Franklin Matters: Search results for override

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Monday, June 7, 2010

Letter from Ed Cafasso

Hi everyone,

Over the past few weeks, many of my friends and neighbors have asked good questions about this Tuesday’s override vote. I wanted to share some of those with you in the hopes that it will help you to vote “Yes” when the polls open at the Field House on Tuesday.

But before I do I want to address two items that appeared in the local newspaper recently. In one letter to the editor, a resident said he said was tired of supporting “assistants to assistants” in the schools. There is no such thing. This belief represents baseless ignorance. Franklin spends far below the state average on administration in our schools. In fact, we spend below the state average in every category of school investment.

Another prominent resident claimed that citizens are afraid to express their views about the override for fear that their children would be punished in the schools. This is either an outrageous lie or a convenient rationalization. I have been active in the schools since 1998, and I have been involved in every override since. I have never ever heard of a single such incident. I have never even heard a rumor of such an incident. The resident who made this statement owes our schools either the proof to support the claim or a candid apology.

And now for some of the thoughtful questions that I have heard in my travels…

What is the relationship between the override vote and the planned renovation of Franklin High? There is none. The override would deliver an additional $3 million to the town’s operating budget, including $1.8 million for the schools. The override is designed to close a revenue shortfall. The FHS renovation is a capital project. Later in 2011, voters will be asked to give the town permission to borrow money for the work, like a mortgage. The state will reimburse approximately half the cost for the FHS project, and the cost of the borrowing will not show up on tax bills for three or four years.

Where’s the proof that the schools need these funds? Things seem fine? The Franklin schools are indeed high performing and tremendously efficient. That’s exactly why you should support the override as an investment. The lack of financial support for the schools is like termites living undetected in a house. The truth is that we have eliminated 100 teachers and seven administrators in the past five years. Class sizes have gone up. Kids with learning challenges are getting less personal attention. Teachers are getting less professional development. New fees have been created and existing fees have gone up. Our hardworking school employees are doing their best to hold back the tide, but the odds are against them over time unless we help now.

I am senior citizen on a fixed income. I can’t afford this, and why should I support the schools? My kids are grown and gone. The number one investment for any citizen of Franklin, young or old, is their home. And the best way to protect and strengthen the value of your home is to protect the quality of services in your community – police, fire, schools, public works, etc. If you are a senior, think about how the community helped pay for the public education your children received. Think about what will happen to the value of your home if the quality of services here continues to suffer from lack of investment.

Is there any guarantee that the Town Council will deliver $1.8 million from the override amount to the schools? Yes, their word. The council is publicly committed to that amount for the next two years. As you know, many councilors are actively campaigning for the override. There is no legal way to guarantee what happens when a new council takes office in two years, but history shows that the schools have received tremendous support from the Council. With the exception of one year when state aid was delivered late, well into the fiscal year, the schools have always received all of the state funds designated for education, as well as substantial revenues from property taxes..

Why should I add to my property taxes? Doesn’t it just make more sense to pay more in fees? Your property taxes are tax deductible. Fees are not. On a pre-tax basis, the proposed override will cost the average taxpayer $254 per year, about 70 cents per day, based on the average property assessment of $368,000 in Franklin. Passage of the ballot question would add 69 cents to the tax rate, or $.69 per $1,000 of the assessed value of your home. If the override fails, some athletic fees will increase more than the average annual tax cost of the override!

Where can I get more information about the override?

An excellent brochure has been developed that attempts to answer common questions and provides a chart of what services will be affected by the outcome of the override vote. You can view and download the brochure at: http://franklinschoolcommittee.wordpress.com/override-brochure/

Up-to-date information and links on financial and academic issues, particularly from a school perspective, are available at: http://franklinschoolcommittee.wordpress.com/override-page/

Concerned citizens who support passage of the override have formed a group called “Invest in Franklin.” You can visit the Invest in Franklin web site for additional information at: http://investinfranklin.weebly.com.

