Saturday, January 30, 2010
Democratic Party donation
Michael Walker Jones (center), Chairman of the Franklin Democratic Party, presented a check for $200 to a teacher (left) representing the Franklin High School Democrat's Club. School Committee Chair, Jeff Roy (right) observed.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Now at your service
Let's face it, you are busy. Time is short.
You may not have time to read all that is posted here.
Yes, there is a whole lot happening and I do post quite a bit.
But you'd still like to keep up with what matters in Franklin.
Now you have two new options.
1 - Franklin Matters Weekly
Once a week, I'll post the summary of what has happened the prior week with a brief look at the week ahead. You can subscribe to this new site via email or RSS Feed or iTunes
Franklin Matters Weekly can be found here:
http://franklinmattersweekly.blogspot.com/
2 - Facebook Fan page
Along with this move to the weekly version, I will eventually disable the Facebook group. But no worry, there already is a new fan page - "I believe Franklin, MA Matters" to join or become a "fan" of.
You can search on Facebook for Franklin Matters, follow this link or visit the new Franklin Matters Weekly and find the Facebook widget to take to you the new Facebook page.
What won't change?
The attention to detail in posting here from the Town Council, School Committee, Finance Committee and other important town events will continue.
If you want all the details on all that matters, stay here. You'll still get notification that the weekly summary is ready. You won't miss anything.
But for those who want the shorty and skinny version, Franklin Matters Weekly is now available just for that purpose.
As I close this posting, let me remind you that
You may not have time to read all that is posted here.
Yes, there is a whole lot happening and I do post quite a bit.
But you'd still like to keep up with what matters in Franklin.
Now you have two new options.
1 - Franklin Matters Weekly
Once a week, I'll post the summary of what has happened the prior week with a brief look at the week ahead. You can subscribe to this new site via email or RSS Feed or iTunes
Franklin Matters Weekly can be found here:
http://franklinmattersweekly.blogspot.com/
2 - Facebook Fan page
Along with this move to the weekly version, I will eventually disable the Facebook group. But no worry, there already is a new fan page - "I believe Franklin, MA Matters" to join or become a "fan" of.
You can search on Facebook for Franklin Matters, follow this link or visit the new Franklin Matters Weekly and find the Facebook widget to take to you the new Facebook page.
What won't change?
The attention to detail in posting here from the Town Council, School Committee, Finance Committee and other important town events will continue.
If you want all the details on all that matters, stay here. You'll still get notification that the weekly summary is ready. You won't miss anything.
But for those who want the shorty and skinny version, Franklin Matters Weekly is now available just for that purpose.
As I close this posting, let me remind you that
- If you like what I am doing, please tell your neighbors
- If you don’t like something, please tell me
Winter Street
This street is well named for the conditions as I was walking home Thursday evening.
It was a pleasant walk. Everything around was sugar coated and white again!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
School Preliminary Budget - FY 2011
The presentation document was added to the post for Tuesday evening's School Committee meeting and copied here to save you clicking through to find it.
For the text to accompany this document, click through here
For the text to accompany this document, click through here
In the News - high school renovation planning moves along
Take a step at a time and you make progress towards your goal. With the selection of a project manager, one that has worked with the Town on other major projects (Fire station, Senior Center, etc.), the next step is to select an architect.
Franklin inches closer to renovating high school
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Senator-elect Scott Brown plans for six 'Citizen Open House' events
U.S. Senator-elect Scott Brown today announced the dates and locations for a series of "Citizen Open Houses" starting this Friday in Chicopee.
In a press release, Brown's office said the senator-elect would make six stops over three days to thank the people of Massachusetts for his victory in last week's special Senate election. He invited all members of the public to attend.
"We won this election thanks to the grassroots support of the people, and I want to personally show how much I appreciate that support and tell them that I will always strive to be an independent voice in Washington," said Brown.
The open houses scheduled include:
Friday, Jan. 29, at noon at the Hu Ke Lau restaurant, 705 Memorial Drive, Chicopee
Friday, Jan 29 at 7 p.m. at the Falmouth Inn, 824 Main St., Falmouth.
Saturday, Jan. 30, at 1 p.m. at the Kowloon Restaurant, 948 Broadway Street – Rt. 1 North, in Saugus
Saturday, 3:30 p.m. at Lenzi's Catering, 810 Merrimack Ave. – Rt. 110, Dracut.
