State Education Mandates - Part 7

From time to time, particular around the budget period, reference is generally made to Franklin Public Schools having to support "unfunded mandates." I managed to find a listing of such compiled by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. This is part 7 of the series:

Residency

Residency waivers and concerns arising from private entities such as sports boarding facilities within district boundaries and the implications of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Act impact district budgets (also see above). Sports boarding camps attract players from various towns, states and countries. Local districts are required to educate said students without regard to tuition payments because residency statutes state that if a student is not at such a facility “solely for the purpose of education,” they are allowed to attend at no cost to the student.

• Residency also becomes an issue when a residential special education institution is located in a Massachusetts community. Students admitted to that institution sometimes attract the family, or a guardian member of the family, to relocate to the community for purposes of being closer to the resident student. This includes formerly out of state as well as in-state residency shifts and families with multiple residents. Such shifts determine assignment of costs to the host resident community.

• While there is local control on the admission to kindergarten there is a great deal of differentiation of starting age. Under choice students may be entered into a district at an earlier age and then require placement at the resident school district.

Vocational Education

School districts allow students to attend out-of-district vocational schools when programs are not offered in the regional district to which the local district belongs. Unlike the Charter School Reimbursement, there is no apparent reimbursement for vocational placement, though the vocational student, like the charter student, is counted in the Foundation Budget of the sending district. In addition, school districts are required to transport these secondary students to the schools of their choice. There is only partial (up to 50%) reimbursement for vocational education transportation.

The full listing is available here (DOC)

“We only have so much money regardless of where we land”

In the School Committee Legislative Forum, much discussion was on the reforms to the state's education funding process. Given the major hearing on Friday, the legislature is showing that the issue will be addressed. What the resolution will be remains to be seen. 

The Boston Globe report on the school funding hearing held Friday, March 22

"In this year’s first major hearing in the debate over education funding on Beacon Hill, dozens of mayors, teachers, school officials, and even a quartet of New England Patriots players urged lawmakers to boost aid to urban districts struggling with growing populations of high-need students and steep budget cuts. 

Brockton School Superintendent Kathleen A. Smith captured the argument of those demanding an overhaul of the state’s school funding formula, telling lawmakers that her city in 2017 spent just $1 on supplies per student, while wealthy Weston spent $275 per pupil. 

“I am saddened and dismayed that after five years of coming before you more than a dozen times to advocate for our neediest students, I am once again asking you to act and update a 25-year-old funding formula that is broken and no longer serves the needs of the increasingly diverse student population in our Commonwealth,” Smith, whose district has been contemplating a lawsuit over school funding, told members of the Legislature’s joint committee on education during a packed hearing Friday."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/03/22/how-much-enough-lawmakers-governor-clash-over-proposed-changes-school-funding-formula/QUqeEcRoFCa73dd4hg7H7N/story.html


Milford Daily News also has an article on the hearing
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20190324/hundreds-attend-state-ed-funding-forum

My notes from the Legislative Forum held on Feb 5, 2019 can be found 
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/02/notes-from-legislative-forum-feb-5-2019.html

Angelica DaSilva of Dorchester (right) attended a packed education hearing at the State House’s Gardner Auditorium. (DAVID L. RYAN/GLOBE STAFF)

Unfunded Mandates are also a cause of concern for school and local budgets. A bill currently filed would increase steps to test for lead in school drinking water.

"Lawmakers on Beacon Hill are pushing legislation aimed at improving the safety of drinking water in schools in part by requiring schools and child care centers to test every drinking water outlet each year for elevated lead levels. 

Legislation on tap in the Massachusetts House and Senate would force schools to immediately shut off drinking water outlets that show elevated lead levels. The water outlet could be turned on only after it has produced at least two sets of certified test results showing no elevated lead levels."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/03/23/bills-tap-state-house-target-lead-school-water/WHQhsXF9KjDoFTbar2cRMM/story.html