You can visit and join the Invest in Franklin group page on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2265200218&ref=ts

A Facebook event page has been created as a reminder about the June 8 vote. You can view it here: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=118040221563289

My personal view is that Tuesday offers you a modest opportunity to invest in your community. No one agrees with every decision the town makes, but I am convinced, based on my years of involvement in town government and the schools, that Franklin is exceptionally well run, well intentioned and very efficient. Franklin lives within its means, provides a great quality of life, and does what it needs to maintain public property.

The outcome of this override has implications for all the essential services on which you and your family rely. In my mind, a “Yes” vote represents a well-deserved, very modest investment in the schools, police, fire, public works and library services that support my family, my friends and neighbors, and my property value.

Your town and schools need your help. I hope you will join me in supporting the override. Every vote is needed. Passage is by no means certain. Please do your civic duty on Tuesday and encourage all of your fellow citizens to do the same.

This e-mail reflects my opinion alone and is provided as a constituent service. Be on the look-out for an update soon on the great progress being made around the FHS renovation project.

As always, I welcome your thoughts and suggestions. If you are receiving duplicate e-mails or if you no longer wish to receive these e-mails, please let me know and I will remove you from the distribution list. If you know of someone you would like to add to the list, please send along their e-mail address.

Thank you!

Ed Cafasso, Member
Franklin School Committee
edcafasso@comcast.net

Franklin, MA

Budget - Override Collection - FY 2011

The following links provide access to information on the budget for Fiscal Year 2011

Additional items will be added here as they are found/prepared.

If you are looking for something in particular regarding the budget and don't find it, please let me know.

Letter from Scott Mason, Town Council Chairman

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

On this day: May 22, 2007 Franklin voted for the first operational override

On this day, twelve years ago, 8759 Franklin residents went to the old high school field house to cast their votes for an operational override. The vote was successful and historic.

While Franklin has successful passed debt exclusions for several school buildings (including most recently for the new high school in 2012), this was the only operational override passed.

"The votes came in to pass the first operational budget override in Franklin's Prop 2 1/2 history.
The final tally was 5,028 for and 3,722 against with 9 blanks and 8,759 total votes cast."

https://steves2cents.blogspot.com/2007/05/vote-tally-override-52207.html

The override collection for the 2007 vote can be found here
https://steves2cents.blogspot.com/2007/04/franklin-override-collection.html

Yes, this was the beginning of Franklin Matters. The domain and new website came online in November 2007. Links to the prior posts on my personal blog are still valid in the archive where needed.

Franklin failed to pass operational overrides in 2008 and 2010 and has not had a vote scheduled since that time. However, next year maybe an opportunity.

Franklin override collection for 2010 (FY 2011)
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2010/05/budget-override-collection-fy-2011.html

Franklin override info for 2008 (FY 2009) (not a single collection; I learned as I went along to do so) https://www.franklinmatters.org/search?q=override%2C+2008

On this day: May 22, 2007 Franklin votes for first operational override

Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Override & debt exclusion info in the archives

Now that the "O" word (override) has been mentioned, there is a bunch of information in these archives that may be useful to provide the historical perspective.

Long time readers may recall that Franklin Matters came to be during the 2007 override and the domain officially was born in Nov 2007.

The 2007 Override is noteworthy as it is the only successful override Franklin has passed in its history to date. It passed because there was unified support across the Town Council and School Committee. The succeeding overrides (2008 & 2010) failed because that unity did not exist. Some naysayers among the Council and School Committee created enough doubt and discord that success was unattainable.

There also was a special ballot question on the State election of 2014 to provide $1.5 million to fund road maintenance that failed significantly. As it was a Sate election, Franklin turned out at 59% (normal for State elections) and 8289 voters said No, 3583 said Yes. https://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/10/ballot-question-5-dedicated-override-to.html

Coming out of the 2008 override failure there was recognition that a long term financial plan needed to be developed. A committee was created and began work on that in early 2010. The Financial Planning Committee changed to the Long Range Planning Committee. The first report they produced is now what we see each year when the Town Administrator publishes their 5 year outlook.

The Joint Budget Committee is the current working group to help with these long range and financial planning matters. They have not met frequently enough so we find ourselves now in a position where some folks understand the situation and many do not. The Joint Budget should meet more frequently (at least quarterly, in my view) rather than the annual meeting they have had in recent years.