Saturday, 6 p.m. at the Maxwell–Silverman Restaurant, 25 Union St., Worcester.
Sunday, Jan. 31 at 5 p.m. at Christina's Function Facility, 2 Washington St. – Rt. 1, Foxboro.
In a press release, Brown's office said the senator-elect would make six stops over three days to thank the people of Massachusetts for his victory in last week's special Senate election. He invited all members of the public to attend.
"We won this election thanks to the grassroots support of the people, and I want to personally show how much I appreciate that support and tell them that I will always strive to be an independent voice in Washington," said Brown.
The open houses scheduled include:
Friday, Jan. 29, at noon at the Hu Ke Lau restaurant, 705 Memorial Drive, Chicopee
Friday, Jan 29 at 7 p.m. at the Falmouth Inn, 824 Main St., Falmouth.
Saturday, Jan. 30, at 1 p.m. at the Kowloon Restaurant, 948 Broadway Street – Rt. 1 North, in Saugus
Saturday, 3:30 p.m. at Lenzi's Catering, 810 Merrimack Ave. – Rt. 110, Dracut.
Saturday, 6 p.m. at the Maxwell–Silverman Restaurant, 25 Union St., Worcester.
Sunday, Jan. 31 at 5 p.m. at Christina's Function Facility, 2 Washington St. – Rt. 1, Foxboro.
Horace Mann/Oak St complex closed today due to gas leak
Heard via a phone call from Mrs Sherlock (who teaches at Oak St) and then confirmed with the Franklin Fire Dept Twitter update.
Thayer Scoreboard Restored
Updated 1/27/10 12:25 PM - The scheduled presentation has been canceled for today. When the new date/time has been finalized, it will be posted here.
A letter from Glenn Jones:
A letter from Glenn Jones:
Thanks Glenn! Wish I could be there myself.The Davis Thayer School has had an antique scoreboard hanging in the corner of the gym unused for over 30 years. It dates back some 50 years or more. I spoke with a gentleman who claims it worked when he went to the DT 50 yrs ago. It was slated to be thrown away, but I took it upon my self to remove the old scoreboard and refurbish it. With some great help and contributions, I have been able to restore it back to it original grandeur.
I will be presenting it back to the Davis Thayer School onWednesday January 27th @2pm.All are welcome to come and see history come back to life.
All photos provided by Glenn:
work in progress
The finished product with the lights on
The finished product in daylight
Importance of Kindergarten registration
As a follow-up to the announcement here yesterday on the Kindergarten registration scheduled for next week, I received this letter from a Franklin parent:
Stay tuned for updates on the budget as the situation develops over the next couple of months.
Let me restate what I wrote earlier this week (bold added for emphasis):
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/franklin-ma-kindergarten-registration.html
It was also discussed at the School Committee meeting Tuesday evening that full-day kindergarten is desired, expected, a goal but is not guaranteed at this time due to the uncertainties in the budget.I was at my school's PCC meeting and one piece of information that I did not realize was that the registration for Kindergarten in February helps determine the staffing of the Kindergarten teachers for the next year. Even if a parent is not sure if the child is going to the public school they should register them in February and then if they change their mind let the school know. From my understanding what happened last year is many students were not enrolled by their parents until July so it brought the counts in the class to 25 students.
It would be helpful for parents just starting the school process to understand why they need to register their child in February even if they are not 100% sure that is where they are going to get a better grasp of staffing needed for the next school year. Of course a class might still be this large if they cut kindergarten teachers in the budget but the forecast of how many teachers are needed is not truly shown in the February registration statistics if we have such a large number of parents registering in July.
Stay tuned for updates on the budget as the situation develops over the next couple of months.
Let me restate what I wrote earlier this week (bold added for emphasis):
Kindergarten registration information can be found hereIn summary, the next several months can be very interactive. Franklin citizens can provide their input to the charter, the downtown project, and ultimately the Franklin budget. If you were waiting for a good time to get involved, the time is now.
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/franklin-ma-kindergarten-registration.html
School Committee Mtg 01/26/10
The collection of posts that were reported live from the School Committee on Tuesday Jan 26, 2010 can be found here:
- Live reporting - closing items
- Live reporting - Superintendent
- Live reporting - action items
- Live reporting - Discussion only items
- Live reporting - Q&A - Preliminary budget discussi...
- Live reporting - FY 2011 Preliminary Budget Discus...
