Live reporting: Franklin Schools Strategic Planning Update

The Strategic Planning Steering Committee presentation to the Town Council meeting:

Strategic Planning Process Overview

View more presentations from Steve Sherlock.

Updated: The survey is available here

Live reporting - Town Council - 4/15/09

Attending: Whalen, Vallee, Feeley, Pfeffer, Doak, Zollo
Missing: Bartlett (arrived at 7:45 PM), McGann (no show), Mason (left at 7:30PM)

A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – March 18, 2009 Regular & Executive Session
motion to approve, passed 7-0

B. ANNOUNCEMENTS none

C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS none

D. CITIZEN COMMENTS none

"the only model that's going to be sustainable"

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Apr 14, 2009 @ 12:32 AM

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MEDWAY —

Selectmen Chairman Glenn Trindade said he is "very disappointed" after learning the library trustees voted against sharing Franklin Library Director Felicia Oti.

Instead, the board voted at its April 7 meeting to recommend hiring Oti seven hours a week in fiscal 2010 only to prepare the library's long-range plan, according to an e-mail Wendy Rowe sent to selectmen.

Rowe, chairwoman of the Medway library trustees and acting library director, said the board voted to hire Oti, but did not work out any details yet.

Read the full article about this twist in the regionalization efforts for Franklin/Medway libraries in the Milford Daily News here

Long Range Financial Planning Committee reports tonight

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

Milford Daily News

Posted Apr 15, 2009 @ 12:49 AM

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FRANKLIN —

Tonight, the Long-Range Financial Planning Committee will present its report to Town Council, which couldn't be better timing, said Town Administrator Jeffrey D. Nutting.

"The report explains why the cost of existing town services is expected to grow faster than revenue for the foreseeable future," said Douglas Hardesty, vice chairman of the long-range committee.

"It also offers recommendations for addressing this problem. The committee believes the report will help residents trust that the problem is real and recognize that Franklin's future is tied to how we respond as a community to this crisis," said Hardesty, who is going to make the presentation.

read the full article in the Milford Daily News here

For all the reporting on the Financial Planning Committee meetings check the "Meeting Summaries" section on Franklin Matters.

For a summary of the focus group feedback used to prepare this report check here

What's the cost of 5 hours?

According to a copy of the proposal, the union demanded the following conditions: the permanent removal of five floating after-school meetings, permanent removal of the need to provide a reason for personal days, and the permanent requirement that no after-school meetings be scheduled two weeks prior to the issuing of report cards.

From the Milford Daily News article on the School Committee meeting 4/14/09.


The citizens of Franklin will find out, hopefully soon, what the cost of 5 hours of meetings are. Is it worth 1 million dollars? Or is it worth more?

The teachers union in a vote to accept the 2.5 percent wage freeze for the 2009-2010 school year attached three minor conditions to the proposal.

To remove from their contract, five floating after school meetings. There already are three mandatory meetings each month for the teachers at each school. Is there really a need for these five floating meetings? I hope not.

To remove the requirement for providing a reason for taking two "personal" days. There are only two, you use them or loose them. They are already defined "personal". Does the School Dept really need to know the personal reason? I think that is too much of a controlling issue.

To add a requirement not to schedule after-school meetings in the two weeks prior to report cards. This seems reasonable. The time before report cards should be focused on preparing the accurate information for students and parents/guardians on the progress made during the marking period.

Why this was not discussed during the meeting, I can understand given the nature of the conversation that did take place between Chandler Creedon and the School Committee. They were talking about the same topic, using different words, not really answering each others questions. For me, there is a communication issue there. I hope it gets resolved quickly.

"I encourage everyone to work together"

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Apr 15, 2009 @ 12:30 AM

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FRANKLIN —

By an overwhelming majority, the teachers union voted to accept a pay freeze and forgo course reimbursement next year, union head Chandler Creedon announced at last night's School Committee meeting.

The Franklin Education Association's sacrifice will save the School Department $1 million - $800,000 in salary increases - and $200,000 in reimbursements, said Creedon, who is also a psychologist at Horace Mann Middle School.