The archive has links to collect the information pasted for each of the elections.

There is also a spreadsheet with the specific ballot question history for both the debt exclusions (i.e. schools) and override votes.

Franklin Override - Debt Exclusion Vote History

Some of the links break as the Town and School pages were updated twice since then (and neither upgrade maintained link integrity).

If you find a link that might be valuable for your research, let me know, I might have the individual document in my own archives and can find and update the link accordingly.

Additional archive links can be found in the Key Link tab https://www.franklinmatters.org/p/important-links.html

Lincoln St road work during Aug 2014

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Voices of Franklin: Dear Franklin Town Council & School Committee, "Please, vote to put the override on the ballot in June"

Dear Franklin Town Council & School Committee, Mr. Helen and Superintendent Giguere,

I am writing to you this evening to urge you all to vote to put the override on the ballot this June. Anyone who claims this has been a rushed process has simply not been paying attention. I take particular umbrage at the residents who have lived here far longer than I have who are claiming this override process has been rushed. As someone who only moved here in late 2021, and, again, has a toddler and an infant at home, I should be the resident who has no idea of the financial straits Franklin is in. And yet I am aware. The idea that this override process has been rushed is simply absurd. A simple Google search will pull up the former Superintendent of Schools comments from 2008 - 16 years ago - about the financial crunch facing the Franklin Schools.

Former Supreme Court justice Oliver Wendell Holmes once wrote, "taxes are the price we pay to live in a civilized society." That's the ballgame - taxes are the price we pay to enjoy all the benefits of civilization. At the local level, that means our water and sewer systems work, our roads are paved, we have police and fire departments, we have good schools, and all of those services must be funded adequately.

I believe reasonable people can disagree. I also believe that reasonable people, when looking at the financial data provided, will happily shell out more money in property taxes in order to continue to fund our local government properly, because the alternative is horrifying.

Let me be clear - I want to live in a town where our local services are properly funded. If that means I pay more in property taxes to do so, then I will do so happily. I want the Franklin Police Department to be fully funded (and I want them to get the new police station they need when the time comes for that). I want the Fire Department to be fully funded. I want the DPW to be fully funded. I want the Library to be fully funded. I want the Facilities Department to be fully funded, and yes, I want to make damn sure the schools are fully funded as well. And I know that nothing in life comes free, so I (and many more people in town) are willing to pay that cost, to ensure that our local services remain the best they can be.

I know Franklin does have people on fixed incomes, and this will be difficult for them. This includes my own aunt and uncle living here as well. I have all the sympathy in the world for people on fixed incomes during these times of crazy inflation. I can only hope that they understand this override is absolutely necessary and their sense of civic duty and pride in the town of Franklin motivates them to vote in favor of it, despite the additional hardship such an override will represent.

However, I believe a lot of the opposition to the override comes from people who are currently in the workforce, people who have seen the property values of their homes skyrocket in recent years, and simply buy into the narrative that government is the problem and that taxes are a form of theft. Please, ignore those people, as they do not represent the majority of voters here in Franklin. Please, vote to put the override on the ballot in June. Thank you all for your service - I know that you all get a lot of flak in your positions as government leaders. Keep your heads up, ignore the negativity, and please do the right thing and put the override to the ballot in June. I look forward to seeing the joint Town Council/School Committee meeting this Wednesday at FHS.

Respectfully,

Ben Liberto

23 Southgate Rd.

Voices of Franklin: Dear Franklin Town Council & School Committee, "Please, vote to put the override on the ballot in June"

If you have something to say, you can find the guidelines here
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2011/03/introducing-voices-of-franklin.html

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Letter from Ed Cafasso

Hello everyone,

I hope you enjoyed the stunning weekend weather.

As you know, Franklin voters will be asked to go to the polls on Tuesday, June 8, to decide a proposed $3 million override of Proposition 2½. If approved, approximately $300,000 will be used to restore municipal services, $1.8 million will be used to restore educational services, and $900,000 will be used to maintain roads throughout the town.