- Live reporting - FHS London Trip
- Live reporting - Sidewalk Snow Removal Presentatio...
- Live reporting - School Committee
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Live reporting - closing items
Subcommittee reports
We have a proposal to establish email addresses for the committee members. Can proceed with that one. Need clarification on the option of a group mailbox.
The Building Committee interviewed on the 13th of Jan the finalists for the Owners Project Manager (OPM). The selection Daedelus (sic) will be entering into contract negotiations, they have been involved with our prior major Franklin projects.
New business
Q - is full day kindergarten on or not?
A - if we get the full service budget of 53.5 we expect to have a full day kindergarten
At this point it is a desire, an expectation, a goal but it cannot be counted on.
Roy and Sabolinski to attend the Rotary Club
motion to enter executive session, roll call vote, passed 7-0
We have a proposal to establish email addresses for the committee members. Can proceed with that one. Need clarification on the option of a group mailbox.
The Building Committee interviewed on the 13th of Jan the finalists for the Owners Project Manager (OPM). The selection Daedelus (sic) will be entering into contract negotiations, they have been involved with our prior major Franklin projects.
New business
Q - is full day kindergarten on or not?
A - if we get the full service budget of 53.5 we expect to have a full day kindergarten
At this point it is a desire, an expectation, a goal but it cannot be counted on.
Roy and Sabolinski to attend the Rotary Club
motion to enter executive session, roll call vote, passed 7-0
Live reporting - Superintendent
5. Information Matters
Superintendent’s Report
a. Finance Workshop Training
well attended last night by Town Council, FinCom and a couple of residents
b. MSBA/FHS Project
looking to clarify the request and provide the data
c. Kindergarten Registration
forms available on the website
d. MASBO Compensation Study
e. Data Team
instructional data team working to understand the data and prepare action plans
Superintendent’s Report
a. Finance Workshop Training
well attended last night by Town Council, FinCom and a couple of residents
b. MSBA/FHS Project
looking to clarify the request and provide the data
c. Kindergarten Registration
forms available on the website
d. MASBO Compensation Study
e. Data Team
instructional data team working to understand the data and prepare action plans
Live reporting - action items
4. Action Items
a.I recommend acceptance of the donation of 5 digital cameras and one camcorder from Mr. Robert Salzberg of Resh, Inc. for the Davis Thayer Elementary School. removed as duplicate from prior meeting
b. I recommend acceptance of a check for $1148.00 from the Oak St. PCC for a Gr. 2 field trip to Stony Brook in May as detailed. motion to accept, passed 7-0
c. I recommend acceptance of a check for $1000.00 from the Panther Lacrosse Association to be used towards the fitness center at FHS. motion to accept, passed 7-0
d. I recommend acceptance of a check for $500.00 from the Singleton Family Foundation for the FHS Special Education Department. motion to accept, passed 7-0
e. I recommend acceptance of a check for $3000.00 from the Davis Thayer PCC for field trips as detailed. motion to accept, passed 7-0
f. I recommend acceptance of the donation of a Visual Presenter from Mr. Robert Salzberg of Resh, Inc. for the Davis Thayer Elementary School. motion to accept, passed 7-0
g. I recommend approval of the request of Ms. Leardi & Mrs. Waters of the FHS for a trip to London, England on June 25, 2010 as detailed. motion to accept, passed 7-0
h. I recommend adoption of Policy ADA – School District Goals & Objectives. motion to accept, passed 7-0
i. I recommend approval of the request of Peter Light for an additional Assistant Track coach at a cost of $1,467.00 to be funded from the Athletic Revolving Account to assist with increased student participation. motion to accept, passed 7-0
j. I recommend adoption of Policy ACE – Non-Discrimination on the basis of Disability. motion to accept, passed 7-0
a.
