I stopped by to talk with BJ Carlucci and David Purpura, the owners and operators of the soon to open Cafe Dolce.
The new sign is up and shining. The interior space is ready for the furniture delivery. The inspections are due soon. Once that occurs, then the food can start being delivered. The staff, already hired, can begin training in preparation for the ribbon cutting currently targeted for Monday April 6th about 9:00 AM.
Their normal hours will start at 5:30 AM to 9:00 PM. They want to catch the early train traffic. Given the recent parking fare increase (now $4.00/day), I have noticed more folks walking or being dropped off to take the train. That walking traffic will now have the option of stopping at Cafe Dolce for something to eat/drank on the ride into Boston.
There are plenty of electrical outlets along the walls. BJ and Dave confirmed that they wanted at least one at each table to allow someone with a laptop to come and plug in. As I would be one of those visitors, I noticed that feature and will be making use of it.
They are the first business to have installed some special energy saving 17W lights from D'Daddario. The lighting is good and can be adjusted. The background music is a jazzy-Frank Sinatra mix that should be conducive to good conversations.
I can hardly wait until they open. I think they will do well. Franklin needs a good coffeehouse downtown. BJ and Dave are doing a lot of smiling as the opening approaches. They have the desire to make this work.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Attn: Franklin MBTA Commuters
There are two group efforts you should be aware of and might want to consider joining.
1 - Put the MBTA on Google Maps
Join the Facebook group here
2 - Join Clever Commute
Clever Commute is a service that enables you to share with the other riders on your T route (i.e. the Franklin Line) what you see happening with service. Many a morning at the Franklin station, I could see the trains sitting in the yard not moving, the T Alert status board continuing to scroll "All trains are on or near schedule" and we could tell that was a lie.
You probably carry a cell phone that can send a text message. All you would need to do is enroll your phone for the Franklin Line and you can send status updates. By enrolling, you also will receive status updates by others in the group. This is a great tool to share information in a timely manner. Something you are well aware that the T can not do consistently.
Visit the Clever Commute website here.
Other articles published about Clever Commute can be found here
Join the Franklin Line with these steps
1 - Put the MBTA on Google Maps
People who live in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Moscow, Montreal, and some 250 other cities can log on to Google Maps not only for walking and driving directions but also for instructions on how to get to where they need to go via public transportation.Read the full article in the Boston Globe here
Bostonians do not have that option, but a 20-year-old college student from Cambridge is trying to do something about it.
Last month, Luke Bornheimer created a Facebook group - which he named "Put the MBTA on Google Transit!!!" - to petition the MBTA to list the city's buses and trains with Google Maps. The group's membership grew to 135 people in less than a month.
"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," Bornheimer wrote on the group's site. "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."
Join the Facebook group here
2 - Join Clever Commute
Clever Commute is a service that enables you to share with the other riders on your T route (i.e. the Franklin Line) what you see happening with service. Many a morning at the Franklin station, I could see the trains sitting in the yard not moving, the T Alert status board continuing to scroll "All trains are on or near schedule" and we could tell that was a lie.
You probably carry a cell phone that can send a text message. All you would need to do is enroll your phone for the Franklin Line and you can send status updates. By enrolling, you also will receive status updates by others in the group. This is a great tool to share information in a timely manner. Something you are well aware that the T can not do consistently.
Visit the Clever Commute website here.
Other articles published about Clever Commute can be found here
Join the Franklin Line with these steps
- On the Clever Commute home page, select "Find your line"
- From the drop down box, Select "Commurer Rail", then Select "Boston"
- The screen should refresh to provide the MBTA commuter rail lines, check off Franklin
- Complete the remaining information
- Watch for the confirmation email, reply to confirm enrollment
- Review the reporting tips and guidelines
- Provide and receive updates on the Franklin line status
Sunday, March 29, 2009
"It's very simple to use real time"
The Globe West section of today's paper has an article on local police departments use of Twitter featuring Franklin and Wellesey!
Read the full article on the police use of Twitter in the Boston Globe here
You can learn more about Twitter here.
You can sign up for Twitter here.
You can follow the Franklin Police here.
You can follow me here.
This immediacy drew Wellesley and Franklin police into the fold in 2007, ahead of many departments nationwide.