Rep Roy: July newsletter: What's happening in the district

This is our regularly monthly newsletter. If you know anyone who may be interested in receiving this newsletter, please forward a copy of it to them. If you are not yet a subscriber, you can get on our email list by clicking here. You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook by clicking the buttons below. Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Unfunded mandate topic reaches Hill There was a full house on hand at a recent Education Committee hearing on accountability and unfunded mandates. Over 80 Superintendents from across the state appeared to give testimony and provide support for the bills. Among the bills was one to establish a commission to study regulations and unfunded mandates on schools, which Rep. Roy has co-sponsored. This was always a hot topic for Rep. Roy while a member of Franklin's School Committee and now he has an opportunity to address it on Beacon Hill. To view the complete text of the bill and view its progress, click here. Briefly the bill charges the task force to (i) identify and review all existing mandates imposed on school districts by state law or regulation, including school and district reporting requirements; (ii) determine the costs of such mandates and reporting requirements to school districts; and (iii) identify opportunities to streamline, consolidate, or eliminate such mandates or reporting requirements that are duplicative or inconsistent with current laws, regulations or practices. At the hearing, a great deal of information and testimony provided. To view some of the materials, click here.  Treasurer tours new FHS At the invitation of Rep. Roy, State Treasurer Steve Grossman joined us on a tour of the new Franklin High School in June. As the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts School Building Authority, he was seeking an in-person view of the state's largest model school. During the tour, we were joined by members of the Town Council, School Committee, School Building Committee, and school administrators. Treasurer Grossman was very impressed with the quality of the facility and programming that will be offered at the new FHS, and he is looking forward to returning soon. For pictures from the tour, please click here. To view the Milford Daily News report on the visit, click here. Follow the construction of the new FHS on Facebook by clicking here. New memorial honors Franklin soldier There is a wonderful new memorial in Franklin thanks to the artwork of Jesse Greene and the generosity of Jody Cipriano Cabino. Last month, the memorial was unveiled at the YMCA in Franklin and Rep. Roy was honored to participate and present House citations to Jody and Jesse. The memorial is a place of remembrance and reflection for Shayne Cabino, a Franklin soldier who answered the call of duty and served in harm's way for the sake of this country. It will also serve as a place where Y kids will start their day with the Pledge of Allegiance, to promote both civic awareness and patriotism.   Pan Mass Challenge On August 3-4, Rep. Roy will join thousands of cyclists in the Pan Mass Challenge in the fight against cancer. This will be Jeff's 11th ride. The PMC, which began in 1980, is the nation's oldest and most successful bicycling fundraising event and shows what the determination of each individual can do. The event has been instrumental in helping Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's clinicians and researchers learn more about cancer and its causes, and to develop new, increasingly effective treatments for this deadly disease. Over the past 33 years, PMC cyclists have ridden to raise and contribute $375 million to cancer research. To learn more about the ride and donate to the cause, click here. Horace Mann leaders bring ideas to Boston Last month, we had a great visit with leaders from Horace Mann Middle School in Franklin. They were recognized public service announcement projects they produced, focused on helping others. They were an impressive group of 8th graders and did some inspiring work which no doubt will continue when they get to high school. Budget sent to Governor Rep. Roy joined his colleagues in the Legislature to enact a $34.06 billion state budget for fiscal year 2014 (FY14). The spending plan makes important investments to rebuild the Commonwealth's essential services and programs, including local aid, education, housing, public safety, and health and human services, and supports the ongoing recovery of the local economy. It is now on the Governor'[s desk for his signature. The budget reflects the priorities of the Commonwealth and the needs of cities, towns and residents, while also maintaining the highest level of fiscal responsibility and accountability, leaving the state's rainy day fund at $1.46 billion. It makes important and thoughtful investments in many of our core services and programs in the Commonwealth, including education, care for the elderly, housing, distressed hospitals and mental health The budget also includes a renewed focus on governmental oversight and accountability to eliminate fraud and delays and to ensure that those who need the Commonwealth's assistance receive it.  Locally, the FY14 budget also includes a $20,000 grant for Franklin's sculpture park and $15,000 to help fund the Vietnam Moving Wall in Medway. You can see more details about the budget by clicking here. Medway Cheerleading Champs Honored Medway's two time National Varsity Championship Cheerleaders were honored at the State House. They also took a tour of the building, including a trip to the Governor's office, the House Chamber, and the Senate Chamber. "It was great to see such an engaged group of students from Medway High School," noted Rep. Roy. "We had some great discussions about what we do in the State House and had a lively conversation on pending legislation. The girls shared their thoughts about a number of bills, including ones on cheerleader safety and the recognition of cheerleading as a sport." Congratulations to the Medway girls and we wish you luck next year. New website features and improvements announced Senate President Therese Murray (D-Plymouth) and House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo (D-Winthrop) announced  updates to the public website that will allow users to personalize their experience when navigating bills, committees, hearing information and connecting with legislators. Through "MyLegislature," users can create a user-id and password to access their secure MyLegislature account. Users can identify specific bills, hearings, committees and legislators that they are interested in following and their personalized homepage will display each selection. Any hearings scheduled for their selected committees will automatically be included in their MyLegislature hearing list. In addition, users can further personalize MyLegislature by identifying any accessibility needs. The updated website also includes an easy-to-use format to connect with legislators. The public website can be found at www.malegislature.gov. July office hours Rep. Roy announced that constituent office hours for the month of July will be held on the following days: Franklin – Saturday, July 20th, 10:00-11:00AM, Franklin Public Library – 18 Main Street Franklin, MA Medway – Saturday, July 27th, 10:00-11:00AM, Gaetano's Bakery – 74 Main Street Medway, MA All office hours are open to anyone with questions or concerns that they wish to bring to his attention.  Walk-ins are welcome and no appointments are necessary.  He also invites all constituents to call him at his State House office at (617) 722-2400, stop by Room 134 in the State House, or email him by clicking here. follow on Twitter | friend on Facebook | forward to a friend  Copyright © 2013 State Rep Jeff Roy, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you either contacted our office or indicated you wanted to keep updated on the 10th Norfolk District and things going on at the State House. Our mailing address is: State Rep Jeff Roy State House Boston, MA 02133 Add us to your address book unsubscribe from this list | update subscription preferences

