In the News - override, Council meeting

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Apr 15, 2008 @ 09:36 PM

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FRANKLIN —

Tonight, Councilor Joseph McGann and School Committee Chairman Jeffrey Roy will both urge the Town Council to put an override question before voters this year to prevent layoffs and cuts in schools and town departments.

"I would like to see the people express their voice on it," said McGann, adding, "I don't think it's going to fly."

Still, McGann wants the council to put feelers out in the community to get a sense of whether people want to pay more to keep the 45 teachers and school staff expected to be laid off in the budget proposed by Town Administrator Jeffrey D. Nutting, which the Finance Committee voted to support Monday night.

Individual members of the Finance Committee supported a tax increase. Chairman Jim Roche and Pat Goldsmith both made motions to recommend the Town Council place a $1.5 million override question on the ballot. The board as a whole, however, did not take action because they had no time to prepare an adequate plan, they said.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here.

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FINCOM: Mike D'Angelo's statement

From the Franklin Finance Committee meeting of 4/14/08, this segment is the statement (very well done, by the way) of Mike D'Angelo laying out what is really going on with the schools providing the support for the town wide facilities already and recommending NOT to go ahead with the consolidation.

Time: 8 minutes, 20 seconds



MP3 File

My notes made during Mike's statement:

One facilities dept already, the school manages the town facilities
Four people on facilities, all happen to be school employees
Part time custodians and trade staff are town
1M vs. town 200,000 sq ft
School required to for certifications, schools are in a lot of business
Tim (Raposa) runs town technology
School runs the food services
Town gets a lot of benefit from the schools
School grounds staff does a good job
Took town employee to a seminar for the first time
Schools are a different entity, 38 folks work hard today
Reduced staff from last year, work around children every day
They want to be involved in schools, cleaned areas that are larger due to cuts
Folks are working harder

Reality is school is doing a lot for the town
Really is the tail wagging the dog

Jeff Nutting knows my opinion
School guys there to do the floors
Debate on the 29th will be good
No MOA to let Mike do what he is doing
His recommendation is not to move, to keep it as is
All this was done out of good will for last five years

FINCOM: School Budget vote

From the Franklin Finance Committee meeting on 4/14/08, this segment skips ahead of all the discussion and get right to the motion for the School Committee budget. They approved the Town Administrator recommended level funded budget with this vote.

Time: 3 minutes, 2 seconds



MP3 File

Ed Cafasso - Citizens Comment Appeal

Any parent who supports a level service school budget issue should try to attend the 7 p.m. Town Council meeting on Wednesday (tomorrow) and use the “Citizen Comment” period right at the start of the meeting to ask the town councilors to look into their hearts and find a way to help the schools fund a level service school budget -- either through existing resources, an override or some combination of both.

The schools are not on the meeting agenda, so “citizen comments” will be the only chance to be heard on this issue. Committee Chairman Jeff Roy will make a statement, and the vocal support of parents would be appreciated.

Ed Cafasso

Member Franklin School Committee

in the News - FINCOM Meeting - 2 articles

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Apr 15, 2008 @ 12:30 AM

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FRANKLIN —

Despite support from most individual members of the Finance Committee, last night the group collectively decided against recommending an override to Town Council because they did not have enough time to properly plan.

After School Committee Chairman Jeffrey Roy requested the board discuss putting an override question to the public to prevent 45 layoffs in the schools, Finance Committee members spoke in favor of a tax hike.

Finance Committee Chairman Jim Roche made a motion to ask the Town Council to place a $1.5 million override question on the ballot to support the school, police, and fire departments. No one seconded his motion.

Read the full article here

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By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Apr 15, 2008 @ 12:46 AM

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FRANKLIN —

After a lengthy presentation from school officials advocating for a $58.6 million budget, the Finance Committee last night voted to recommend the $55.4 million budget proposed by Town Administrator Jeffrey D. Nutting.

Finance Committee Chairman Jim Roche said he wanted to be clear that the school budget is not being cut, "it's just not getting increased by as much" as officials say is necessary to maintain teachers, other staff and programs in schools. Nutting's recommended budget represents a 1.5 percent increase, or about $800,000 over this year's $54.6 million budget.

Even if the School Department gets the $58.6 million it is seeking, schools will not be able to hire new teachers, Superintendent Wayne Ogden said.

Read the full article here

FINCOM votes to adjourn

Yes, that was one major highlight of the long evening Monday 4/14/08.

After hearing and reviewing the school budget and the need for an override,
with two members not returning from a five minute break,
the eight remaining could not reach an agreement on two motions for an override,
both motions ended up being withdrawn,
which quickly lead to the motion to adjourn at approx 10:20 PM.

So the FINCOM has yet to vote a full budget (schedule to be determined).

The Town Council probably won't get the budget until their second meeting in May (at this rate).

Which cuts it almost impossible to schedule a town vote for an override before June 30th.

So as it stands the school budget voted is the level funded Town Administrator approved budget which is short $3.3 Million and will result in 45 folks going out the door in June to not return in September.


Oh, and the school committee has yet to vote on their final budget. That comes on April 29th.



more details and recordings to be made available as I have time to process them

In the News - override views mixed, FINCOM to hear school budget

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Apr 13, 2008 @ 09:08 PM

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FRANKLIN —

Dale Lippert, a retired instructor from Dean College, didn't pause before expressing his thoughts on a tax override to save the schools from drastic layoffs and cuts this year.

Sitting at the Honey Dew Donuts on Rte. 140, Lippert shook his head, and looking to his friend, another senior, said, "It's not going to happen."

"The bucket is only so deep. I don't think it's a Franklin issue - I think it's a U.S. issue, an economy issue," said Lippert, lamenting the rising cost of gas, milk, and bread.

People on fixed incomes can't meet their basic needs, and others are losing their homes, he said.

"I was a teacher, and I'm 150 percent in favor of education, but there has to be fiscal responsibility. They can't just keep asking people (for more)," Lippert said.

If Franklin puts a tax override question on a ballot this year, he predicted, "a gray revolution" - the senior generation organizing to fight it - adding that he'd be "on the front line."

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News

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By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Apr 13, 2008 @ 08:33 PM

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FRANKLIN —

Tonight, School Committee Chairman Jeff Roy will make two financial requests of the Finance Committee: To support a tax override and agree to a $58.6 million budget for schools - $3.2 million on top of Town Administrator Jeffrey D. Nutting's proposed $55.4 million budget.

The School Committee is seeking the tax hike to fund a budget sufficient to maintain the same level of services, teachers and staff at schools.

An adequate tax override would prevent 45 layoffs (mostly teachers) in schools and increased pay-to-ride fees, and save the late bus.

"I'm hoping the Finance Committee will support an override, or at least an override question. I think it's the only real option, because there aren't any real sources of (additional) revenue," he said.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here