"We started it to keep the public up to date on traffic conditions, especially the morning and afternoon routes," said Wellesley Sergeant Scott Whittemore. "I was trying to figure out a way to put information out there in real time, and Twitter answered the call."
At the time, it was "kind of a radical idea," Whittemore said. "People didn't know what Twitter was. Now, we're hearing, 'You guys were really on the forefront.' "
"It's catching on like wildfire in the police and fire department communities," said Gary Premo, communications director for the Franklin Police Department. "It's a unique way of using a service not meant for police."
Read the full article on the police use of Twitter in the Boston Globe here
You can learn more about Twitter here.
You can sign up for Twitter here.
You can follow the Franklin Police here.
You can follow me here.
"make it with off-the-shelf, mature technology"
GHS
Armed with an open-ended 55-gallon drum and a used boat propeller from eBay, Northborough inventor Richard Burton plans to bring hydroelectric power to the masses, no dam required.
"Anywhere you get flow you can throw it in," the 67-year-old said of his Hydrokinetic Cogenerator prototype. The device is designed for an alternative energy market he predicts will surge when fuel prices rocket back up. "People are going to be screaming for green power."
While the majority of hydroelectric power in the country comes from dams, critics contend that the structures harm rivers and wildlife, with new applications facing numerous regulatory hurdles.
In contrast, Burton said, his device is not only easily removed, but also low-impact: Simply toss the Cogenerator into an average river and plug it into the grid.
Read more about this interesting concept to create hydropower in the Milford Daily News here
State Education Mandates - Part 8
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 8 of the series.
The full listing is available here (DOC)
School Choice
This program requires all school districts to admit students from other districts in the state unless the host school district takes action to restrict or prohibit accepting non-resident students from other Massachusetts school districts.
• Admitted choice students’ siblings are thereafter entitled to enrollment in the school also, even when there is little or no space for new local students to enroll. Districts losing students to choice have no control over the students who choose to leave and are charged for the cost of those students as assessments on the Cherry sheet.
• With declining enrollments and constraints on local funds, it is expected that this “free-market-choice” of school districts will expand causing a drain on resources from more vulnerable school districts. This will have an affect on the capacity to address issues for low-income school districts often having the neediest students.
Charter Schools
School districts have no control over students who wish to attend charter schools rather than the local district and local residents have no say in how these schools operate or how their tax dollars are used unless they happen to be selected by the charter school to serve on its board of trustees. In other words, charter schools operate outside the reach of city, town, and regional government.
• Many persuasive arguments have been made to demonstrate such counter-intuitive outcomes as lower numbers of special education students enrolled, the virtual absence of limited English proficient students, and the ability of charters to transfer students out of their school back to the public school district.
• We believe that the current charter school funding formula is unreasonable because it draws away from a city or town (or region) chapter 70 allocation
The full listing is available here (DOC)
maybe there is hope for relief on mandates!
... budget problems are a big part of what’s happening here. State legislators who were budgeting more and more for schools over the years were powerfully tempted to play school board on all kinds of minutiae. Now that they’re cutting education budgets, some of them apparently are finding it a little harder to ignore how much their mandates drive up local costs.That’s not to say we’re necessarily embarking on a new era of school flexibility. We don’t yet know what the new federal role in education will end up looking like, and certainly on some issues we’re likely to see stronger accountability, not less.
But school boards can take some comfort if there’s at least some more careful thinking about the difference between accountability and micromanagement. After all, that’s a distinction effective school boards think about constantly.
Bold for my emphasis!
Read the full article on the National School Board Assoc's blog "BoardBuzz" here.
Letter from Ed Cafasso
Hello Everyone!
Here’s an update Franklin’s school budget issues based on the administration’s budget presentation to the School Committee this past Tuesday evening.
A “level service” budget for the schools for the next fiscal year would total $53.8 million. That amount would preserve current personnel and programs and cover cost increases for teacher salary hikes and step changes; healthcare, special education, and transportation services. However, due to a decline in state and local revenues, the schools are being asked to create a “level-funded” of approximately $50.3 million, roughly the same amount as the current Fiscal 2009 budget.
This means that $3.5 million in reductions must be achieved in order to present a balanced budget for the schools by July 1. So far, some $600,000 in savings has been identified in the form of health insurance changes; a wage freeze voluntarily agreed to by 51 non-union school employees; and, an increase in circuit breaker reimbursement from the state.
