Tuesday, February 16, 2010

FM Budget Workshop Part 6 - 1/25/10

This is Part 6 of the Budget Workshop held in Franklin, MA on Jan 25th. This segment covers Asst Superintendent Sally Winslow providing an overview on the nuances of Special Education for the Schools budget.

Time: 21 minutes, 55 seconds



MP3 File

Session Notes:

Franklin held conducted a budget workshop on Monday, Jan 25, 2010. This is part six of the session recording. Asst. Superintendent Sally Winslow cover the nuances and requirements of providing Special Education for the Franklin Schools budget

Documents associated with this recording

FPS Understanding the Budget 1/25/2010 (Page 6 through 17)

FPS - Understanding the Budget 1/25/10
FPS SPED Eligibility
https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B0wjbnXDBhczNTQzMjYyMmMtZWQyZS00YmZiLTg4MDItY2NiYzU3ZGQ0MGRh&hl=en

FPS SPED Placement
https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B0wjbnXDBhczZjRmYzgwYTctODY1NS00ZmU5LWEzYWItNTM2ZDE2MDdlMWVl&hl=en


------

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 the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission

I hope you enjoy!

Note: email subscribers will need to click through to the website to listen to the audio version.

------


Live reporting from the workshop can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/live-reporting-special-meeting-budget.html

and here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/live-reporting-budget-workshop.html

Part 1 of the workshop recording can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/fm-budget-workshop-12510-part-1.html

Part 2 of the workshop recording can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/fm-budget-workshop-12510-part-1.html

Part 3 of the workshop recording can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/02/fm-budget-workshop-part-3-12510.html 

Part 4 of the workshop recording can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/02/fm-budget-workshop-part-4-1252010.html

Part 5 of the workshop recording can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/02/fm-budget-workshop-part-5-12510.html



Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , ,

Jordan, UT: Jordan School District

With school vacation this week, many folks will be traveling. Let's travel a little ourselves via the web to find out what else is going on with local blogs, in particular those covering local government and education.


Current J - the blog for the Jordan School District
http://current.jordandistrict.org/


T4 is a resource for comprehensive school improvement plans:
http://t4.jordan.k12.ut.us/t4/content/section/7/39/

T4  is a resource for teachers
http://t4.jordan.k12.ut.us/t4/content/section/5/38/

The Flip over video page is a wealth of resource links on how to use the Flip video camera
http://t4.jordan.k12.ut.us/t4/content/view/314/37/


In your travels, have your found a good blog to share?

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,

Monday, February 15, 2010

FM Budget Workshop Part 5 - 1/25/10

This is Part 5 of the Budget Workshop held in Franklin, MA on Jan 25th. This segment covers the start for the discussion around the Schools budget.

Time: 25 minutes, 25 seconds



MP3 File


Session Notes:

Franklin held conducted a budget workshop on Monday, Jan 25, 2010. This is part five of the session recording. Superintendent Maureen Sabolinski and Finance Director Miriam Goodman, cover the overview of the Franklin Schools budget.

Documents associated with this recording

FPS Understanding the Budget 1/25/2010 (Page 1 through 5)


FPS - Understanding the Budget 1/25/10


FPS Overview
https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B0wjbnXDBhczZDc0MTI1ZjktMzRlNy00YjM3LWJmMjYtOWYyZTk3NWQ1YWJl&hl=en

FPS Teacher Salary Grid
https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B0wjbnXDBhczZDVmYjBmZDgtNDJhNS00YmY2LTljOTQtNDNhNTk5NWY3N2Zk&hl=en

------

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 the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission

I hope you enjoy!

Note: email subscribers will need to click through to the website to listen to the audio version.

Live reporting from the workshop can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/live-reporting-special-meeting-budget.html

and here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/live-reporting-budget-workshop.html


The first four sessions cover the Town side of the budget

Part 1 of the workshop recording can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/fm-budget-workshop-12510-part-1.html

Part 2 of the workshop recording can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/fm-budget-workshop-12510-part-1.html

Part 3 of the workshop recording can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/02/fm-budget-workshop-part-3-12510.html

Part 4 of the workshop recording can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/02/fm-budget-workshop-part-4-1252010.html

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , ,

Central Falls, RI in the news

At one time, Central Falls was the most densely populated square mile in the US. It is now in the news as the Superintendent is preparing to fire all the high school teachers.

Why? 

The school apparently is failing its students. The Superintendent wants to make changes. The Teacher Unions is hold its ground to make changes "upon negotiation".

Read the full article here

and more here


Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,

Franklin, MA: Skipping weekly review

I'll skip the weekly review (podcast) for this week. I will have one for the week ending Sunday the 21st.

