MassBudget: Analyzing the House budget proposal

MassBudget    Information.    Participation.  Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center    Democracy. Analyzing the House Budget Proposal for Fiscal Year 2018 The House largely followed the recommendations of its Ways and Means (HWM) Committee in crafting its budget proposal last week.  The state budget is how we as a Commonwealth determine how much we will spend in the coming year to educate our children, provide local services, ensure access to health care, protect public safety, and accomplish everything else we do through our government. In two days of debate the House adopted amendments to the Fiscal Year 2018 budget that increased funding by just under two tenths of one percent from the levels its budget committee proposed last month. MassBudget's new Budget Monitor describes the changes adopted by the House in each major section of the budget.  While many of the House amendments provide targeted funding to specific programs in particular communities, a few address significant issues of statewide concern, including the following: An increase of $5.0 million (above the $15.0 million proposed by the HWM Committee) for early education and care rates. This additional funding would provide enhanced support for early education quality efforts including salary and benefit increases along with professional development for early educators. A study on the feasibility of creating a common application for MassHealth and several other public benefit programs. In particular, creating a common application for MassHealth and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP or "food stamps") would help identify people who are potentially eligible for SNAP but are unenrolled (the so-called "SNAP Gap"). Doing so would simplify the application for the program and would get more low-income residents in the Commonwealth on SNAP, a fully federally-funded program that is central to combating food insecurity across the state. The rest of this Budget Monitor examines the House amendments to major state programs in greater detail. Links from the Table of Contents below allow readers to jump quickly to specific sections. Each section also provides links to our on-line budget tools including our Budget Browser (which provides funding information for every account in the state budget going back to FY 2001) and, where applicable, to our Children's Budget and Jobs and Workforce Budget. Click on a Budget Monitor section below: Child Welfare Disability Services Early Education Economic Development Elder Services Environment and Recreation Juvenile Justice K-12 Education Higher Education Housing Law and Public Safety Libraries Local Aid MassHealth and Health Reform Mental Health Other Human Services Pensions Public Health Revenue State Employee Health Insurance Transitional Assistance Transportation To read the full House Budget Monitor, click here (LINK). The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts. MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER 15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700 BOSTON, MA 02108

Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, 15 Court Square, Suite 700, Boston, MA 02108 Sent by nberger@massbudget.org in collaboration with Try it free today

Upcoming Events in Franklin, MA Area: FRI 5/5/17 - THU 5/11/17

FRIDAY 5/5/17
7pm   Culinary Cabaret @ The Black Box

SATURDAY 5/6/17
10am   7th Annual Franklin Fives Road Race (registration at 9am) @ Remington MS
10am   Free Rainbarrel Workshop (registration required ahead of time) @ DPW
10-1pm   Franklin Historical Museum Open
10-3pm  Mother's Day Spring Craft Fair, An Unlikely Story, Plainville
12-2pm  Spring Fair  Sunrise Montessori School
1-3pm   Chocolate and Wine Tasting @ Green Mountain Chocolates in Hopedale
8pm   Circle of Friends Coffeehouse: Catie Curtis with Rachel Kilgour @ FUSF

SUNDAY 5/7/17
8am   Race for Recovery 5K @ Remington MS
11am-1pm   Horace Mann Statue Unveiling @ Horace Mann Square
11:30am   Teen Book Brunch @ Franklin Public Library
1-4pm   Franklin Historical Museum Open

MONDAY 5/8/17
4pm   WordPlay @ Franklin Public Library
6-8pm   Beginners Chess for All Ages @ Franklin Public Library
7-8:30pm   Learn To Cope Franklin Chapter Meeting @ FUSF

TUESDAY 5/9/17
6:30pm   Author Nancy Haines - We Answered With Love @ Franklin Public Library
7pm   Yankee Quilters Guild Meeting @ St. John Episcopal Church
7:30pm   Franklin Bellingham Rail Trail Committee Meeting @ Franklin YMCA

WEDNESDAY 5/10/17
5pm   Lego Club @ Franklin Public Library
6:30pm   Teen Advisory Board Meeting @ Franklin Public Library
7:30pm   Franklin Newcomers and Friends Club Meeting @ 3 Restaurant