That leaves a gap of $2.9 million. State and federal stimulus funds for the schools could total $773,000, bringing the projected school budget deficit down to $2.2 million. However, the exact amounts of stimulus aid are still a question mark, and there are reports that state lawmakers may decrease the town’s local aid payments by the same amount.
On Tuesday night, the School Committee asked the teacher’s union to agree to a wage freeze for this year. If all unionized school employees agreed to forgo the 2.5% salary increase they are scheduled for this year, the savings would total around $800,000. A freeze on all “step” salary changes would save around $720,000. Combined, the two moves would reduce the budget gap by approximately $1.52 million.
The School Committee’s letter to Chandler Creedon, president of the Franklin Education Association (FEA), acknowledged the stellar work of our teaching staff, as reflected in our student’s college acceptances and academic performance. It also noted that, for most of this decade, the School Committee has worked hard to avoid reductions in teaching staff by steadily reduced spending on other services and imposing new and higher fees for busing, athletics, and student activities, to name a few. The savings generated from these decisions have been poured directly into the classroom, to recruit and retain top quality teachers, to support a strong curriculum and to maintain appropriate class sizes. “We have cut around the edges to protect our core,” the letter stated. Parents and community groups, like the Franklin Education Foundation, also have worked hard to contribute more to classrooms through personal generosity and the fundraising efforts of the PCCs.
In an interview with the Milford Daily News the following day, Mr. Creedon reportedly stated that it was “not likely” that the teachers union would agree to a wage freeze. You can read the story on his remarks at http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x515998073/Teachers-union-president-Pay-freeze-unlikely. It is unclear whether Mr. Creedon’s comments reflect the views of the union’s rank-and-file or whether FEA members have even been polled or have met to discuss the possibility of a wage freeze.
You can read the School Committee’s letter to the FEA at http://franklinschoolcommittee.wordpress.com/.
At last week’s School Committee meeting, the school administration presented a worst case scenario plan for accomplishing close to the $3 million in cuts. Administration proposals included:
The administration’s proposal carries serious academic implications, including the loss of accreditation for our kindergarten program; the potential probation status with accreditation at the high school (which is now on warning status in several categories); the potential for a downward turn in test scores; and, class sizes that would exceed School Committee guidelines in the vast majority of elementary and middle school grads.
The administration’s presentation marks the start of an intense discussion about how to best navigate the difficult financial circumstances facing the Franklin schools in this economy. Given that 45 professional teaching positions were eliminated at the start of this school year (and 14 were cut the year prior), members of the school community are working together to explore and discuss every possible option in an effort to avert another dramatic teaching cutback and even larger class sizes.
As a reminder of the budget cuts your schools have sustained in the past six years, I encourage you to visit this web link: http://www.slideshare.net/shersteve/franklin-ma-school-budget-reductions-updated-presentation?type=powerpoint
It’s important to keep in mind that many of the budget-cutting maneuvers under consideration, including the potential for stimulus money and wage freezes, are only one-time fixes. How the cost of these measures would be recouped next year, when we are planning the fiscal 2011 school budget, remains to be seen.
Citizen ideas and feedback are critically important in the weeks ahead. I hope you will share your thoughts. I also urge everyone to stay close to the budget process this year by paying attention to School Committee, Town Council and Finance Committee meetings. It is also important for parents and guardians to pursue a frank discussion of budget issues with your principals and your school PCCs.
These e-mails are provided as a constituent service. I try to distribute at least one e-mail update each month during the school year, as issues warrant. 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
Here’s an update Franklin’s school budget issues based on the administration’s budget presentation to the School Committee this past Tuesday evening.
A “level service” budget for the schools for the next fiscal year would total $53.8 million. That amount would preserve current personnel and programs and cover cost increases for teacher salary hikes and step changes; healthcare, special education, and transportation services. However, due to a decline in state and local revenues, the schools are being asked to create a “level-funded” of approximately $50.3 million, roughly the same amount as the current Fiscal 2009 budget.
This means that $3.5 million in reductions must be achieved in order to present a balanced budget for the schools by July 1. So far, some $600,000 in savings has been identified in the form of health insurance changes; a wage freeze voluntarily agreed to by 51 non-union school employees; and, an increase in circuit breaker reimbursement from the state.