State Education Mandates - Part 3

From time to time, particular around the budget period, reference is generally made to Franklin Public Schools having to support "unfunded mandates." I managed to find a listing of such compiled by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. This is Part 3 in the series:

Transportation to School for the General Student Population

Districts are required to provide transportation to all students in grades K through 6 who live two miles or more from the school. Regional districts receive transportation reimbursement for about 85% of these costs, but municipal school district aid was eliminated during lean budget years and has not been restored.

Administrative Mandates with Cost Implications

In addition to the 15 systems identified above, other mandates with cost implications include:

• Criminal records checks for all staff having unsupervised contact with students and other school employees.

• Emergency evacuation plans add training time, signs, posters and other means of alerting.

• Title I Requirements for costs associated with delivery of services and the reporting and documentation requirements often exceed funding.

• Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI) training – requires that the district provide training for instructors who then instruct a majority of staff members in techniques to de-escalate student crises. Associated costs are incurred to hire substitutes for classes whose teachers are required to participate in training.

• Pre-school requirements – Districts must ensure that they provide integrated (ratio of regular and special education) settings for all students in accordance with the regulations of Early Education and Care. The requirements for assessment, evaluation, and provision of services are costly.

The full listing is available here (DOC)

In another shift, Baker Administration will mandate masks for K-12 school opening

Massachusetts K-12 (@MASchoolsK12) tweeted Fri, Aug 20, 2021:

PRESS RELEASE Education Commissioner to Ask Board for Authority to Mandate Masks in Public Schools to Provide Time to Increase Vaccinations - https://t.co/CLO6N5sTXC #MaEdu #COVID19MA @MassEducation

"Education Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley will ask the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to grant him authority to mandate masks for all public K-12 students, educators, and staff through October 1 to ensure schools fully reopen safely and to provide time for more students and educators to get vaccinated. After October 1, the commissioner’s policy would allow middle and high schools to lift the mask mandate for vaccinated students and staff only if the school meets a certain vaccination rate – at least 80 percent of students and staff in a school building are vaccinated. Unvaccinated students and staff would still be required to wear masks.

The mandate would include exceptions for students who cannot wear a mask due to medical conditions or behavioral needs.

 

The Commissioner will revisit the mandate in the near future to revise it as warranted by public health data. The purpose of the policy is to encourage higher vaccination rates among students and staff and to implement a uniform policy for all schools to begin the year."

Continue reading the full press release:  https://t.co/CLO6N5sTXC

Assuming the proposal does come to reality, the Franklin School Committee will remove from its agenda its own policy update as 'not needed'

https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/uploads/discussion_action_b_-_policy_adoption.pdf

Press release hared from Twitter:   https://twitter.com/MASchoolsK12/status/1428737492627468290?s=03

CommonWealth Magazine coverage ->  https://commonwealthmagazine.org/health/in-another-shift-baker-mandates-masks-in-schools/

State education commissioner Jeff Riley. (Photo by Llyr Johansen)

Questions for the 10th Norfolk Democratic Debate

Questions for the second round debate between the Democratic Candidates for the 10th Norfolk District. Jeff Roy and Peter Padula will face off in Medway on Tuesday at Medway High School at 7:30PM



Preparation/Campaign

What have you done or are planning to do to prepare for serving Medway in in the Legislature?

Based upon the flyer on the door, it seems like you are both walking the neighborhoods. What is one thing that going door to door does for your campaign?

How much will websites and other social media tools help your campaign?


Priorities/Issues

Two part Q: What do you see as Medway’s key issue at the State level and how do you plan to address it?

Do you  have any relationships with folks in or around the State House or in the Legislature that you can leverage when you are in office to help serve Medway? Please elaborate.

Medway and Franklin like most other MA communities are faced with Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) requirements that are underfunded. What is your position on what the Legislature can do to help?

What do you think about casinos as a source of state revenue?

There has been talk of the Legislature revising the Chap 70 funding formula. Franklin is a significant beneficiary of these funds. What would be your position on a revision of the formula?