We need this money to stop the continued erosion of school and municipal services our community and to maintain our property values and quality of life.

Override votes can be a polarizing, which is not surprising when people’s money is at stake. On a pre-tax basis, the proposed override will cost the average taxpayer $254 per year, about 70 cents per day, based on the average property assessment of $368,000 in Franklin. Passage of the ballot question would add 69 cents to the tax rate, or $.69 per $1,000 of the assessed value of your home. That’s the out-of-pocket cost, but please also keep in mind that your local property tax payments are deductible federally.

I am writing today to pass along the wealth of information available to you to explain the proposed override and what’s at stake with this vote – and to offer you the opportunity to become actively involved in the effort if you wish.

Here’s what’s available to you:

An excellent brochure has been developed that attempts to answer common questions and provides a chart of what services will be affected by the outcome of the override vote. You can view and download the brochure at: http://franklinschoolcommittee.wordpress.com/override-brochure/

Up-to-date information and links on financial and academic issues, particularly from a school perspective, are available at: http://franklinschoolcommittee.wordpress.com/override-page/

Concerned citizens who support passage of the override have formed a group called “Invest in Franklin.” You can visit the Invest in Franklin web site for additional information at: http://investinfranklin.weebly.com.

You can visit and join the Invest in Franklin group page on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2265200218&ref=ts

A Facebook event page has been created as a reminder about the June 8 vote. You can view it here: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=118040221563289

If you want to volunteer for the effort, please contact: Elise Nulton at lcnot@comcast.net or Deb Bartlett at bartlett.family@comcast.net. Both Elise and Deb are listed in the Franklin phone book; they would welcome your support.

Financial donations in any amount to defray the cost of the campaign are also welcome. Checks made out to “Invest in Franklin” can be mailed to the group’s treasurer, Deb Bartlett, 2 Eldon Drive, Franklin, MA, 02038.

There are a number of forums and meetings taking place throughout the community in the coming weeks to help our friends and neighbors learn more about why this vote is so important. On Monday, May 24, 2010, there will be a town-wide forum at the Mercer Auditorium at Horace Mann Middle School beginning at 7 p.m. Town officials will be on hand to present the facts and answer your questions. I plan to attend and hope to see you there.

The outcome of this override has implications for all the essential services on which you and your family rely in Franklin.

Your town and schools cannot continue to do more with less and still meet your expectations. From a public school perspective, Franklin now spends below the state average in every single category of measurement.
(See: http://finance1.doe.mass.edu/schfin/statistics/function09_sum.aspx?ID=101).

Yet our students – your children and grandchildren – enjoy one of highest performing school systems and rewarding academic experiences in Massachusetts. Every day, our schools work efficiently and well to earn your trust and support, as do our woefully under-funded police, fire and public works departments.

I hope the informational resources provided above give you an ample opportunity to learn more about the override, so you can cast an informed ballot on June 8. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.

This e-mail reflects my opinion alone and is provided as a constituent service. As always, I welcome your thoughts and suggestions. If you are receiving duplicate e-mails or if you no longer wish to receive these e-mails, please let me know and I will remove you from the distribution list. If you know of someone you would like to add to the list, please send along their e-mail address.

Thank you!

Ed Cafasso, Member
Franklin School Committee
edcafasso@comcast.net

Franklin, MA

Friday, May 30, 2008

What You Need to Know to Make an Informed Vote on June 10th

The contents of a recent email from Tom Sousa representing the Franklin Cares email distribution listing is worth sharing here:

1. The Vote is Soon!
Voting will take place on June 10th at the Franklin High School Field House from 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM.

2. The Proposed Override Will Average Only $243 per Household.
The override translates to an increased tax bill of only $243 per household. Since the tax payments are tax deductible, the after-tax cost is approximately $168 or about 50 cents a day.

3. Without the Override, You May End Up Spending More
You could be spending more per year by voting down the override because of cost increases for items such as pay-to-ride and athletic participation fees. If the override fails, there will be a $100 increase per student in the pay-to-ride bus, and cancellation of late bus service for students who need to stay after school for academic, clubs and extracurricular programs.