That leaves a gap of $2.9 million. State and federal stimulus funds for the schools could total $773,000, bringing the projected school budget deficit down to $2.2 million. However, the exact amounts of stimulus aid are still a question mark, and there are reports that state lawmakers may decrease the town’s local aid payments by the same amount.
On Tuesday night, the School Committee asked the teacher’s union to agree to a wage freeze for this year. If all unionized school employees agreed to forgo the 2.5% salary increase they are scheduled for this year, the savings would total around $800,000. A freeze on all “step” salary changes would save around $720,000. Combined, the two moves would reduce the budget gap by approximately $1.52 million.
The School Committee’s letter to Chandler Creedon, president of the Franklin Education Association (FEA), acknowledged the stellar work of our teaching staff, as reflected in our student’s college acceptances and academic performance. It also noted that, for most of this decade, the School Committee has worked hard to avoid reductions in teaching staff by steadily reduced spending on other services and imposing new and higher fees for busing, athletics, and student activities, to name a few. The savings generated from these decisions have been poured directly into the classroom, to recruit and retain top quality teachers, to support a strong curriculum and to maintain appropriate class sizes. “We have cut around the edges to protect our core,” the letter stated. Parents and community groups, like the Franklin Education Foundation, also have worked hard to contribute more to classrooms through personal generosity and the fundraising efforts of the PCCs.
In an interview with the Milford Daily News the following day, Mr. Creedon reportedly stated that it was “not likely” that the teachers union would agree to a wage freeze. You can read the story on his remarks at http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x515998073/Teachers-union-president-Pay-freeze-unlikely. It is unclear whether Mr. Creedon’s comments reflect the views of the union’s rank-and-file or whether FEA members have even been polled or have met to discuss the possibility of a wage freeze.
You can read the School Committee’s letter to the FEA at http://franklinschoolcommittee.wordpress.com/.
At last week’s School Committee meeting, the school administration presented a worst case scenario plan for accomplishing close to the $3 million in cuts. Administration proposals included:
- $110,000 in reductions in Central Office staff and services
- The elimination of 25 classroom and 5 support positions at the elementary school level
- Elimination of full-day kindergarten in favor a half-day scheme that would trigger a complex series of staffing moves to help prevent severe overcrowding in many elementary grades
- Elimination of all elementary-level library, the late bus, and instrumental music in Grade 5
- Elimination of 10 teaching and 5 support positions in the middle schools
- Creation of either a seven-period or eight-period (with study hall) schedule at Franklin High School, including the elimination of anywhere from 8 to 11 teaching positions and 6 to 9 support positions
- A $150,000 reduction in the athletic budget along with increased athletic user fees
The administration’s proposal carries serious academic implications, including the loss of accreditation for our kindergarten program; the potential probation status with accreditation at the high school (which is now on warning status in several categories); the potential for a downward turn in test scores; and, class sizes that would exceed School Committee guidelines in the vast majority of elementary and middle school grads.
The administration’s presentation marks the start of an intense discussion about how to best navigate the difficult financial circumstances facing the Franklin schools in this economy. Given that 45 professional teaching positions were eliminated at the start of this school year (and 14 were cut the year prior), members of the school community are working together to explore and discuss every possible option in an effort to avert another dramatic teaching cutback and even larger class sizes.
As a reminder of the budget cuts your schools have sustained in the past six years, I encourage you to visit this web link: http://www.slideshare.net/shersteve/franklin-ma-school-budget-reductions-updated-presentation?type=powerpoint
It’s important to keep in mind that many of the budget-cutting maneuvers under consideration, including the potential for stimulus money and wage freezes, are only one-time fixes. How the cost of these measures would be recouped next year, when we are planning the fiscal 2011 school budget, remains to be seen.
Citizen ideas and feedback are critically important in the weeks ahead. I hope you will share your thoughts. I also urge everyone to stay close to the budget process this year by paying attention to School Committee, Town Council and Finance Committee meetings. It is also important for parents and guardians to pursue a frank discussion of budget issues with your principals and your school PCCs.
These e-mails are provided as a constituent service. I try to distribute at least one e-mail update each month during the school year, as issues warrant. 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
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