The vote reportedly was 210-43.

The action will save the jobs of 20 teachers, Creedon said.

Reading from a prepared statement, Creedon said, "We the teachers of Franklin are extremely concerned about the quality and direction education is currently going in Franklin."

Read the full article about the teachers proposal in the Milford Daily News here

For all the information discussed at the School Committee meeting check here

Taking Back Childhood: Helping Children Thrive in Challenging Times

Franklin Public School’s Early Childhood Programs Present

Taking Back Childhood: Helping Children Thrive in Challenging Times

Guest Speaker: Nancy Carlsson-Paige, Ed. D.

Date: May 12, 2009

Time: 7:30 PM

Place:

Horace Mann Middle School Auditorium
224 Oak Street
Franklin, MA

Nancy Carlsson-Paige is a professor of early childhood education at Lesley University and the author of Taking Back Childhood: Helping Your Kids Thrive in a Fast-Paced, Media-Saturated, Violence-Filled World. She writes and lectures about the impact of violence in the media, consumerism and its effects on children’s social development, and how adults can raise caring and compassionate kids. She is a recognized national expert and speaks extensively on these subjects. For more information see her website at www.nancycarlsson-paige.org.

Childhood has changed dramatically in just one generation. Social trends such as the influence of media, the fast pace of life, rampant consumerism, and overly structured school days are undermining some of the basic building blocks of healthy childhood. These social forces make it harder for children today to create their own play, feel safe and secure, and build positive, loving relationships with others. Come learn about how childhood has changed for young children today and how you can reclaim what kids need most to help them flourish in these challenging times.

Franklin's Earth Day Celebration

Franklin's Earth Day Celebration
Saturday April 18th, 2009
Beaver Pond
Starts at 9:00 AM

Volunteer to clean up targeted areas and assist with planting flowers and shrubs around Franklin.

- Please bring your own water bottle.

- Please bring your own gloves and rakes.

- Community service certificates will be issued.

- T-shirts to the first 200 volunteers.

- Clean up goes to 1:00 PM


Get some Eco-Info at Beaver Pond:

- Water conservation kits and rain barrel display.

- Mercury thermometer exchange for digital thermometers.

- Recycling tips and composting information.

- Energy conservation tips.

- Much more ! ! !


You can register on the Town website here

NewBCamp - Providence College - Apr 19

What:
Come to learn and share about the new technology in social media tools! Blogs, podcasting, networking, Twitter, video blogging, etc.

Where:
Providence College

When:
April 19 - 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM

More Information and registration:
Click here

Links from School Committee Mtg

During the meeting there were a couple of references to other sources of information, I have tried to collect them here:

1 - there was reference to the State requirement for 185 day calendar. You can view all the State Laws and Regulations pertaining to Education here

In particular 603 CMR 27.00: refers to Student Learning Time and contains the paragraph covering the calendar length (185 days)

2 - Prior budget cuts were summarized as of last year here

School Committee Mtg 04/14/09

The live reporting segments from the School Committee meeting on 4/14/09 can be found here:

• Live reporting - New Business
• Live reporting - subcommittee reports
• Live reporting - superintendent report
• Live reporting - Action items
• Live reporting - FY 2010 Budget
• Live reporting - "To Kill a Mockingbird"
• Live reporting - High School Experience
• Live reporting - Best Buddies Grant Awards
• Live reporting - School Committee - 4/14/09

• School Committee - Agenda - 4/14/09

• Additional links referenced during the meeting

Live reporting - New Business

Rohrbach - let's have a subcommittee look at establishing principles

Cafasso - yes, let's look at that

motion to enter Executive Session

Live reporting - subcommittee reports

Cafasso - There are ten banners, you'd recognize many of them, they are all loyal supporters of the school district. This program started just as the economy started. Some logistical issues were dealt with early on, those have been resolved. Coach Sidwell, would like the program to continue. We'll meet on a possible expansion to our athletic fields. We are reducing our budget, increasing fees, it would be good to continue.

The subcommittee would like to move it from pilot to a formal program.