4. Franklin's Educational Spending is efficient.
Currently, Franklin is spending $2,200 less per pupil in 10 of the 11 State Department Education categories than the average in the state. We would have to add $13 million to the education budget just to be average spenders in the state.

5. Pink Slips Were Not Delivered for Dramatic Effect.
Teachers and administrators who received Pink Slips last week will indeed be gone if the override doesn't pass. This translates to a loss of approximately 43.5 teaching positions – 16 at Franklin high, 12.5 at the middle school level, and 15 at the elementary level.

6. It Will Be a Step Back for Franklin if Layoffs Occur.
The number of classroom teachers in Franklin is as follows:

School year	# of classroom teachers
2003-04	408
2004-05	459
2005-06	449
2006-07	466
2007-08	443

During that same time period, enrollment in the Franklin schools has increased by approximately 500 students and the Keller-Sullivan schools were opened. If the override is unsuccessful, the number of classroom teachers is expected to dip below 400 for the 2008-2009 school year, which means we will have less teachers than we had in 2003, but 500 more students and a new school facility.

7. Class Size Will Significantly Increase Without the Override.
The range for elementary school class sizes will increase to between 19 to 30 students per class. The middle school and high school will average roughly 25 to 30 students per class.

8. The Charter School Will be Impacted.
The Town of Franklin per pupil cost directly drives state re-imbursement for the Charter School. If we spend less, the Charter School will get less.

9. Unemployment Costs the Town.
If the town rejects the override, it is liable for up to $675,000 in unemployment for the laid-off teachers and administrators.

10. Families With Young Kids Are the Lowest Voting Population in Franklin
Regardless of how you vote, make your voice heard about this issue. Absentee ballots are one solution for busy families who want to be heard. Absentee ballots can be submitted at the Town Clerk's Office, 355 East Central Street, between 9am and 4pm. The deadline for absentee ballots is noon on June 9th.

Monday, June 15, 2020

Town Council positions on the override - Nov 2019

During the run up to the Town of Franklin local election in November 2019, we shared the interviews with many of the candidates for the Town Council and School Committee.

One of the questions asked the Town Council candidates was:

“The Town Administrator has suggested that Franklin needs to consider an override measure. What actions will you take for this? “

Note these answers were provided by the candidates in the run up to the election. This is the historical record of their position at that time. The successful candidate positions are shared here. The full listing is provided in the link below.

*** Town Council answers

Eamon McCarthy Earls

EE - I think it's a great question. Certainly we've been faced with some very trying times. A lot of it ties back to escalating costs for health care and our overall pension and other post-employment benefit (OPEB) liabilities which continue to mount and which probably nobody back in 1980 was concerned with or fully cognizant of how much it would cost.

I think it's ultimately a decision that rests with the voters. I would support offering that as an option to the voters to decide. I think it's really important to have that participation in something so critical in our town. I'm sure it will be a hard fought issue. Franklin residents have had debates in the past about budgets and cuts. Questions of overrides came up particularly the late 2000s. So I think really letting each side make their case will be really important.

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/10/franklin-candidate-interview-eamon.html

Melanie Hamblen

Audio interview https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/10/fm-173-this-internet-radio-show-or.html

Tom Mercer

TM = First, we’ll need to monitor the towns’ budget situation closely throughout the year as the Town Administrator and Superintendent build their budgets. I’d expect that we would have a reasonable number in late January. My guess is the next Town Council and School Committee will have to discuss an override, how much and for what and what the community strategy may be.

At this point, I support and hope a discussion will occur next year on discussing with taxpayers a revenue increase. As the Town Administrator has stated numerous times, the cost of doing business is far exceeding our ability to raise revenue. Construction costs, personnel costs and Heath care costs are increasing at a rate that has put stress on the system relative to service demand. It’s a partial symptom of a good economy for sure. And it’s something we need to really engage a wider audience in the community on. Everyone will need to be involved. As ultimately any override is a decision made by the Community as a whole not the Town Council. It is the Town Council’s job to provide the community with all the facts so they can make an informed decision.

