School Committee - Agenda - 11/17/09

6:00 Call to order Mr. Roy
1. Executive Session

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7:00 Call to order Mr. Roy
Pledge of Allegiance
Moment of Silence

2. Routine Business

Citizen’s Comments
Review of Agenda
Minutes: I recommend approval of the minutes from the October 27, 2009 and November 4, 2009 School Committee Meetings.
Payment of Bills Mr. Glynn
Payroll Mrs. Douglas
FHS Student Representatives

Correspondence: 1. Budget to Actual

3. Guests/Presentations

a. MASS Academic Excellence Awards

1. Kimberly Takahata
2. Christopher Anderson

b. MCAS Presentation – Michele Kingsland-Smith; Beth Fitzmaurice
c. Capital Plans – Tim Rapoza; Maureen Sabolinski

4. Discussion Only Items

First Reading – Policy JIEE Pregnant Students

Subcommittee Review

5. Action Items

a. I recommend approval of the recurring field trip for the 3 middle schools to New York City to see Mary Poppins as detailed.
b. I recommend acceptance of a check for $500.00 from Amy & Dana Lilly for the Annie Sullivan Student Activity Account for in-house enrichment, supplies & scholarships.
c. I recommend acceptance of a check for $1,450.00 from the various sports boosters (as listed) for television installation at FHS.
d. I recommend approval of the request of Corine Minkle to declare outdated reading and math materials and old text books surplus for disposal.
e. I recommend acceptance of a check for $1,800.00 from the Franklin Music Boosters for in-house enrichment at the FHS.
f. I recommend approval of the Technology capital plan.
g. I recommend approval of the Facilities capital plan.
h. I recommend approval of the Budget Transfers and declassification as detailed.

6. Information Matters

Superintendent’s Report

a. Enrollment Comparison 10-31-08 to 10-30-09
b. Capital Request Process
c. FHS Art Gallery 218

School Committee Sub-Committee Reports
School Committee Liaison Reports

7. New Business
To discuss future business that may be brought before the School Committee.

8. Adjourn

FM #49 - reference sheet

The spreadsheet with the calculations and election totals as referenced in the weekly podcast FM #49 can be found below.

The weekly podcast that explains this can be found here:
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2009/11/fm-49-week-ending-111509.html

Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io

If you would like a live spreadsheet copy to make your own calculations, please contact me.

FM #49 - The week ending 11/15/09

Give me about ten minutes and I'll fill you in on what matters in Franklin, MA. In this session, I review my five findings from the recent town election and look over the busy week ahead.

Time: 8 minutes, 10 seconds



MP3 File

Session Notes
Music intro
My intro
FM #49

This internet radio show or podcast for Franklin Matters. This one is number 49 in the series.

In this session, you give me about ten minutes and I'll fill you in on what matters in Franklin. I'll cover my 5 findings from the recent election. And review the week ahead.

While I am not finished with my analysis on the results from the election, I would like to share what I have found thus far.

By the way – I'll make the numbers from which I draw these thoughts available. There will be a link in the posting to a doc. If you want a live spreadsheet version, all you'll need to do is contact me.

1 – population shifts

Precincts 6, 1, 2 and 5 are declining in their voter percent relative to the whole of Franklin's registered voters. (in that order) as the population shifts within Franklin.

Precincts 4, 8 and 7 are gaining in relative voter percent (in that order) for the same population shift. The numbers were calculated as a change in 2009 versus 2006.

2 – voter participation

Year   2005       2007        2009

Votes 3,119       3,845       3,244

Percent 17.6%    20.7%     16.6%

Reg Voters        18572      19509

2005 estimated to calculate out at 17,772 (avg 425 voters inc per year)

3 – ballot position

an old marketing adage says, location, location, location

Ballot position does not make a difference. The voters worked to select their candidates. Yes, the first six listed on the ballot were ultimately selected but it is more important to note that the #1, 3, 5 overall finishers were well down on the ballot. The voters knew who they wanted and weren’t overwhelmed by the total number of candidates (13).