THURSDAY 5/11/17
4pm   Family Coloring Book Club @ Franklin Public Library
5-8pm   Franklin Historical Museum Open
6-10pm   The Treasured Chests Team’s Annual Fundraiser (Avon 39 Walk) @ Holiday Inn Mansfield
6pm   Kindergarten Info Night @ Davis Thayer School
6:30pm   Metacomet Land Trust Annual Meeting: Celebrate Project Green Schools! @ Blackstone Valley RVTHS
7-8pm   Healing Hearts Community Support Group @ Franklin YMCA
7:30pm   Stony Brook Camera Club @ Anglican Church of the Redeemer (31 Hayward St)

For the Town of Franklin Public Calendar click HERE.

For all other events and Franklin happenings click HERE.

*To submit an event for the Community Calendar, please use this FORM.

Tegra Medical Invests in People with Toolmaker Apprentice Program

While Massachusetts sees a shortage of employees for advanced manufacturing jobs, Tegra Medical is creating its own skilled workforce with its Toolmaker Apprentice Program.

Advanced manufacturing combines information technology with advanced machinery, and requires highly-skilled employees. The four-year program, which has been implemented in Tegra Medical’s Franklin location and may be extended to other locations, accepts two students who are required to enroll in engineering programs at local colleges. The company pays their tuition and a salary, then promotes them to journeyman toolmaker positions when they graduate.

Apprentices spend 40 hours a week in Tegra Medical’s GENESIS Tech Center® (GTC), which is devoted to prototyping and product development. They learn all aspects of machining including how to plan a machining job, programming the machines, and doing CAD drawing and solid modeling. At least 95- percent of the apprentices’ time at Tegra Medical is spent on the job. They juggle these responsibilities with their college course load.

“We put apprentices right into the thick of things at our GTC,” said Brian Rua, Director of Support Services and the apprentice program manager. “Here, the apprentices are exposed to every kind of machining we do. They’re working on real projects, and learning from all the engineers, toolmakers, maintenance, quality and program managers who are refining customers’ medical device designs and figuring out the most efficient ways to manufacture them.”

Antonio Bettencourt, the first apprentice program participant
and Brian Rua, Director of Support Services
 and founder of the apprentice program.

Tegra Medical is unusual in having this apprentice program. This makes it a popular choice for students graduating from local vocational high schools.

“It’s a great way to help a young person find his niche,” said Rua. “We had one apprentice who was so “green” when he started that he hardly knew what any of the machines were for. Today he is excelling in the program. With what he has learned here combined with a self-starter attitude, he can now take a project from start to finish with minimal help. He is working on some of the most advanced systems in the shop and has done research and presented suggestions for new equipment upgrades and more.”

The first graduate of the apprentice program, Antonio Bettencourt, received his certificate in April. He was also presented with a beautiful oak Gerstner tool chest with felt-lined compartments to protect his tools for years to come. The second graduate, Nick Voyer, is due to complete the program in July.

FHS softball tops Foxboro 9-1

From Hockomock Sports, we share the results of the FHS spring sports action on Thursday, May 4.

Softball = Franklin, 9 @ Foxboro, 1 – Final 

FHS Panthers

– Franklin scored three runs in the third and added three more in the sixth inning to beat Foxboro in a game continued from Sunday (rain). Franklin held a 1-0 lead when the game resumed. Olivia DiGiacomo (four RBI) went 3-for-4 and put an exclamation point on the day with a bases-clearing double in the sixth inning. Kylie Bouzan added two hits and scored a pair for runs for Franklin. Jackie Cherry pitched four innings, retiring the side in order in the first, second and third innings. Emily Valentino pitched the last three innings and recorded three strikeouts. FHS head coach Kate Fallon Comeau said Tara Hartnett played excellent defense at shortstop.

For the other results around the Hockomock League
https://hockomocksports.com/thursdays-schedule-scoreboard-050417/

Mother's Day Local Food and Craft Fair - Saturday, May 6

Come join us for a celebration of Spring, Mother's Day and locally grown/made food and crafts!