Roy - Go with it.

Live reporting - superintendent report

Sabolinksi - two options for school calendar based upon the prior survey, one starting before Labor Day, one starting after Labor Day. The parents wanted to start after Labor Day, the faculty wanted the start before Labor Day. No recommendation yet. Instructionally starting before Labor Day is better, being in our buildings in June is no fun, the buildings are toasty hot.

Armenio - I am not comfortable with the June closing, if we have terrible weather, we can't go into July, we would have to take those days off the April vacation.

Cafasso - can we put these online to view given the survey results?
Sabolinski - We are poised to do so, just didn't want to post them before this discussion.

Mullen - it is a consideration to bring the kids in early when they are already dealing with the heat, as opposed to in June when it is an adjustment.

Rohrbach - consider a PDD day on Election Day?
Roy - I would go for the safety factor

Susan Collins - started a petition to do the calendar after Labor Day then saw the survey so held off, consider the day before Thanksgiving, no one else has it.

Teachers on the second floor especially it is brutal in the heat. The PCC bought us fans.

Steve Luckovitch (?) two children at ECDC, a concern about the consistency of attending (the kids attend twice a week)

There are three full professional days across the district.

Did we revisit the Feb vacation?
Sabolinski - One of the best values in town is the ECDC. Let's set up some time to go into this further.

Live reporting - Action items

1. I recommend acceptance of the donation of $3127.00 from the DT PCC for the following field trips: Motion to accept, passed 6-0
   

Grade 5 - Boston “Lessons on Liberty” & “Bostonian Society”
Grade 2 - Stony Brook
Grade K - Southwick Zoo
Grade 5 - Bus fee for visit to ASMS

1. I recommend acceptance of the donation of 20 Bose 3-2-1 GS Home Entertainment Systems (valued at $999.00 each) for the Franklin Public Schools. Motion to accept, passed 6-0
2. I recommend acceptance of the donation of office supplies from the 3M Company as listed for the Franklin Public Schools. Motion to accept, passed 6-0
3. I recommend acceptance of a check for $412.80 from Lifetouch for the ECDC future enrichment programs. Motion to accept, passed 6-0
4. I recommend acceptance of a check for $4,900.00 from the Keller PCC for the following field trips: Motion to accept, passed 6-0

Grade K - Southwick Zoo plus buses
Grade 2 - Stony Brook plus buses
Grade 4 - Museum of Science plus buses
Grade 5 - Roger Williams Zoo plus buses

1. I recommend acceptance of a check for $75.00 from the Keller PCC for an additional bus for the K field trip to Southwick Zoo. Motion to accept, passed 6-0
2. I recommend acceptance of the donation of 12 cases of copy paper for the Oak Street Elementary School from Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Johnson. tabled to be revisited
   
3. I recommend acceptance of the donation of several gently used trade books from Kristen Ramel, a 5th grade student, for the Oak Street teachers. Motion to accept, passed 6-0
4. I recommend acceptance of a check for $250.00 from Parmenter PCC for a bus for a field trip to the Mass Hospital School in Canton, MA. Motion to accept, passed 6-0
5. I recommend the request of Peter Light to declare the attached list of books as surplus. Motion to accept, passed 6-0
6. I recommend approval of the FHS request for Judi O’Neil to take 8 students to Los Angeles, CA to compete in the DECA 2009 International Conference as detailed. Motion to accept, passed 6-0
7. I recommend acceptance of the check for $200.00 from C.A.N.E. (Classical Association of New England – grant) for expenses related to HMMS field trip to the Worcester Art Museum. Motion to accept, passed 6-0
8. I recommend acceptance of the check for $1,488.56 from the Oak St. PCC for reading materials for all students/classrooms to access. Motion to accept, passed 6-0
9. I recommend acceptance of the donation of space at the Hampton Inn for Open Circle training in 2008-09 valued at $1200.00 (4 days @ $300/per day). Motion to accept, passed 6-0
10. I recommend that you declare the modular classrooms at Davis Thayer Elementary School as surplus and return them to the Town. Motion to accept, passed 6-0