This was also observed in the 2007 election results where Vallee, Whalen, Yurgenson and Zollo held the bottom four positions and three of them were elected. Valle took the top number of votes and Zollo was 3rd only one vote behind Chris Feeley.

4 – hidden message?

There may be something to the “elect all newcomers” attempt that was referenced in a few of the exit poll comments as reported in the Milford Daily News. That would help explain how the one candidate who withdrew from the race too late to come off the ballot actually still received 592 votes.

5 – what majority?

In the 2007 election, three Council candidates gathered more than 50% of the voters who actually cast their ballots. This year, four achieved that mark. It is still disconcerting, one that so few bother to vote and of those that do, so few of the candidates actually achieve a majority vote.

In a standard two person race, you have one vote. One person gets it, the other doesn't. In the TC, we had thirteen candidates and each voter had 9 votes. What the blanks tell us is that most folks found 5 or 6 candidates to vote for but not 9.

Given the number of blanks recorded in the elections, it seems rare that a voter actually will cast their vote for all nine of the Town Council candidates and all seven of the School Committee candidates. How significant is the blank? Almost 35% of the ballots for Town Council included blanks, and just over 50% of the ballots for School Committee.

What does this all mean? We need to understand how to better engage the Franklin voters. If you have any ideas, please let me know. I'll be spending some time on this over the next several weeks at least.

6 - A busy week ahead

Gallery 218 opens a Portrait 2009 show on Tuesday

School committee meeting Tuesday

Town Council meeting Wednesday

  

Third Thursday sponsored by the Downtown Partnership

FEF Casino Night on Friday

The vote results by precinct were previously published here

The spreadsheet I reference during this can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2009/11/fm-49-reference-sheet.html

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This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but I can't do it alone. I can use your help.

How can you help?

• If you like this, please tell a neighbor.
• If you don't like this, please tell me.

Thank you for listening.

  

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and East of Shirley. The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with permission.

Another unfunded mandate coming down the pike?

The advocates are focusing their attention on a bill, sponsored by Representative John Rogers, a Democrat, that would require school districts to report bullying incidents and any discipline imposed to the state. The bill, one of those to be taken up at a hearing Tuesday, has the support of such groups as the Massachusetts Teachers Association, Microsoft Corp., and the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association.

The Bold is for my emphasis. You can read the full article in the Boston Sunday Globe here.

To be clear, I do not support bullying. I do know what it feels like. I was called "four-eyes" and worse growing up. Once I learned to stand up for myself, the bullying stopped. Bullies pick on those who are perceived to be weaker than themselves. Once stood up to, they generally back off.

I do think with sufficient funding, the schools can provide some help in this area. In fact, I think they are already doing what they should. 

I do believe that the responsibility to address bullying falls squarely in the realm of the parents. The parents of those bullying need to create a better home environment (easier said than done). The parents of those being bullied need to help their students stand up for themselves (coddling them doesn't cut it).

I'll focus on the unfunded mandate part because that is what we should have some control over. 

Let's recognize that even if the schools were sufficiently funded to support this reporting effort, once the kids go home, what was learned and fostered in the school environment may not be reinforced at home hence wasting the effort.

What do you think?

I added a new poll in the top center column to help obtain your feedback on this issue.

Can the Governor sing?

Can the Governor sing?



Yes, he can. Apparently, when he stopped by the Franklin Senior Center recently he joined in song with some of Franklin's finest seniors.

On the same day that he visited the Senior Center, Gov Patrick stopped by Jefferson Elementary School. The public address announcement to the school that the Governor made while there was recorded.



More on the Governor's visit can be found here

November 3rd Election Ballot

Since so many of the Franklin voters did not see the ballot on November 3rd, I thought it would be a good idea to share it here.

Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io

Some of the commentary on the election turnout and results reference this ballot.