What is your position on the State budget priorities? Should MA government focus on infrastructure (roads, bridges, etc.) or education, or??

What is your position on taxes overall? How should the business of providing government services be funded?

What is your position on usage fees? Are there cases where it makes sense to use them in lieu of a more broadly based tax?

What is your position on the governance of utilities, their service rates and performance?

The Medway library, like the Franklin Library, faces an annual budget issue. The MA Library Board of Governors is the body that provides oversight to the library systems. What is your position on what the Legislature should or should not do to help?



Franklin resident submitted questions

If elected what changes would you propose to help commuters from Medway/Franklin afford to get into Boston for work?

What are your thoughts about the MA higher education costs. Is there anything you would propose to help more students afford MA State higher education?

Local officials often complain to voters that costly state mandates tie their hands and prevent them from making common-sense fiscal policies for the town. What will you do as state rep to remove burdensome state mandates and un-tie local officials' hands?

What will be your priorities if you are selected to serve in the state legislature?

How can we make health care in Massachusetts more affordable for the commonwealth, cities, towns, businesses and individuals?

How do you feel about what Gov Patrick has done so far about containing health care costs?

My question to all is This... I think all of you are educated well, are lawyers and have held local seats on a board but what Political experience so you have that I may not know about that you feel makes you qualified to be successful at this job?

What distinguishes you from the other candidates?

Specifically, how have you served the towns of Franklin and/or Medway?  (Public service, elected office?)

What makes you the best person to go to Beacon Hill to fight for funding for our district?

What would you do to get Massachusetts off dependence on oil?


If you would like to add a question you can send me an email or use the question form here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/08/do-you-have-question-to-ask-candidates.html

Franklin Candidate for School Committee - Vanessa Bilello

Vanessa Bilello, one of the candidates for School Committee, met with me recently at Panera Bread. This is the summary of our conversation.

FM - Tell me the story about how you ended up here in Franklin?

Vanessa Bilello – I was raised on Mercer Island, in the state of Washington. I came to MA to attend Wellesley College, where I graduated as Poly Sci major in 1997. I intended on being a lawyer with a focus on education. Before my senior year, I spent a summer in an internship at the Dept. of Ed in Washington, DC. 

There I realized how critical it was that people making educational policy decisions have real experience in schools - as teachers. Even at that time, there was a big disconnect with reality for some of the policy makers, so I returned to Wellesley where I did student teaching to get my elementary teaching license. I spent the next two years completing a Masters in Special Education at Boston College while teaching 3rd-6th graders in the Brookline Public Schools. 

My husband took a job transfer from Boston to San Francisco, so I spent four years as the only Special Educator in a K-5 building in the Palo Alto School District. When my husband got an opportunity to transfer back to New England, we initially settled in North Attleboro. I began substitute teaching and was impressed with the caliber of the schools and the strong community here in Franklin. 

I spent several years as a stay-at-home mom for our young family. I was active in the community, serving as the President of the North Attleboro MOMS Club for several years. However, when a friend from Boston College asked me to apply for her maternity leave, I was thrilled at the prospect of returning to the classroom. That led me to Oak St, where I spent much of the 2008-2009 school year as a 4th and 5th grade Special Education Teacher. 

The positive experience at Oak St. and our desire to be part of this community led my family to relocate to Franklin that summer. I got hired on for a Special Education position and spent five years teaching 7th and 8th grade at the Annie Sullivan Middle School. During my last year there I also completed an administrative internship. After being in the elementary setting in Brookline and Palo Alto, teaching and serving as a principal intern at the middle level opened my eyes quite a bit. 

I went on to get my second Masters of Education in 2014, this one in Organizational Management. The degree is from Endicott College, but the program is a collaboration of Endicott, MSSAA and Teachers 21 (an educational consulting group). That led to my current job in educational administration.

FM – So from teaching special education to administration and now running for the School Committee?

Vanessa Bilello - It was not an easy decision, but I left ASMS to become Assistant Principal at the Hopkins School in Hopkinton. The Hopkins School is the combined 4th-5th grade school for Hopkinton Public Schools with just over 500 students. This will be my second year there and it has been a great transition. I love working at Hopkins, but miss my involvement in Franklin Public Schools. While no longer teaching here, I try to stay knowledgeable about district policy by reading School Committee minutes and attending informational nights at the schools my children attend. 

Franklin is a great place to raise a family! When my husband and I chose to settle and raise our children here, it was because we believed in Franklin and its schools. I have two daughters- one is currently a 4th grader at Keller and one is a 6th grader at Annie Sullivan. 