b. I recommend acceptance of a check for $1148.00 from the Oak St. PCC for a Gr. 2 field trip to Stony Brook in May as detailed. motion to accept, passed 7-0
c. I recommend acceptance of a check for $1000.00 from the Panther Lacrosse Association to be used towards the fitness center at FHS. motion to accept, passed 7-0
d. I recommend acceptance of a check for $500.00 from the Singleton Family Foundation for the FHS Special Education Department. motion to accept, passed 7-0
e. I recommend acceptance of a check for $3000.00 from the Davis Thayer PCC for field trips as detailed. motion to accept, passed 7-0
f. I recommend acceptance of the donation of a Visual Presenter from Mr. Robert Salzberg of Resh, Inc. for the Davis Thayer Elementary School. motion to accept, passed 7-0
g. I recommend approval of the request of Ms. Leardi & Mrs. Waters of the FHS for a trip to London, England on June 25, 2010 as detailed. motion to accept, passed 7-0
h. I recommend adoption of Policy ADA – School District Goals & Objectives. motion to accept, passed 7-0
i. I recommend approval of the request of Peter Light for an additional Assistant Track coach at a cost of $1,467.00 to be funded from the Athletic Revolving Account to assist with increased student participation. motion to accept, passed 7-0
j. I recommend adoption of Policy ACE – Non-Discrimination on the basis of Disability. motion to accept, passed 7-0
Live reporting - Discussion only items
3. Discussion Only Items
• Second Reading:
• Second Reading:
Policy ADA – School District Goals & Objectivesno further discussions needed, moving to action items
Policy ACE – Non-Discrimination on the basis of Disability
Live reporting - Q&A - Preliminary budget discussion
Glynn - what are ramifications of not going for the NEASC accreditation?
Sabolinski - we will no longer have an external evaluation of our standard educational processes
Glynn - The technologists that we cut hurt our development as a 21st Century
Sabolinski - yes, those folks would help the teachers learn and implement technology into their classrooms
Cafasso - Q on tying the numbers back to the last year budget documents
Goodman - carefully explained the difference in the numbers to tie them together
Trahan - is the wage deferment in these?
Sabolinski - no, that was last year, nothing for this year at this point.
Decision making tree
Rohrbach - I put some thoughts down (handout to be added later)
1 - District wide impact on staff/program reduction
accreditation
community priorities
Communities needs to provide some guidelines on how much we can cut and how low we can go
Roy - FY 2006 we spent more in 2 catagories, FY 2007, we only did one category, in FY 2008 we are under in all eleven categories, we expect to be under in FY 2009 numbers. The amazing thing is that we are still a high performing district despite that.
What is a broad definition for core academic areas? Should music and art get equal treatment with the other core subject matters.
It is a balance between the core and the extra-curriculars as we are trying to educate the whole child.
Starting the discussion now gets a better chance to keep to it.
Are these ranked in order of priorities? or are these just a general listing
It would be interesting to see where the principals and administration would come up with their listing and how close it would be to this
I am not a fan of going through a death by 1,000 cuts
If I can live with a program going away, if it is gone it is gone. You need to be able to live with it going away and not coming back.
You can start talking about reductions until you know what the magnitude is?
Possible Saturday working session with Principals to get to hear from them directly
Sabolinski - we will no longer have an external evaluation of our standard educational processes
Glynn - The technologists that we cut hurt our development as a 21st Century
Sabolinski - yes, those folks would help the teachers learn and implement technology into their classrooms
Cafasso - Q on tying the numbers back to the last year budget documents
Goodman - carefully explained the difference in the numbers to tie them together
Trahan - is the wage deferment in these?
Sabolinski - no, that was last year, nothing for this year at this point.
Decision making tree
Rohrbach - I put some thoughts down (handout to be added later)
1 - District wide impact on staff/program reduction
- number of students affected
- K-12 continuum - feeder program considerations
- FPS educational philosophy
- Educational policy i.e. DESE
- Financial savings
- Financial costs i.e. unemployment
- Grant funding
- School Committee guidelines i.e class size
- Space needs
- Collective bargaining
accreditation
community priorities
Communities needs to provide some guidelines on how much we can cut and how low we can go
Roy - FY 2006 we spent more in 2 catagories, FY 2007, we only did one category, in FY 2008 we are under in all eleven categories, we expect to be under in FY 2009 numbers. The amazing thing is that we are still a high performing district despite that.
What is a broad definition for core academic areas? Should music and art get equal treatment with the other core subject matters.
It is a balance between the core and the extra-curriculars as we are trying to educate the whole child.
Starting the discussion now gets a better chance to keep to it.
Are these ranked in order of priorities? or are these just a general listing
It would be interesting to see where the principals and administration would come up with their listing and how close it would be to this
I am not a fan of going through a death by 1,000 cuts
If I can live with a program going away, if it is gone it is gone. You need to be able to live with it going away and not coming back.
You can start talking about reductions until you know what the magnitude is?
Possible Saturday working session with Principals to get to hear from them directly
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