This was originally located on the Town Clerk website

Regionalization

Regionalization, a dirty word for some but one of the realistic ways to tackle the issue of providing appropriate services at a reasonable cost is the topic of the video.



There is a new Regional Advisory Commission underway to explore opportunities in this area.

"the right to speak anonymously ... is not absolute"

The bottom line is robust dialog is always welcome. But defamatory speech is not. It is good to see that the courts are willing to open the doors to the anonymous world when speech crosses the line. That should serve as notice to posters that they should consider the legal, moral and ethical components of their comments. And they should be careful with their facts. Because if they are not, the courts will offer assistance to those who seek redress.

Don't miss the full posting over on the Franklin School Committee blog

One more reason why this site welcomes a civil dialog but anonymous comments can go elsewhere.

3rd Thursday - Men's Night Out

"Men's Night Out"
Ladies are welcome
Thursday, November 19th

5:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Host for November:  Emma's Quilt Cupboard & Sewing Machines
12 Main Street
 
Emma's will showcase quilts made strictly by men. "We invite everyone to join us for a visual display of men's creativity and enjoy some refreshments"  says Cyndi Rich, owner of the quilt shop.

Other 3rd Thursday happenings:

Artbeat Your Creativity Store will host a reception to introduce "Handmade for the Holidays," a craft gallery featuring the work of local artisans and demos for unique holiday gifts that easily can be made by children and adults. Artbeat is located at 9 Summer Street.
 
Stop by Café Dolce, 17 East Central Street,  will host a gold buying event: Bring in your unwanted gold, silver, platinum, gemstones and diamonds and our experts in the jewelry industry tell you what it's worth and pay you on the spot. Check out the Café Dolce webpage for more information.
 
Facial Rejuvenation at 11 Main Street will offer 20 percent off all Jane Iredale mineral cosmetics. "Jane Iredale is the gold standard in minerals recognized by dermatologists, plastic surgeons and skin care professionals around the world" says owner Kathleen Ronzio.
 
Franklin Pizza, 18 Cottage Street, will offer a free 2-liter soda with purchase of a large pizza with one or more toppings.
 
Jane's Frames, 11 East Central Street, will display new etchings just in time for the holidays. Owner Jane Curran encourages shoppers to come in either ahead of time or during Third Thursday to create a wish list in anticipation of the Holiday Stroll on December 3. Kai Olsson will play guitar and refreshments, including "fruit of the vine," will be served.
 
Hair at Nail It, 20 Main Street, invites shoppers to help celebrate their 15th anniversary with a complimentary wash and blow dry. They will also give a $10 coupon for all new customers.
 
Pretty Is Pink, 9 Summer Street, invites women and teens to stop in for an evening of leisurely shopping. "After the menu is set, we want you to look your best for Thanksgiving," says owner Lori Rosenberg.  
 
Simon's Furniture, 8 Summer Street, will offer a 20 percent discount off all lamps, pictures and accessories on Third Thursday to help shoppers get their homes ready for the holidays.
 
The Franklin Downtown Partnership is gearing up for a special event in place of the December Third Thursday.  The Holiday Stroll will be Thursday, December 3 from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.  A tree lighting, music Holiday Carolers, Santa, a Craft fair and 30 downtown businesses offering treats and special offers are just some of the fun planned for families that evening.
 
Get more details at each participating business
 
So much is happening Downtown/Uptown Franklin
Come join the Fun!
Fall Third Thursday

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About Franklin Downtown Partnership
The Franklin Downtown Partnership is a commuity based 501 (c) 3 organization, with a  mission of revitalizing our downtown, helping to make Franklin a better place to live, work, and shop, and  improving the overall  life of our community.

Post Office Box 413
Franklin, Massachusetts 02038
Franklin Downtown Partnership

In the News - food pantry, hockey clinic

At the Franklin Food Pantry, Executive Director Anne Marie Bellavance said the holiday season puts a strain on residents because of increased fuel costs that come with the winter months.