While working here in Franklin, it wasn’t possible for me to get involved in district policy-making as a parent, though I did participate in a number of leadership roles as teacher - such as School Council and as a mentor teacher. Having had the professional separation for a year now, I think the timing is right for me to do something more for our community. This is another way that I can share my knowledge about teaching and education policy, because as a parent and community member I want to get involved and give back to Franklin.

FM – What will you bring to the School Committee?

Vanessa Bilello - We are at such a crossroads in public education. If you look at the history and development of public education over the years, it is always additive. There has been tremendous change and pressures placed on educators… and also our students. 

The mandates on public schools are so immense, particularly in the past ten to twenty years. This is why we need to have a clear, coherent vision with strategic planning for our district. We need to bring all community members together- stakeholders and educators- to talk about what that education looks like, with the understanding that continual improvement is critical. 

What is our vision to move these discussions forward? Open and honest communication through respectful dialogue is crucial. As a new administrator, I believe that there are tools available to gather information from community members and to foster the needed conversation. 

The recent school calendar and school start-times survey is a good example of that. I am willing to sift through data; technology gives us an avenue that we have not had in the past. We need to do that to keep the conversation going. These conversations need to happen in ways that everyone feels they have a voice and can share opinions- not just at the soccer fields or in the local Starbucks. 

The more non-discussables there are in an organization, the harder it is to have positive and real change. It may be much easier to have a discussion on Facebook about something you don’t like, but it is not necessarily moving the issue into the open for problem solving. In my recent Master’s program, we talked a lot about the importance of building a culture of trust. 

Public school districts must do this while involving the many different stakeholders- teachers, administrators, taxpayers, parents and course, the students. We may be coming to the table with different opinions, but we all must come together in the interest of improving our students’ learning. Sometimes those difficult conversations, those different viewpoints, can get in the way of remembering that. I think that’s where listening and understanding play a critical role. 

As an assistant principal, I also recognize how big a role budget plays in public education- we must constantly find creative ways to make the best given budgetary constraints. Franklin faces challenges, especially since we do not have a budget available that is as large as other districts in the state. Since our per-pupil expenditure is lower than many and especially since we are still a Level 2 district, we need to be constantly evaluating our progress- at the student, classroom, building and district level- to find ways to improve our student outcomes. 

As an educator, I recognize the demands placed on teachers and schools through unfunded political mandates, community expectations and complex student needs. As a parent of elementary and middle school-aged children, I am committed to providing my children and the rest of the students here in Franklin the best education possible. This brings me full circle to the role I believe I can play on School Committee –as a dedicated educator and devoted parent.

FM – What is your view on standardized testing?

Vanessa Bilello – I have spent a lot of time learning about and implementing the 2011 MA Curriculum Frameworks for Math and ELA. Standards are a critical part of education and provide a necessary coherence and consistency across classrooms and districts. They allow parents and educators to have conversations about the essential skills students need to develop as they progress through the grades. I fear that sometimes the line gets blurred between standards and standardized testing. 

Obviously, the testing of these standards is a hot topic right now and conversations are ongoing at the state and national level- we are still waiting for MA DESE to decide between PARCC and MCAS. While Franklin moved to PARCC this past year, the Hopkinton District School Committee voted to stay with MCAS. More of my experience has been with MCAS, though I’ve been learning as much as I can about PARCC to prepare my staff in the case the state goes that route. 

Formative and summative assessment data is important- you can do analysis and act on it. Regardless, assessment should take a variety of forms and there should be transparency with parents about how this data is used by schools. 

As a Special Educator who spent many years administering these assessments and now as a parent, I also recognize that there is not an easy answer when it comes to standardized testing - assessment times are long and stressful for students, teachers and parents, regardless of which test we implement. While the data is important, we must always remember the learner is more than a number - these are children and performance on one assessment cannot possibly paint a full picture of them. 

This summer my daughter and I were talking about testing and she said to me “Mommy, it seems like sometimes schools are trying to suck the love of learning out of you.” As a life-long educator, that stabbed me in the heart. 

We need to explore ways to bring a love of learning to all our children and foster a growth mindset in our students by modeling it as adults. Schools should be a place where students are excited about learning since being a life-long learner is what it is all about. I firmly believe that “passionate learning is based upon a foundation of compassion.” This is the vision I will lead with as a Franklin School Committee member.

If you have questions for Vanessa, you can contact her via email at vbilello97@gmail.com

You can find additional information on her campaign on her Facebook page
www.facebook.com/VanessaBilelloforSchoolCommittee


Noteworthy:  This information is intended to help the Franklin voters when we all head to the ballot box on November 3rd. The interview candidates have had an opportunity to review the text before publishing to ensure the accuracy of our discussion. 

State Education Mandates - Part 11

From time to time, particular around the budget period, reference is generally made to Franklin Public Schools having to support "unfunded mandates." I managed to find a listing of such compiled by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. This is Part 11 and the final entry in the series.

