Providing accurate and timely information about what matters in Franklin, MA since 2007. * Working in collaboration with Franklin TV and Radio (wfpr.fm) since October 2019 *
Ouzo Corporation(Franklin Mobil) for Failure to Pass Compliance Check -7:10 PM
Chief Williams describes the compliance check of the 31 establishments on Friday evening, March 13th. Requesting to handle as a first time offense. Proposed a three day penalty, to serve one day with two days held in abeyance (for 2 years).
Town Council will consider spending just over $1 million from free cash on capital items at tonight's meeting.
The 2009 capital plan came before the council a month ago, but councilors delayed making a decision until the winter and its costly snowstorms were finished.
Town Administrator Jeffrey D. Nutting and Councilor Judith Pond Pfeffer, who is on the Capital Planning Improvement Subcommittee, say now is the time to approve the $1,074,600 plan.
"The Capital Improvement Subcommittee blessed it, the Finance Committee blessed it...At this point, I think we should approve the capital items and focus on the 2010 budget," Nutting said.
Note: The capital dollars can not be used for operational expenses. Using these dollars for these items is in the Town's best interest to continue their sound fiscal management practices.
In the past month, Franklin Food Pantry directors have been flooded with offers of help from the public to keep the pantry in town, pantry Executive Linda Pouliot said yesterday.
After learning the food pantry, located in the basement of the new town museum, will be displaced to make way for museum storage, private residents and business owners have offered space in their properties, two realty companies are searching among their vacant properties, and others said they're on the lookout for a home, Pouliot said, a big smile on her face.
Nothing is solid at the moment, Pouliot said, but she said she is optimistic about getting a new home in town because she is confident in people's generosity.
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.
What’s most compelling to me here is not necessarily the tool set, however, as much as the vision that brought this to fruition. While most all of this work is done locally on an internal network, the concepts are preparing kids at Concord for the very global network they’ll inhabit once they leave the system. And here is the best part: Concord is a special needs school, a place where kids with all sorts of disabilities attend. The work that these kids do in these contexts is very rewarding on a number of levels.
The larger point here is that this isn’t too far out of the reach of most schools provided they have the courage and the leadership to make it happen. Aside from the photo-sharing tool, the rest is freely available. There’s nothing really too difficult about it aside, perhaps, from creating good teaching around the tools. Makes you wonder what so many other schools are waiting for.
Despite comments to the contrary from the Franklin Education Association president, school and town officials say they remain optimistic the teachers union will forgo their negotiated raises to save jobs.
Chandler Creedon, president of the association, which represents about 600 teachers, educational aides, nurses and van drivers, has said the union is unlikely to go along with the School Committee's call for a salary freeze.
Moreover, he said, not all alternatives to the unprecedented cost-saving measure have been explored - such as the $1.2 million in savings he and the union have identified, for instance.
School Committee Chairman Jeffrey Roy, members Susan Rohrbach, Ed Cafasso, and Town Councilor Stephen Whalen questioned whether Creedon's remarks represent the union majority, and hope members will meet soon and express their feelings on the freeze.
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:
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.
Click to watch this brief (less than 4 minutes) video about transforming teaching in plain english. The creators pay homage to Common Craft with their presentation on how to transform the old paper based teaching with Google, Moodle, Wikis and Blogs.
It means that homes are selling faster than previously expected, usually around 4 months, if they are priced right. The data also tells us some other interesting things:
homes priced under $450,000 are the most sought after price range
there are not enough homes for sale for buyers
homes are selling relatively close to their asking price
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 9 of the series:
Staffing
Professional Development - with the enactment of Education Reform, all teachers and other professional staff must be re-certified every five years. The district must provide professional development required for re-certification, with no cost to the individual employee.
Highly Qualified Staff – this requirement is a mandate that ensures employment of and reporting on highly qualified staff members and requires a substantial investment of time and money at all school levels. In many cases, there is insufficient guidance for districts that enables administrators to assist teachers and professional staff to meet the requirements established by DESE. (For example, appropriate licensure and completion of a designated number of courses is required for teaching assignments for which licensure may not exist at this time.)
Foster Care & State Wards
Districts are required to educate students who have been placed by the state in foster care and state ward settings. If a student has special needs, the town is responsible for that student’s education, even if the student is enrolled in a day or residential school that is not in town.
• Districts are also responsible for the transportation for the student. However, the local district is only responsible for regular day/vocational education of these pupils. When that student requires special education, which cost can be billed back to the district from which the student came.
Grant Percentages of Federal Grant Funds to Private Schools
School districts are required to give a percentage of grants funded under the No Child Left Behind Act to all private schools whether or not our students attend the schools. The percentage is based on total school and district populations. The district must provide reading services from its Title I grant to all schools within the state that our students attend if the schools meet certain criteria.
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.
There are two group efforts you should be aware of and might want to consider joining.
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.
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."
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.
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
(Note: when I used Internet Explore to test the setup process, the screen refreshed to provide the proper choice of lines to choose from within Boston. When using Firefox, the screen did not refresh. Hence, use Internet Explorer to enroll.)
The Globe West section of today's paper has an article on local police departments use of Twitter featuring Franklin and Wellesey!
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."
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.
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.
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
... 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.