GET THE FACTS
Long-Range Financial Planning Committee
Monday, April 27th
7 PM Horace
Mann School
(Mercer Auditorium)
IT’S TIME WELL SPENT
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 *
Rep. James E. Vallee (D-Franklin), House Majority Leader, announced today Franklin and Medway will receive level funding for local public education, as the House Ways and Means budget was released today with Chapter 70 dollars for Franklin and Medway at heartening levels.Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
Franklin’s Chapter 70 allocation totals $28,726,70, consistent with its Fiscal Year 2009 apportionment. Medway was level funded, too; the town’s allocation totals $9,230,437.
Each town is also slated to receive additional funding through a federal economic stimulus package for public education under the House Ways and Means proposal, according to Vallee. Franklin’s local aid total, with the inclusion of this funding, would exceed $31 million; Medway’s total would be nearly $12 million.
This was posted on the Franklin Gazette hereFRANKLIN - State Rep. James E. Vallee, D-Franklin, will hold monthly local walk-in office hours on Friday, April 17, at two locations in his legislative district.
Vallee, or a member of his staff, will be available at the Medway town administrator’s office, 155 Village St., 9 to 10 a.m., and his Franklin office, 4 West St., 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Vallee welcomes and encourages residents to visit him during these times to voice concerns or questions they may have regarding any state-related issue. He encourages constituents unable to attend the district hours to call his State House office to schedule a more convenient appointment.
Vallee and his staff may be reached at 617-722-2600 or Rep.JamesVallee@hou.state.ma.us.
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
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
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.
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
Horace Mann Middle School Auditorium
224 Oak Street
Franklin, MA
Franklin's Earth Day Celebration
Saturday April 18th, 2009
Beaver Pond
Starts at 9:00 AM