Unexpended Education Funds

Massachusetts local school districts are required, unlike as in many other states, to return, at the termination of each fiscal year, unexpended/unencumbered funds to the municipality’s general fund. This requirement is counter to stimulating incentives for school districts to find creative ways to generate savings throughout the fiscal year. Municipalities often conclude that funds, which are returned at the end of the fiscal year, is misinterpreted as evidence that the school district did not really need said funds. School districts are not permitted to establish rainy day funds.

Technology

Each year, the district must have a technology plan. An annual report must be sent to the state indicating how the district is using technology to teach, how much is being spent and what the district plans to spend in the future. There are technology benchmarks that must be met by students at each grade and all students must meet state-defined technology proficiency by the end of grade 8. The development of technology plans (incorporating professional, administrative, and community personnel), the recommended student to technology (computer) ratio, and the ratio of technology personnel recommended for districts, directly affect school budget development.

Building Maintenance

Districts have a requirement to spend a minimum amount to maintain buildings and are required to pay “union scale” otherwise know as “prevailing wage,” on projects for repairs and maintenance when done by an outside contractor. This mandate results in higher costs for many skilled trade services.

The following is a list of annual inspections and tests required by the state for maintenance of buildings:

• boiler inspections;
• air tank inspections;
• fire alarm tests;
• fire suppression tests (kitchens);
• fire extinguisher tests;
• elevator & chair lift inspections;
• under-ground tank inspections/replacements,
• drainage back-flow controls,
• stage rigging inspections;
• Integrated Pest Management Plans (use of pesticides) including community notifications;
• fire sprinkler tests; and
• Asbestos inspections.

The full listing is available here (DOC)

State Education Mandates - Part 10

From time to time, particular around the budget period, reference is generally made to Franklin Public Schools having to support "unfunded mandates." I managed to find a listing of such compiled by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. This is part 10 of the series:

According to the MA DOE website an explanation of SIMS and EPIMS can be found here:

• Student Information Management Systems (SIMS)
• Education Personnel Information Management System (EPIMS)

SIMS & EPIMS

The state requires that each district have software in place that will allow districts to report data on all students and staff in a format that is compatible with the state databases. This process has been very time-consuming and costly to districts for training and updates.

With EPIMS, the labor and technology costs of providing the information to DESE are significant. Many hours are required to collect and verify information, upload it to DESE, and continually review to ensure accuracy. Administrative costs are incurred to complete the Teacher Quality Improvement Plan (TQIP) and update information. In addition, significant time is consumed by communicating with teachers and administrators to ensure validity of reporting.

With respect to SIMS, it must be recognized the reporting requirements consume significant secretarial hours and require extensive technology fund investment in terms of hardware (administrative computers) and reporting systems (student software programs). There are multiple reports required during the course of the school year.

Reporting & Auditing

The school district must provide timely reports to the state throughout the year. There is a financial end-of-year report that takes a great deal of time to prepare. An outside auditing firm must audit this report each year.

Student Activity Accounts

In a town it is required that these funds be kept in accounts under control of the Town Treasurer. The funds are deposited in an agency fund. Each school has a checkbook that allows the school to keep a small amount of cash to pay bills as needed. The checking accounts are reimbursed through a system that requires them to complete a form for reimbursement and attach the documentation. This is sent to the Business Office for verification and then sent to the Treasurer’s Office. These accounts must have a minimum of an internal audit yearly and an audit from an outside firm every three years. The town auditors perform a yearly audit on these accounts. Although this allows for more accountability, it adds a great deal of time to the workload of existing staff to monitor and process the transactions.

The full listing is available here (DOC)

State Education Mandates - Part 6

From time to time, particular around the budget period, reference is generally made to Franklin Public Schools having to support "unfunded mandates." I managed to find a listing of such compiled by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. This is Part 6 in the series:

Curriculum

Frameworks. Districts revise and create new curricula to conform to the state curriculum frameworks and demands for timely update as the revises and updates frameworks on a regular basis. This work must be done after school and during the summer. Instruction hours must provide at minimum 990/900 hours of instructional time.

Individual Student Success Plans. Districts are required to deploy administrative, teaching, secretarial, guidance, and technology staff and resources (including but not limited to intervention programs in ELA and Math) to ensure that students receive additional support services that address individual student needs as a result of statewide assessment mandates (MCAS). Instructional support and resources such as texts, workbooks, and online instruction are examples of areas that require increases in expenditures.

Curriculum Requirements. The Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks require that districts provide additional instructional staff (e.g. health teachers and guidance staff) to ensure that all curriculum areas are addressed. The periodic review and alignment of every curriculum area requires substantial investment in time (including committee review, curriculum development, printing and dissemination of curricula) and resources (texts, consumable items, and online access).