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/10/franklin-candidate-interview-tom-mercer.html

Andrew Bissanti

AB = I think ultimately what's going to happen is the council is going to push the override to a ballot and let the people decide. That seems to be rhetoric from the existing council right now. I think it's only fair that way. I want to make a rational decision. How it's going to affect dollars, and the people of Franklin. Whatever the greater good is for Franklin. I don't want to see services to the town and infrastructure suffer. Careful study and examination and reporting will and is being conducted and we will have more facts soon.

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/10/franklin-candidate-interview-andrew.html

Robert Dellorco

Audio interview https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/10/fm-179-franklin-candidate-interview.html

Matt Kelly

MK = So I'm on the budget subcommittee and I'm probably one of the more vocal people on the budget subcommittee. I know I didn't make any friends with the School Committee when I told them that I didn't necessarily agree with their budget. Councilor Mercer and I are the only two that were on the School Committee prior to being on the Town Council. I wish there was a prerequisite so that everybody would have to do that because I think you learn a lot.

Looking at the budget, I don't think we're ready for an override yet and there's a number of factors for this. I don't see that the budget has all the fluff cut out of it and I don't see any clear projection of numbers. I agree, that our administration is telling the truth when they say that it's getting tight, but I also understand that a lot of people out there are getting tight on their budgets too. We need to look at what our plan is, is it a reduction in our budget, and an override? Who knows right now and now isn’t the time to ask our citizens either. We have to consider what this going to do to our senior population. That has increased tremendously for people in our town. People on fixed incomes, we need to look at what it will do to them as well. There needs to be a conversation with our town’s people before you start talking override.

That's the business side of it. The human aspect is that times are too good for people to believe that we need an override. We're adding firefighters, adding police officers and there's no visible pain. You might see that we need more DPW workers or your road isn't getting done fast enough, but people don't want to vote for things until there's pain, number one. Number two, when the people complain that they're going off to pay for high school parking, then town council comes running to their rescue and says, “oh, no, we're going to give you that money in the budget.” It's not the time for an override. We should be able to say to our citizens, we can't find any money before we say override.

The reality is, I am going to be very, very stingy when it comes to saying we need an override because I'm going to pay for it just like you are.

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/10/franklin-candidate-interview-matt-kelly.html

*** School Committee

The School Committee candidates did not get that question. The questions they answered as shown here.

There are and have been many opportunities to volunteer with community groups in Franklin. Have you taken advantage of any of these? Which ones, and why did you choose that/those?
Where do you get your news about Franklin?
The possibility of a change in school start times was a recent controversial topic taken up by the School Committee. Where do you stand on the issue of school start times in Franklin and what actions do you plan to take around this issue during the next term of the School Committee?
While the current School Committee has attempted to reach the community through various forms of communication including coffee chats, email newsletters, attending events such as the farmers market, etc., they have been generally unsuccessful at increasing the engagement with important issues related to the schools. What actions will you take to increase citizen engagement with the School Committee?
The Town Administrator has suggested that the School Committee investigate the possibility of closing Davis Thayer Elementary as a possible cost-saving mechanism for the town in these tight economic times. Where do you stand on this issue and what actions will you take to support your stance?
Why should I vote for you?

The Election Collection can be found here
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/07/franklin-election-collection-2019.html

All precincts vote on Nov 5, 2019 in one location, Franklin High School

Monday, March 18, 2024

What's this about a possible override for Franklin? (collection)

The first pass of the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY 2025) budget as presented to the Joint Budget Subcommittee meeting last week shows the Town of Franklin facing a $10.1 million deficit. The numbers will continue to be worked. As discussed during the meeting, breaking news that afternoon showed a reduction in the projected cost increase for health care that had just been received. That will be adjusted for future budget discussions.

The timeline for the budget development is as follows:

School Committee budget public hearing - March 19
School Committee votes on school budget recommendation - April 9
Town of Franklin FY 2025 budget scheduled for release - April 12
Joint Town Council & School Committee Mtg - Apr 24
Town Council meeting May 1 (determine yes or no for override, if yes, sets date & amount)
Finance Committee budget hearings - May 6, May 8, May 15 (vote)
Town Council budget hearings - May 22, May 23 (vote)
Possible override date ??