"This time of the year is the toughest time of the year," Bellavance said. "Due to fuel costs, our clients have to reallocate food money to heat their homes." She added that flu season also brings an added burden of increased medical costs.

The Franklin Food Pantry, located on West Central Street, will gladly accept the holiday trimmings to go along with the turkeys that will be distributed to the pantry's 24 registered clients.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here

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Bruins sponsor youth hockey clinic in Franklin

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Krista Perry/Daily News staff

Look for Letter to the Editor

FYI - I can't find the "Letter to the Editor" written by Ted Klowan, Jr on the Wicked Local website but you can read his excellent and logical argument in this week's Franklin Gazette. The hard copy should have been tossed in your driveway.

FYI - The Franklin School Committee took the time to post an image of the newspaper copy here

Lottery versus taxes

Cahill said the average person in Massachusetts spends $700 a year on the state lottery, compared to the national average of $170.

Oh my, really! Yes, according to comments made at a luncheon Friday in Milford. 

So here's where things get complicated.

You got to be in it to win it!

But if you took what the "average person" spends on a gamble and spent it on local property taxes, you would get improvements in all our local services: fire, police, DPW, library and education.

The "average person" certainly isn't everyone, not at least in Franklin where incomes for some are real tight. The "average person" referenced can't be the same person who voted against an override.

Surely they would see that a sure thing is better than a gamble?

In the News - Team Hoyt visits Annie Sullivan

I have had the pleasure of meeting and running with Team Hoyt in a number of events including the HMEA 5K held locally in May and the Groton 5K. They are truly an inspiration!

Hoyts inspire Franklin students

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Melanie Graham/Daily News staff

Electronic and Appliance Recycle Day

What: Electronic and Appliance Recycle Day

When: Saturday, Nov 28th 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Where: St. Mary's

Cost: Varies by item


Electronic and appliance recycle day to be held at Saint Mary's Church, One Church Square, Franklin, MA on Saturday November 28th from 9a.m. t0 2 p.m. We are accepting all electronics for recycling to include monitors, fax machines, modems, TV's etc as well as all appliances to include refrigerators, washers, dryers, stoves, water tanks etc. This is a great opportunity to reduce the carbon footprint in the environment and recycle your unwanted items. We will also accept lawn mowers and snow blowers with the gas removed as well as exercise equipment. This is a fund raiser and there will be a small fee of $5 per electronic item, $10 for each TV or appliance and $20 for each large wood console TV. There will be receipts provided as well. Car and truck batteries as well as cell phones are free.

Phone:  508-277-6728
Organization:   Saint Mary's Church

4th Annual Casino Night - Nov 20th

On Friday, November 20, 2009, the Franklin Education Foundation (FEF) will hold its 4th Annual Casino Night at the Franklin Elks from 7:00 to 11:00 p.m. The event will feature Black Jack, Roulette and Money Wheel as well as raffles, a Silent Auction, cash bar and FREE hors d’oeuvres. The event is well known as a fun evening out with friends and neighbors, all while contributing to a worthwhile cause.

In addition to having fun at the gaming tables, attendees can bid on a variety of great Silent Auction items. Included will be autographed Red Sox and Patriots memorabilia, handcrafted jewelry, original art, and gift certificates from 3 Restaurant, Panera Bread, Stop & Shop and Arbonne Skin Care. Preliminary sponsors for the event include DCU (Digital Federal Credit Union), Rockland Trust, Doherty Ciechanowski, Dugan & Cannon, PC and ZeptoMetrix Corporation. If you have an item to donate or if your company is interested in sponsoring, contact FEF. It’s a great way to show your commitment to education in Franklin.

Admission is $25. To avoid waiting in line at the door, advance ticket purchase is recommended. For ticket purchase, auction donation or sponsorship information, please contact Peter Minor at (508) 541-6700 or peter@peterminor.com. Cash only accepted for chip purchase. Checks and Visa/MC accepted for Silent Auction items. For more information visit www.franklined.org.