The length of the school year (180 days) requirement impacts costs incurred for snow and ice removal and climate control in multiple buildings.

The full listing is available here (DOC)

Note: on the length of the school year, it is defined in days (180 required) but as we recently found out with the Horace Mann/Oak Street complex problem, the State has not yet defined how much time qualifies as a "day" of school.

10th Norfolk candidates state positions

I was unable to get a good internet connection to report live from Medway High School but took my notes by hand and have transcribed them to share here.

10th Norfolk District candidate debate

Republican candidate - Richard Eustis
Democratic candidate - Jeff Roy

Co-hosted by the Republican and Democratic Town Committees of Medway at the Medway High School

The format was for both candidates to have an opening and closing statement and in between state their positions on a set of five topics; (1) Education, (2) Economic Development, (3) Local funding, (4) Tax policy and (5) the Role of government.

There are distinct differences between the two candidates as shown in their statements on each topic.

Opening Statements
Roy - provided an overview on his public service record and how he will represent everyone in the District.

Eustis - opened with a challenge to Mr Roy’s statement that MA is doing it right and went on to list the litany of corruption associated with Beacon Hill and the Democratic Party. Referenced the Forbes study that listed MA as 47th among the states as a place to do business.

1 - Education
Eustis - cares about schools, understands the need for investment in the community, recognizes that stronger schools will make the community more attractive for businesses. Doesn’t support instate tuition for illegal immigrants because the state can’t afford it. Thinks the college tuition is too high and that with 50% of the recent graduates still looking for work says that is a problem that needs to be addressed.

Roy - every child deserves a good education, invited Mr Eustis to tour the Franklin schools with him to see how well they are doing spending less in all 11 categories tracked by the state and yet a high performing district. The good schools are why businesses come here. Tri-county and Norfolk provide area students alternatives. He does not favor the Governor’s proposal on instate tuition. Thinks that we should focus on the local issues.

2 - Economic Development
Roy - wants to help businesses get back to work, with good schools businesses want to locate here. he goes on to reference three companies in Franklin two of whom relocated there and the reasons were good work force, good school system and quality of life in the community. Referenced a study by Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) http://www.aimnet.org/ that touts the progress MA has made during this recent economy has been the envy of other states and regions. Can we do better? Yes. His strategic plan on economic development covers five points: 1 - money to consumers by reducing the sales tax to 5%, 2 - helping small businesses, 3 - help public higher education, 4 - reduce the cost of doing business here, and 5 - partner with the leaders in Franklin and Medway.

Eustis - I will continue to bash Beacon Hill because their performance is unacceptable. According to the Forbes report MA is 47th among the states as a place to do business. That tax rates and regulations have scared away ⅓ of the businesses who were based here in MA. RI and NH in particular have lured companies with tax breaks and incentives. MA is not competitive. As an example,the data security protection regulation implemented goes further than the FDC requires, why is that necessary? Need to follow the examples set by our neighboring states, need to enforce immigration laws.

3 - Local Funding
Eustis - wants every dollar that goes to Beacon Hill to come back, local government should make the choice, makes local government accountable, the the towns are running on increasingly tight budgets yet there is waste, fraud and abuse with the money that leaves here. Referenced EBT card abuses, the creation of 2,000 jobs in state government where the salaries exceed $100,000, the scandal in the probation department. He closed by reiterating that he would fight for every dollar to come back.

Roy - I am a fan of Massachusetts. In a rebuttal of the Forbes study referenced, many of the same CEO’s in the survey actually live in the places that are lower ranked, CA, NY and MA. Why is that? They’ll live in the lower ranked state but not do business there? Agrees, that local aid is important. Education, parks and green spaces, senior centers, all of these things are paid for with public funds, we are not funding Republican or Democratic facilities. Stated he is opposed to illegal activities, violators need to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Attempted to link the Beacon Hill challenges to an attack on former Rep Vallee and asked Mr Eustis why if he was so interested in the party abuses didn’t he do something about it? Closed with he has the experience to get local aid for Medway and to spend it appropriately in the priority areas.

4 - Tax Policy
Roy - opens with ‘nobody likes to pay taxes’, taxes fund our government operations and our budgets should reflect our values. He reiterated his desire to roll back the sales tax to 5%. Wants to collect taxes on internet based sales. MA is losing $335 million in this arena. Not collecting this tax, creates a competitive disadvantage for those brick and mortar stores. He wants to ensure no unfunded mandates come from new legislation. He wants to look at tax haven abuses. MA is doing well as it has gone three years with no new taxes or fees. He would like to see an analysis on tax credits to see that they actually return what they are supposed to.