If there were to be an override, the decision on “When?” is as critical as “How much”? Election requirements call for 35 days notification of a vote on a ballot question. Hence, a vote scheduled for June would have to be decided no later than early May

Town budget page -> https://www.franklinma.gov/town-budget/webforms/fy-25-budget-materials

School budget page ->

https://www.franklinps.net/district/school-district-budget/pages/1-fy2025-budget

Recent meetings/documents (most recent on top, scroll down for prior)

5/01/24 - Town Council meeting to determine (1) yes or no for override, (2) if yes, sets date & (3) sets amount

4/30/24 - School Committee meeting (7 PM)

4/30/24 - School Committee budget subcommittee meeting (6 PM)

4/25/24 - Comprehensive School Facility Plan Subcmte meeting (redistricting draft) (recap & audio) -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2024/04/comprehensive-school-facility-plng.html

4/24/24 - Joint Town Council & School Committee mtg - recap, audio (2 parts) and video -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2024/04/town-council-and-school-committee-hear_01363014460.html

4/12/24 - Town of Franklin FY 2025 budget released. The budget was released as "balanced" by NOT including any Town 'wish list' items, nor projecting to incur any cuts. The School Shortfall was granted approx. $3M leaving the $9.3 million the Schools voted for $6.3M short, hence all the cuts would come to the schools. Something may change during the Finance Committee and Town Council hearings (with or without an override).

Details available on the budget page in particular the budget narrative doc -> https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/uploads/fy_25_budget_message_narrative_updated_links_2.pdf

and the voting doc -> https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/uploads/fy25_ta_budget_book_v2.pdf

4/09/24 - School Committee approves FY 2025 budget - Recap, audio & video links -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2024/04/school-committee-votes-to-approve-81m_0566458301.html

3/19/24 - School Committee meeting

FY25 Budget Open Hearing -> (budget book) https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/uploads/fy25_complete_budget_book.pdf
Audio link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1161-franklin-ma-school-cmte-mtg-03-19-24
Franklin TV video link -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YXw4dnXUqk

3/06/24 - Joint Budget Subcommittee meeting

Joint Budget audio recap with Mercer, Conley & McNeill -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2024/03/tom-george-david-recap-joint-budget.html
Franklin TV video link -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D33RO5xYoUg
Meeting agenda -> https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/joint_budget_subcommittee_meeting_agenda_-_march_6_2024.pdf
Presentation document link -> https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/uploads/2024-03-06_fy25_budget_slides_jbsc.pdf

3/05/24 - School Committee Superintendent’s budget

Chalkboard chat audio session recapping SchCmte meeting & Joint Budget meeting -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2024/03/this-chalkboard-chat-recaps.html
Franklin TV's video recording of the meeting is available for replay -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sEe-JcCn_k
The agenda doc can be found online -> https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/agendas/scagenda_3-5-24.pdf
The packet folder containing other documents released for the meeting can also be found online -> https://www.franklinps.net/district/school-committee/pages/march-5-2024-school-committee-meeting

1/23/24 - School Committee budget subcommittee received preview of 4 scenarios for school FY 2025 budget -> (recap & audio) https://www.franklinmatters.org/2024/01/school-budget-subcommittee-gets-preview.html

Visit Vote No Franklin for the opposition view -> https://www.votenofranklin.com/

Visit One Franklin to find out more about the group and their efforts advocating for the override https://onefranklinma.com/

What's this about a possible override for Franklin?

Franklin Matters

Monday, June 7, 2010

Letter from Ed Cafasso

Budget - Override Collection - FY 2011

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

On this day: May 22, 2007 Franklin voted for the first operational override

Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Override & debt exclusion info in the archives

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Voices of Franklin: Dear Franklin Town Council & School Committee, "Please, vote to put the override on the ballot in June"

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Letter from Ed Cafasso

Friday, May 30, 2008

What You Need to Know to Make an Informed Vote on June 10th

Monday, June 15, 2020

Town Council positions on the override - Nov 2019

Monday, March 18, 2024

What's this about a possible override for Franklin? (collection)

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