Since 1997, The Franklin Education Foundation events have raised well over $170,000 which has been distributed to Franklin public schools in the form of special grants. All Franklin Public School staff members are eligible to submit creative, innovative ideas for programs or activities that would not traditionally be funded by tax dollars. To see a list of programs FEF have funded over the years, visit www.franklined.org.

Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io

H1N1 VACCINE UPDATE - November 12, 2009

The Health Department has been inundated with hundreds of calls and emails regarding the availability of the H1N1 vaccine for Franklin Residents.  At the present time we do not have enough vaccine to hold a public flu clinic.  Vaccine production issues have significantly delayed the delivery of the H1N1 vaccine to all health departments and medical providers across the country.  As a result, we can not state with any certainty when Franklin’s first H1N1 flu clinic will be held.

Once we have a sufficient supply of vaccine on hand, we stand ready to implement our clinic plan and to begin the vaccination process.  The Franklin Health Department has the personnel and the infrastructure in place to begin large-scale vaccinations of the target group, once the vaccine is delivered in sufficient quantities.

The initial allocation of vaccine will be directed toward children aged 6 months to 9 years of age.  Again, this age group will require two doses of vaccine so it is important to have the first doses administered as soon as the vaccine is made available.  It is possible that we may, due to limited supply of vaccine, narrow the age group significantly during our first clinic.  This will prevent parents and children waiting unnecessarily when the vaccine is in short supply.

It is important to note that the Franklin Health Department does not expect to receive any thimerosal free vaccine.  This has implications for women who are pregnant and wish to receive preservative free vaccine.  Pregnant women are urged to contact their obstetrician regarding thimerosal free flu vaccine.

The Franklin Health Department fully understands the frustration and concern the residents of Franklin are experiencing regarding H1N1 vaccine availability.  I can assure you the Health Department staff and the Board of Health shares your concerns.  We will do everything in our power to expedite the vaccination process once our supply of vaccine is received.

Thank you for your continued patience and understanding.

David E. McKearney, R.S.
Public Health Director
Franklin Health Department

Franklin Board of Health
Bruce Hunchard, Chair
Paul Cheli
Donald Ranieri, Jr.

Happy Birthday, Franklin Matters!

I was busy this week and almost forgot to celebrate a birthday. Two years ago this past Monday, the first post was generated here at Franklin Matters. The archives for Nov 9, 2007 contain:

• How not to spend Community Preservation Act dollar...
• Amesbury rejects "under" ride
• Franklin: Grand Opening
• Franklin: Holiday Bazaar
• Franklin: Center Commons building brickwork
• Local Scenes from Steve's 2 Cents
• Where in Franklin?
• Franklin Election 2007
• Franklin Override 2007
• Where in Franklin? Summary  

Two Candles in the Dark by photos8.com, originally uploaded by Photos8.com.

As long as readership continues to grow, and I continue to learn and have fun doing this, you can count on more years of Franklin Matters!

Thank you for reading, commenting, and sending emails. All your feedback is greatly appreciated.


Photo credit: Two Candles in the Dark by photos8.com

In the News - fire, school money

Homeowner puts out deck fire

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Ashley Studley/Daily News staff

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As I read this, it would seem this money will go to pay off some of the existing debt incurred on the building.

Franklin gets money for school building

from The Milford Daily News Homepage RSS by Staff reports

In the News - double duty

Parents of two Marine sons nervous but proud

from The Milford Daily News Homepage RSS by Ashley Studley/Daily News staff

Let's honor our veterans today

On this Veterans Day, let's thank them for their service. Their service allows us to live the life we have here in Franklin.

In the News - lock cars

Not for the first time, nor likely for this last time, common sense should say why take a chance, lock it up.

Area police warn residents to lock cars

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Ashley Studley/Daily News staff

FM #48 - Election 2009

This is #48 in the series of internet radio or podcasts for Franklin Matters. In this session we review the results of the Town Election and go inside the high school field house to hear Town Clerk Debbie Pellegri announce the results.

