Franklin Matters

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Davis Thayer bottle and can drive

Davis Thayer bottle can drive, originally uploaded by shersteve.

This is happening the whole month of April, collect for them!

Unfunded Mandates: Another for the listing

Earlier this week, the Massachusetts Public Health Council, a creature of the state which lacks any “administrative or executive functions” announced a new set of unfunded mandates for local school districts. Beginning with the next school year, school districts will be “required” to calculate student heights and weights into a Body Mass Index measuring their overall proportions. The results must be sent home to parents for students in first, fourth, seventh and 10th grades in a package explaining what they mean and how parents can best combat obesity. The new regulations will be phased into schools over the next 18 months. The full text of these regulations can be viewed by clicking here.

Read the full posting on the Franklin School Committee blog here

This will be another unfunded mandate to add to the listing previously published in the series of 11 posts here.

Sending the message home to the parents/guardians is going to work, right? Aren't those the same folks letting their kids sit and watch TV or play computer games instead of being outside to get exercise?

How does this happen?
A well meaning group of people get together to address a problem and find a solution without completely thinking it through.

Thinking it through needs to include paying for it. The school systems are not sitting around with free time on their hands.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Kings Firecrackers

For some fun on a Friday, here is quite an athletic performance by the Kings Firecrackers, a group of 4th through 8th grade girls that do some amazing things with jump ropes. They are from the Kings Local School District in Ohio. This group is a lot of fun!

Who knew jumping rope could be so exciting?

Thanks to Doug B for sharing this video!

Thursday, April 9, 2009

"bold moves to change the public perception"

To the Editor:
As part of my transition into the role of Majority Leader this session, I will focus my energy on several key issues — many of them substantive and some symbolic.

Amidst a dire economic climate and talk of increasing taxes, it is imperative that we as public servants do more to regain the trust of our constituents that has been so badly eroded. The cloud of controversy under which three Speakers of the House have left their posts is an example of a few spoiling the view of the many. How do we — the countless other public servants who work honestly on behalf of the citizens of this state — begin to alter the public perception?
The answer is an ethics overhaul. We need thoughtful, meaningful, and sweeping reform that will effectively — albeit slowly — rebuild the integrity of elected officials and restore trust to those who elected us.

Read the full article written by Rep Jim Vallee in the Franklin Gazette here

Posted Apr 09, 2009 @ 01:17 AM

BOSTON —

House Majority Leader James Vallee was one of two state legislators honored at the State House yesterday by the Children's Trust Fund of Massachusetts. Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray joined with the organization to proclaim April as Child Abuse Prevention Month.

The event, called "Step up for Prevention," featured a display of 700 children's shoes to represent the average number of children abused in Massachusetts each week. Suzin Bartley, executive director of the fund, said Massachusetts has the second highest rate of substantiated child abuse neglect in the country.

"This display reminds us of the sad presence of child abuse in Massachusetts," Murray said. "It impacts all of us - not just the children that are abused, but their families, their friends, and their classmates."

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here