Franklin Matters

Friday, March 6, 2009

T, can you hear me?

Facebook has a group collecting membership to help direct the MBTA to use Google Transit and improve the information available on the T operations.

Google has a site called Google Transit, that acts as a Google Maps of sorts for buses and trains in rural and urban areas of the United States. If you've never seen it before, go check it out on the link posted below. The program has been adopted by the New York City transit authority (Metro), among many others. More importantly, for those of you with iPhones, if you go to the maps application, you can get transit (bus, train) directions to your destinations. This feature uses Google Transit data and maps.

Unfortunately, for some reason the MBTA is still not on the program. All that needs to happen is for the MBTA to get in touch with Google to list their buses and trains on the website.

I've created this group to raise support, interest, and awareness for the fact that people want the MBTA on Google Transit. It seems so simple and frankly, the Boston area as a whole looks a little silly for not having their transit authority's buses and trains listed on the website.

So... invite all your friends, anyone who rides the T, or simply someone who feels that this is a logical and simple step to more accessibility for the MBTA and Boston.

If you have a Facebook account and would like to join the group, click through here

If you don't have a Facebook account but would still like to join the group, click through and you can create an account quickly.

To view the info on Google Transit, click here

A student's view

We shared the viewpoint of several key educators and thinkers yesterday. Today, let's share the view of a student:

Thanks to Dr Scott McLeod for the link

Financial Plng Comm 03/05/09

The collection of live reporting for the Financial Planning Committee meeting on 3/5/09:

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Live reporting - FPC continued

Teacher compensation needs to be understood to develop the assumptions. A percent makes a difference when the schools account for 33% of the overall budget.

Big discussion on how to present the data to create the proper conversation.

Jeff will look at the revenue and expense assumptions to see if there would be any changes.
The assumptions will be critical as these numbers will be what will drive the model.

Meeting next week on the 12th

Doug will update the changes and we'll pick up from there.

Live reporting - Financial Planning (continued)

When doing the benchmarks with other communities, need to define why which towns are used for which categories. For school comparisons, the number of students needs to be similar. When you get to Police, Fire, and DPW, they get problematic as they are not an apples to apples comparison.

Discussion on the teacher salary percent increases, mixing the cost of living and the step/lane changes is confusing, need to be more clear.

Live reporting - Financial Planning Committee

Attending: Roche, Cameron, Hardesty, Ogden, Trahan, Whalen, Wilschek (late), Bartlett (late), Nutting (late)
Absent: Kelly, Zollo,

Review of Steve Whalen's charts/tables. He updated the numbers he has prepared for the past two years. He has two new charts, one that shows Franklin is third from the bottom in percent of revenue from property taxes (~46%). Another shows Franklin at the top of the listing in terms of the percent of revenue from the state (~30%)

Need to look at the past history across the state for operational vs. debt override results, what does that show, would be good to have.

Reviewing the draft compiled by Doug Hardesty: Working through the draft, page by page, looking carefully for the wording and what it conveys to try and get the message tight and accurate.

"Take a deep breath; you can do this"

The world is changing because of social web technologies. Our kids are using them. No one is teaching them how to use them to their full learning potential, and ultimately, as teachers and learners, that’s our responsibility. To do that, we need to be able to learn in these contexts for ourselves.

Well said!

This is Wil Richardson writing about a new report from the Harvard Graduate School Of Education. You can find Wil's complete posting here. He also has the link to the Harvard report or you go directly to the report here, and then go to Wil's page.

Recommended viewing

Technology has created a world where learning takes place here and now.

How do we want to prepare our children for the future?

one laptop per student

Dr Scott McLeod is continuing his series on recommendations for the Iowa schools. In part 3, he writes:

In addition to funding, numerous other challenges exist as well. One of the biggest is the current predisposition of schools to invest in teacher-centric technologies like televisions, DVD/VCR players, projectors, electronic whiteboards, and document cameras. They’re important and useful but they’re also primarily used as yet another way for teachers to push out information to students. In contrast, laptops, netbooks, digital cameras, small high-definition camcorders, digital voice recorders, webcams, digital scientific probes or sensors, and other devices are primarily used by students to facilitate their own academic learning. If we want Iowa students to gain the technology skills they will need to be productive citizens and workers, schools should be making as many investments in these latter, student-centric devices as possible. There also are a number of free or low-cost online software and tools that students and teachers can use in creative and productive ways.

You can read the full article here. It is rich with links and additional media (pictures and video).

Interesting court case in CT on schools

A court case from Connecticut is stirring a debate over where to draw the line on what schools can or should do about things students say online. High school student Avery Doninger railed online against the “douchebags” in her school district and urged her classmates to bombard the superintendent with complaints to “piss her off more.” When the school said that this was inappropriate for a student government leader and told her she couldn’t run for senior class secretary, she sued.

The lawsuit has gone up and down in the courts, but so far the student has lost. All the legal nitty-gritty on the Doninger case is available starting here, courtesy of NSBA’s Legal Clips e-newsletter.

You can read the full posting on the National School Board Association website here

"town helps create favorable conditions for business expansion"

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Mar 05, 2009 @ 12:43 AM

FRANKLIN —

In its ongoing efforts to reel in some extra cash, Town Council last night voted unanimously to establish Forge Park and Franklin Industrial Park as economic opportunity areas.

Designating the two parks as economic opportunity areas will provide significant incentives for businesses and property owners wishing to sell, lease, develop or redevelop their properties, said Bryan Taberner, director of the Department of Planning and Community Development.

In turn, the business expansions and developments will bring more tax revenue, he said.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here.

For everything that occurred during the Town Council meeting on 3/4/09, check my live reporting here

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Town Council Mtg 03/04/09

Here is the summary of live reporting posts for the meeting 3/4/09

Town Council - Agenda - 3/4/09

Live reporting - Administrator, and closing

Thanks to the DPW for the never-ending winter we are having.

Thanks to Jim Dacey and Susan Gagner for their work to gain us an upgrade on our bond rating which saves us $100,000 in interest.

Compliment Allen Earl's new book on Franklin, available in local bookstores

Group working to make the rail trail a reality as an other recreation use in Franklin, contact Jeff Nutting if interested in helping out.

Food Pantry met with Chris Feeley, a pretty positive meeting. We are looking for a new location.

Old business - none
New business -
Vallee - are delinquencies up in this economy?
Nutting - actually no, the banks are tending to pay to protect their property

Councilor Comments
Bartlett - TV Trivia is the theme for the next FEF Trivia Bee is coming March 19th

Move to executive session
roll call - unanimous

Live reporting - action items

2. Resolution 09-10: Authorization for Intermunicipal Agreement with Town of Medway
Motion to approve 7-0

A joint agreement that Franklin will administer the program and gain the fees from Medway to offset the overall administration overhead. A win-win move to trial until Dec 2010. Will come back with status updates.

3. Resolution 09-11: Appropriation – Capital – Fire Dept Ladder Truck
Motion to approve 7-0

4. Resolution 09-12: Appropriation – Capital – DPW Lawn mower
Motion to approve 7-0

The new one is $75K, a used one is $35K, this is a good buy to save the town money
This is a wider cut machine replacing a 15 year old unit

7. Bylaw Amendment 09-630:Amendment to Chapter 37, Town Properties - 1st Reading
Motion to move to second reading 7-0

live reporting - action items

J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
1. Resolution 09-09: Appropriation – Survey on 30+ Acres on Pond Street
discussion on the survey details

Motion approved 7-0