Time: 7 minutes, 37 seconds



MP3 File

Session Notes:

Music intro 

My intro 

This internet radio show or podcast for Franklin Matters is number 48 in the series.

The Franklin election of 2009 has come and gone.

We have a new Town Council with 6 incumbents (Whalen, Mason, Vallee, Pfeffer, McGann and Zollo) and three newcomers (Powderly, Jones and Kelly).

The School Committee has five incumbents (Cafasso, Mullen, Roy, Rohrbach and Trahan) along with two new members (Douglas and Glynn).

Bruce Hunchard returns on the Board of Health.

Padula, Halligan and Carroll were elected to the Planning Board.

Chris Feeley easily took his write-in campaign for the Board of Assessors and saved the Town Council from having to appoint someone.

Only 16.4% of the registered voters bothered to cast their ballots. This is less than the prior two town elections and continues the trend in the wrong direction.

I will have more to share on the totals and what I read into them. For this session, we'll take you into the Franklin High School field house to hear Town Clerk, Debbie Pellegri announce the results for the election.

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This podcast has been a public service provided to my fellow citizens of Franklin, MA
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and East of Shirley. The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with permission.  

In the News - regionalization, Vietnam, Faithful Nine

Franklin looks at regionalizing services

from The Milford Daily News Homepage RSS by Ashley Studley/Daily News staff

Despite financial benefits, both Nutting and Whalen agree the only foreseeable drawback is a loss of control over town services.

"We, as residents of our community, can control the level of town services we enjoy," Whalen said, citing the controlled number of town workers. "With regionalization, by definition, we as residents of Franklin would have less of a say in what goes on right in our town on these matters because we would be part of a larger group of people who would collectively make these decisions."

"You have to be willing to give up control, " said Nutting. "But that's (for) the people in the government, not the residents."

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Honoring the Faithful Nine in Franklin

from The Milford Daily News Homepage RSS by Jake Jacobson

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Franklin honors Vietnam War fallen

from The Milford Daily News Homepage RSS by Melissa Ostrow

Walgreens continues to make progress

Walgreens has its sign up now. The exterior of the building is being finished. Landscaping is underway. Not to long now before it opens for business.

Sign up for the RMV driver license renewal reminders

One could quibble about the RMV's driver's license renewal reminder program in that you have to sign up to make it effect. But then technically that is following a good "opt in" practice.

The Registry of Motor Vehicles offers an online service that will remind drivers 30 days before their driver’s license is due to expire.

Residents who sign up for the service can choose a reminder by phone, email or text and there is no additional cost to the public. 

The new service replaces the mail reminder program that was discontinued earlier this year as a cost-saving measure.

The new reminder service is provided by the RMV in collaboration with Sendza, Inc. and is sponsored by local businesses.  Any information you provide is protected by a strict privacy policy.

Drivers are encouraged to sign up for the program. For more information visit www.mass.gov/rmv.

Fall in Franklin

something about the redness

of the leaves, the white fence 

and the morning sunlight

Fall in Franklin: something about the redness the white fence and the sunlight m, originally uploaded by shersteve.

What is a sherku? 

In the News - train death, Nutcracker

Man hit by commuter train in Franklin

from The Milford Daily News Homepage RSS by Krista Perry/Daily News staff

Another person hit, killed by a commuter-rail train

from Universal Hub - All Boston, all the time by adamg

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Nutcracker returns to Franklin

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Krista Perry/Daily News staff

In the News - Gov Patrick visits Franklin, casino night

Gov Patrick visited Jefferson Elementary School yesterday

Patrick visits Franklin school, says he supports local aid

by Melanie Graham/Daily News staff

and the Senior Center

Franklin honors 90-year-old vets

by Melanie Graham/Daily News staff

and hold the date for the FEF Casino Night, Nov 20th

Franklin Education Foundation plans Casino Night

by GateHouse Media, Inc.

In the News - event canceled

This was posted to the Milford Daily News website on Friday and refers to the event Saturday.