Eustis - Opens by objecting to Mr ROy’s linking of Vallee to Beacon Hill. you know I like Rep Vallee, “don’t do that Jeff.” He then questions state government, if the CEO’s don’t rate MA higher, how are we better off? We are taxed at the highest rate in the nation. We don’t have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem. Stated Mr Roy opposes the tax free weekend and can’t understand why. All you need to do is drive down an exit or two to the Wrentham Outlets to see how much of an effect it has. Reiterates the need for MA to be competitive in the region, wants to explore a tax exemption for seniors, of the 21 communities who have declared their tax rates, all 21 have increased them. People need tax relief not an increase in taxes.

5 - Role of Government
Eustis - He stated that there are two roles for government, the first is to provide the common services (public safety, education, and the safety net for those in need). If there was a second point I missed it. He did reference MA as having create the first constitution and how the US Constitution defines government. That ‘what we think (as candidates) doesn’t really matter’. His shortest statement as he surprised Mr Roy by ending without using all of his allotted time.

Roy - government is the name we give to that which we do together. Government doesn’t do everything, it does provide an opportunity. He told a story of meeting a mother of an FHS student who as a sophomore was struggling with school until he took advantage of the new Arts Academy program at FHS. Now as a junior he is excited about school and looking at where to go to college. We need to create these educational opportunities. Help those in their later years. Need to do the common things, build roads and bridges, greenspace, without being dependent for everything at Beacon Hill.

Closing Statements
Roy - gives series of thanks to those who organized this, those present, has respect for Mr Eustis, is overwhelmed by the support and endorsements he has received. Refers folks to read the letters available on his website. “Can we do better? Of course we can” We are modeling how to do it better. I will help spread the word. I will combine my experience and energy to make MA a good place to work and live. The question this election is who has the most commitment? who has the most relevant experience? who is the best qualified to represent Franklin and Medway? I have all three of these and I look for your vote on Nov 6th.

Eustis - gives series of thanks to those who organized this, those present. Reiterates that this election is about a choice. If you think MA is going in the right direction, then he is not your candidate. He didn’t talk about his local service but did serve in the Navy for four years. He did serve in other ways, his work as an attorney, never turned someone away for inability to pay, always provided service at a reduced rate and gets great satisfaction from doing so. In reference to Mr Roy’s endorsements, his mother had said; “Show me your friends and I will show you who you are.” Closed with a story of helping a lady shopping with her daughter at Market Basket, lady was challenged by shopping and trying to make ends meet with little money.We need to do better, we deserve more from our state government.

The next debate will be held on Tuesday, Oct 23 at the Horace Mann Middle School on Oak St in Franklin, MA. It will begin at 7:00 PM.

Administrator's Message - Sep 17, 2008

A Message from the Administrator

Before you know it, fall will turn into budget season. Next year’s budget continues to hold many challenges. The Town Council has appointed a special adhoc committee to look at the next 3-5 years and try and predict the town’s fiscal plight. The committee plans to hold public hearings and ask for citizens’ input into the age-old question of services versus taxes. While we have been blessed with very generous amounts of state aid over the last 15 years, (thank you Representative Vallee) we cannot rely on the State for the same commitment in the future. Our choices are: ask the legislature to allow for local option taxes, change the tax laws to escape the over reliance on the property tax, or ask the citizens to increase their commitment above the Proposition 2 ½ limits allowed by law. I can already hear folk’s saying, “What about living within your means?” “Why can’t the town live within the revenue available?” “Why do you always ask us for more money?” Well, we can live within our means if you want a lot less “local government”. I have pointed out many times that we don’t control the cost of energy, health insurance premiums, or pensions. Collective bargaining, public bid, prevailing wage laws, and unfunded mandates all drive up the cost and size of government and make it difficult to control costs. There is little support for regionalization of services or consolidation of governments. Federal and State education mandates drive up the cost of education. Also, we can’t ignore our aging infrastructure. We have to update the nearly 40-year-old high school and some of the other schools, the Library needs repairs, and our roads and sidewalks constantly need repairing and updating.

There are no easy answers. We hope for citizens’ input. As we struggle to define the balance between taxes and services, we reach out to the citizens to give us their opinions and help us to decide what is best for all. This is your government. We need your participation at public meetings and hearings and on every Election Day. Your quality of life, protection of property values, and commitment to the next generation is in your hands. Please don’t sit on the sidelines. Watching on TV, reading newspapers, commenting on blogs & websites is fine, but your local government is a “contact sport” and we need to see you and hear you. We ask for your participation in defining what kind of community that you wish to belong to. Please call, write, visit or email me with questions and comments.

Sincerely,
Jeff Nutting
Town Administrator

“As we must account for every idle word, so must we account for every idle silence” – Benjamin Franklin.