011

Email from Sue Rohrbach

Hello,

My name is Sue Rohrbach and I am a member of the Franklin School Committee. I have been a member of the School Committee for the last 6 years and I am running for re-election. Please take a look at the attached addendum for more information and details about the various contributions and committees/sub-committees I have been apart of over the years.

Now though I would like to delve into the most common question asked of me. Why am I running again during these very challenging times? Have I not had enough over the last 6 years of challenges and struggle, Well the answer is no. Yes there have been times where it was difficult. But equally as much if not more there were also many positive and proud moments, where I saw amazing efforts put forth by school administration and teachers to make a difference in the lives of our students. These efforts are ongoing and will continue to maintain the educational opportunities for our students. It is not easy by any stretch.

So as you can imagine working on the School Committee takes time and commitment. So why run? Simply put I love working on the Committee. I find it fulfilling to give back to the town of Franklin, where we have lived for the last 13 years. I feel that I have made a difference in the student's lives and educational opportunities. Simply put we do the most with the least funding. This is of course a testament to many hard working folk throughout the entire school system, the School Committee included. I want to continue to make a difference as we go forward. The experience I have gained in the last 6 years will prove crucial in making the tough decisions and setting policy which drive our schools.

Your local elected officials have more impact on your daily lives and the lives of your family, than anyone in state or federal government. The most important thing you can do is to vote on Tuesday, November 8th (the polls will be open from 6am – 8pm). I would be honored if you would vote for me, but more importantly exercise your democratic right and vote.

Thank you for your time and support.

Sue Rohrbach

Note: this is a sharing exercise, this is not an endorsement of this candidate.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Did you set your clocks back?

The Dean Bank clock downtown on Main St reminds us.

You don't need to help, but the kids would like you to!

The JF Kennedy playground campaign is summarized in this video.

You don't need to help, but the kids would like you to!

You can vote for this idea here http://www.refresheverything.com/kennedyplayground

The Playground website http://www.kennedyplayground.com/

The Playground on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002123222791

Note: email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to view the video

In the News - vote Tuesday, friends get together

Town votes Tuesday

by Alison McCall/Daily News staff

Group of Franklin friends has gotten together regularly since 1940s

by Alison McCall/Daily News staff

Saturday, November 5, 2011

There is no turning back the clock on face time

Tonight is the annual 'fall back' to regain the hour of time that Daily Savings Time provides. The earth moves in a cycle around the sun with the amount of daylight shortening from June to December and lengthening from December to June. The 'spring ahead' and 'fall back' effort adjusts the clocks by one hour. We all know this and accept it as the way it is.

However, there is no such adjustment for the loss of face time when a classroom grows from 20 students to 30. Franklin has seen a growth in class size as budget cuts force personnel reductions. Some in the community claim the increased size is not a problem as they went to school with similar class size (or larger) and made it. Making it with the instructional methods in those days versus making it today are two different things. There could be (and should be) a long and constructive debate on the pros and cons of instructional changes in those days, what is being done today and what really should be done to prepare the students for the global economy they will face. We'll hold that topic for another day.

Today, I simply would like to show how much face time is lost when class size increases.

Starting with a class of 20, assuming all students would obtain an equal amount of the teacher's direct attention during an hour of a school day, would calculate out to be 3 minutes. 60 minutes in an hour divided by 20 students equals 3 minutes. Simple math. While a lot of classes are 27/28 students to keep the math simple, we'll assume 30 students and the same assumption on equal face time from the teacher. 60 minutes is now divided by 30 and yields 2 minutes per student.

So Johnny or Susie would go from having 3 minutes of direct face time with his/her teacher to having just 2 minutes. There goes one minute. 1 minute times 5 hours in the school day equals 5 minutes. Times 180 school days equals 900 minutes. To bring the minutes back to hours, we divide the 900 by 60 and get 15. Simple math. So when your child participates in a class size of 30, they loose 15 hours of face time in the school year (compared to the class size of 20).

If that class size increase occurs when the student enters kindergarten and remains for their school time through high school, the student will have lost 195 hours of face time. Just over 8 days. If it occurs at a different grade, you can do the math; 15 hours of lost face time/per year.

When your student needs some extra help, where do you think it will come from? We have already taken away the 'normal' face time they would get. There are only so many hours in a day. I guess you would need to spend money on a tutor. Or consider funding the school budget to support a proper education! Your choice. There is no turning back the clock on face time.

"troublesome intersection"

A study conducted by MassDOT, however, said there isn't enough traffic to warrant more than the two stop signs.

"(The study) shows that this intersection doesn't meet any of the federal requirements to have a signal there, which is why we're not putting one back there," said Michael Verseckes, a MassDOT spokesman. "The traffic study that was done showed that this was the proper treatment for this intersection."

Conlyn Avenue resident Lauren Chousa drew up a petition signed by 176 neighbors and sent it to MassDOT in late October, requesting a deeper look at the intersection.

Several residents will be on hand at Monday's Planning Board meeting, where the board is expected to make a decision on BJ's request for longer hours.