Franklin resident Steve Sherlock announced the Laid Off Camp he helped organize for tomorrow is canceled.

Designed to help unemployed people from Massachusetts and Rhode Island brush up on interview techniques, making contacts and using the Internet to find jobs, the camp was canceled due to slow registration.

"We only achieved one third of the required registrations for this non-profit, all-volunteer event to break even," Sherlock wrote in an email late last night. Anyone who already registered will have their money refunded, he added.

He and the four other co-organizers will likely establish a similar camp next year. The event was scheduled for tomorrow afternoon at the Living Waters Church in North Attleborough.

For more information, visit http://laidoffcampprovidence.blogspot.com/.

Tomorrow's Laid Off Camp canceled

from The Milford Daily News Homepage RSS by Staff reports

H1N1 Influenza Vaccine Update

At the time of this writing it is probable that many reading this update will have had a family member with influenza-like illness or knows someone who has.  As predicted at the end of last summer, the H1N1 has returned with a vengeance.  Although this illness for the most part has remained relatively mild, a larger segment of the population has become ill, with a recent spike in school absenteeism noted throughout the Commonwealth.

It was hoped that by now we would have been well on our way toward achieving our goal of vaccinating a large percentage of our community with the H1N1 vaccine.  Due to the unprecedented demand for the seasonal flu vaccine, coupled with the simultaneous production of the H1N1 vaccine, the vaccine manufacturers have simply not been able to distribute the H1N1 vaccine as quickly as expected.  

The Franklin Health Department and the Board of Health remain committed to providing the H1N1 influenza vaccine to all Franklin residents who wish to receive it.  As previously stated, the Health Department in conjunction with our medical volunteers will hold public H1N1 clinics as soon as enough vaccine is made available to do so.  At the present time the Health Department has received only a small fraction of our requested doses.  

In accordance with the guidelines mandated by the Centers for Disease Control and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, our initial allocation of vaccine will be provided to healthcare workers with direct patient contact such as nurses and paramedics, pregnant women and children 6 months to 9 years of age.  As more vaccine is made available, we will begin vaccinating children aged 10 to 25.  Our focus on young children  is important because two doses of vaccine spaced approximately three weeks apart is required for children 9 and under.  

All public flu clinics will be advertised in the Milford Daily News and will be posted on the Town of Franklin Website.  Clinic information will also be broadcast on Franklin’s local cable television station and will be posted on the MassPro Flu website as well.  

These are certainly difficult and frightening times for parents of young children, for those who may have a compromised immune system for one reason or another and for couples starting a family.  Your concern and frustration is understandable and fully acknowledged.  We ask for your patience and your understanding as we prepare to institute our vaccination plan in the coming weeks.  

We encourage anyone with questions to contact the Health Department or members of the Board of Health at 508-520-4905, or via our dedicated influenza email at H1N1flu@franklin.ma.us

Respectfully,

David E. McKearney, R.S.

Public Health Director

Franklin Health Department

Franklin Board of Health

This can be found on the Franklin website

2009 Fall Curbside Yard Waste Collection

2009 Fall Curbside Yard Waste Collection will occur the following Saturdays:

• November 7
• November 21
  
• December 5

How to Prepare:

• Yard waste: Place in paper bags, trash barrels or other container.
• Brush shall not be more than 4 feet in length and 6-inches in diameter and bundled.
• DO NOT USE PLASTIC BAGS.
• Place at curbside before 7:00 AM in the morning.

This was posted on the Town website here

In the News - event canceled, rings come home

The article is a good one but came too late to help us drive attendance for the event. The event has been canceled. The team will re-group and likely try something early in 2010.