Where
An Unlikely Story
111 South St, Plainville, Massachusetts 02762

When
Saturday, May 6 at 10 AM - 3 PM

Mother's Day Local Food and Craft Fair - Saturday, May 6

Facebook event
https://www.facebook.com/events/406312516410770/

Lifelong Learning: FUN One-Night Workshops In May

Your Spring Adventure - Don't Miss These

Franklin Public Schools ~ Lifelong Learning Institute The Center for Adult Education and Community Learning presents Your Spring Adventure Fun One-Night Workshops  Don't miss these...... Idea Filled Brunch Workshop REGISTER NOW Come join us in a fun-filled evening of cooking demos, tasting and sharing!  Some menu items include:  *Bacon, Cheddar and Chive scone, *Roasted Red Pepper, Asparagus, & Goat Cheese Frittata  * Fresh Fruit Tart with Caramelized Banana *Ginger Pineapple Spritzer  * Frozen Mocha  and more!      Learn how to make a delicious and impressive brunch and take away recipes for home use. Seats are very limited. Must be 18 to participate. Tuesday, May 9 7 to 8:30 pm Franklin High School Cost: $30 Meditation workshop  REGISTER NOW Join us for a blissful 75 minutes of relaxation and meditation that will leave you refreshed and revitalized. We will start with a group discussion on meditation, then move through some relaxing yoga and breath work that will transition into a guided meditation and finally an optional individual meditation. You will leave feeling ready to start your own meditation practice at home or expand your existing practice. Saturday, May 13 11:00 am to 12:30 pmTranquil Souls Yoga, 15 East Central Street, Franklin Cost:  $25 Wine Buying Tips Using Label Information REGISTER NOW Do you know 5 corporations own 80-90% of wines for sale?  Many people buy wines based on label only. Do you?  This wine tasting/education will explain what is on a wine label and how it can help you find the best for your dollar.  After this event buying wine will never be the same! Thursday, May 18 7 to 8:30 pm Franklin Liquors,363 E. Central St, Franklin Cost: $25 North End Market Tour - Visit "Little Italy" and  experience the markets of Boston's North End REGISTER NOW The secret of Italian cuisine is the high quality of ingredients, a sense of regional tradition, and that very Italian love of life. Sources for ingredients abound in the narrow streets of the North End. But for the outsider, finding the finest is not always easy. Join us on Michele Topor's original award-winning North End Market Tour and let us unlock for you the secrets of the cuisine and of America's oldest Italian community while you enjoy the colorful sights, the tantalizing aromas and authentic tastes of America's most vibrant Italian neighborhood.  Saturday, May 20 11:00 am North End, Boston, MA Cost: $61 Exploring Italian Wines  REGISTER NOW Italian wines can be some of the most confusing to understand.This tasting/education will cover history, geography, laws, regions and grapes. Come explore Italy! Tuesday, May 23 7 to 8:30 pm Franklin Liquors,363 E. Central St $25 adulted@franklin.k12.ma.us     508-613-1480

FPS- Lifelong Learning, 355 East Central Street, Franklin, MA 02038 Sent by adulted@franklin.k12.ma.us in collaboration with Try it free today

The Top Ten Reasons to Attend the 2017 Mass Poetry Festival!

View this email in your browser The Top Ten Reasons to Attend the 2017 Mass Poetry Festival! View the schedule here. 10. Sidewalk showers bring poem flowers! 9. Rough Magic, smooth slammin', and book sellin' at the Small Press and Literary Fair. 8. We'll tell the truth, and tell it slant— 7. Disrobe your soul at our late-night poetry bordello! 6. Nowhere else can you find so many people who can rhyme the word "orange." 5. Doughnuts, Death, and Dickinson—'nuff said. 4. It's the only festival where the lines are not too long. 3. Our festival will be big! The biggest! Bigly! Tremendous! Believe me! 2. Poetry in Salem - a sanctuary for all who seek it.   And the #1 reason to attend the 2016 Mass Poetry Festival … 1. Our poets will Sleigh, they'll carry you for Myles, and you'll leave with an abundance of gratitude. See you in Salem! Copyright © 2017 Mass Poetry, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Mass Poetry 15 Channel Center Street, Suite 103 Boston, MA 02210