Local resident helps sponsor Laid Off Camp tomorrow

from The Milford Daily News Homepage RSS by Ashley Studley/Daily News staff

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Rings come full circle

from The Milford Daily News Homepage RSS by Ashley Studley/Daily News staff

LaidOff Camp Attleboro/Providence - EVENT CANCELED

Event: LaidOff Camp Attleboro/Providence - CANCELED

Date: Saturday, November 07, 2009 from 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM (ET)

Location:
Living Waters Church
15 John L Dietsch Blvd
North Attleboro, MA 02763

For more information click here: http://laidoffcampprovidence.blogspot.com/

Regretfully, the event has been canceled. We only achieved one third of the required registrations for this non-profit, all-volunteer event to break even.

The Team will gather information on what we learned during this process and likely attempt to create an event sometime early in 2010.

Your registration fee will be refunded in full to the credit card you used to register.
Thank you for your interest.

Foster systems thinking

Modern education systems deserve much of the blame, both for fostering the belief that education ends when a person leaves school and for its emphasis on being right rather than on how to learn from mistakes. This has encouraged caution rather than risk-taking, with individuals preferring to avoid mistakes when possible and hide them if necessary. The world’s four greatest statisticians never took a course in statistics, Mr Ackoff would point out, and three of America’s greatest architects (Henry Hobson Richardson, Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright) never took a formal course in architecture.

Society urgently needs to find better ways of inculcating systems thinking in its decision-makers and public-policy experts in particular, he argued. It also needs to change how it accounts for mistakes. Currently, almost any accounting system you can think of records mistakes of commission, when a deliberate act goes wrong, but keeps no record of mistakes of omission: things not done that should have been. The result is a conservative, risk-averse culture that holds back the innovation that society needs.

Read the full article in The Economist here

Read more about the ideas of Russ Ackoff here and here

In the News - Town Council and School Committee chair selected

Franklin School Committee retains Roy as chairman

from The Milford Daily News Homepage RSS by Ashley Studley/Daily News staff

Mason selected as Franklin Town Council chairman

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Ashley Studley/Daily News staff

Newly elected sworn in

The newly elected School Committee was sworn in this evening.

Two members of the School Committee were not present for this: Ed Cafasso (who was sworn in earlier today) and William Glynn.

They held a brief organizational meeting. Jeff Roy was selected as Chair and Paula Mullen as Vice-Chair.

Three new members of the Planning Board were sworn in this evening also:

Chris Feeley as the newly elected Assessor was also sworn in.

The newly elected Town Council was also sworn in.

Scott Mason was selected Chair by a 9-0 vote.  Steve Whalen was selected as Vice-Chair by an 8-1 vote. There almost was a runoff for this as Joe McGann nominated Bob Vallee but that nomination did not get a second. Judy Pfeffer was selected as Clerk by a 9-0 vote.

engage the Franklin voters

I'll have more later this week but my first reactions to the election results are

It is a sad day for Franklin when so few registered voters do exercise their right to vote. There are no excuses for weather problems, absentee ballots were available in advance. Only 16.4% of 19,780 voters bothered to cast a vote. Less than the two prior off year elections. The trend (if there is one) is going the wrong way.

It was good to see the energy of some of the newcomers to the Council race; Tina Powderly and Glenn Jones in particular. Glenn was observed on the triangle over the railroad bridge holding his sign in the rain on Sat Oct 24th and then again early Sun morning, Nov 1. Tina garnered the largest vote amongst the Council candidates.

The Brick School remains a significant factor in Franklin and although closed is still important. The results for Matt Kelly and Cynthia Douglas show this. Cindy running in her first election took in the top number of votes from all candidates. Teaching at the Brick School, over 30 years of good service, 20 or so kids at a time builds up relationships. Relationships that turned out to vote.

That newcomers garnered some of the larger totals seems to validate the message Ashley Studley, Milford Daily News reporter, was picking up from the voters leaving the field house. The attempt to vote out the incumbents ultimately failed as all were re-elected albeit some were by slim margins.

The problems of Franklin remain the same after election. They didn't just disappear because someone didn't vote for an incumbent. The challenge is clearly in the Town Council's hands now to come together and engage the Franklin voters/tax payers in such a way that our issues can be responsibly discussed and then worked to a solution.