If you missed one of the updates during the week, you can see them all here:






Posted by at
Labels: , ,

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Franklin Flatbread/Spruce Pond Creamery

As the girls were growing up, one of our family traditions was to walk to Spruce Pond Creamery on the last day of school to help celebrate. I've been known to go with a banana split for dinner. It does have multiple food groups, right (fruit, dairy, nuts, chocolate!) :-)



Franklin Flatbread/Spruce Pond Creamery, originally uploaded by shersteve.

Good food with a quaint pond view setting. Now with a wine and malt license, there is an added incentive to visit for pizza or a panini.

Of course, sitting on the porch with your ice cream is not something you'd do often in winter.


Franklin Flatbread/Spruce Pond Creamery in a green and warmer view:


Stay warm!
Posted by at
Labels: , , ,

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Solid waste - Newton's info

Newton implemented an automated single stream solid waste process similar to what is coming to Franklin. From the Newton website I found the following:


The size of the cart was selected for several reasons:
  1. In a survey conducted in 2007, 88% of the households could fit trash into this cart;
  2. The cart will encourage more recycling;
  3. The average household in Newton produces approximately 40 lbs of trash per week.
    4. NOTE: The new blue carts will hold the same amount as two large standard trash bags (each holds 35 lbs) or five small kitchen trash bags (each holds 20 lbs) or two 35-gallon barrels (each holds 40 lbs)
  4. In the pilot survey, 82% of the participants stated that the 64-gallon carts held their weekly trash without a problem.


Thanks to Warren Reynolds for providing the link from his post on the new system. You can read Warren's post here:
http://www.02038.com/2010/02/franklin-ma-single-stream-automatedtrash-pickup/

The link to Newton's pages can be found here:
http://www.ci.newton.ma.us/DPW/recycling/ittakestwo/intro.html


Posted by at
Labels: , , , ,

Time to wake up on obesity

There are a number of problems in this world but many of them pale in comparison with obesity.

Franklin's budget problem is minor. The trash fee is minuscule.

Jamie Oliver gave this talk at TED recently. It is a powerful and yet easy message to take a step on. Today.

Powerful? Wait until you see the wheelbarrow!



What are you going to do?
When are you going to start?


Posted by at
Labels: , , , , ,

Friday, February 12, 2010

Wired Kids Summit

The Franklin Teenangels group could use your help in raising money to attend the following event. If you would like to contribute, please contact Lisa Keohane

Prior posts on the Teenangels can be found
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/live-reporting-teen-angels.html

and
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/teen-angels-pledge-text-think-send.html

The Milford Daily News wrote about the Teenangels here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1685423643/Cyberbullying-too-real-for-teens

-----


The Fifth Annual Wired Kids Summit

Teenangels.org logo
Wired Kids and The WiredSafety Group’s  FBI-trained Teenangels
and Tweenangels invite you to join them at their Wired Kids Summit
given entirely by these expert teens and pre-teens.       
 Teenangels and Tweenangels share:
·        What do Kids Currently Use the Internet for?
·        What are the Latest Interactive Technologies and How Do Kids Use Them?
·        What Sites Do Kids Visit the Most and Why?
·        What’s the Latest on Kids and Cyberbullying, Blogs, Cyber-dating, Downloading Media, Privacy, Security, Cell phones and Text-messaging as well as Predators on the Web?
Come Join Us and Hear from the Real Experts –
The Teens and Preteens Themselves
Panel discussions: The summit will consist of panel discussions run entirely by FBI-trained preteens and teens, our real Internet experts. Moderated by Parry Aftab, cyberlawyer and Executive Director of Wired Kids and the Wired Safety Group, four separate panels will allow the expert preteens and teens to share their expertise, views and accolades about the Internet, their favorite sites and visionaries.
An Awards Ceremony take place throughout the summit, including our Internet Super Hero Award which will be presented this year by Marvel’s Spider-Man and Parry Aftab.
About Us
WiredKids.com and the Wired Safety Group is a 501c3 organization. It is the largest online safety and help group in the world, operating through thousands of volunteers in 76 countries around the world. The Wired Safety Group operates WiredSafety.org, WiredKids.org, Teenangels.org, InternetSuperHeroes.org and StopCyberbullying.org.

SCHEDULE
Date: May 25, 2010
Place: Washington, D.C. at the Senate Russell Building, Room 325.
Time:    Registration will begin at 9:00 A.M.
The Summit will be held from 9:30 A.M. – 1:00 P.M.
A special lunch will be served for invited guests from 1:15 P.M. – 2:30 P.M. Over lunch, the Tweenangels and Teenangels will join the guests and share their expertise and presentations on Internet predators will be delivered by Teenangels with bestselling author, Katie Tarbox. (Sorry, luncheon invitations are reserved for special guests, WiredKids advisory board members and Teenangel supporters.) 
Space at the Summit is limited so please reserve your place early by e-mailing us at wksummit@wiredsafety.org or by visiting WiredSafety.org and clicking on “events” and filing out the reservation request form.
We look forward to seeing you!
·        Panel 1: Stop Cyberbullying! presents information about how young people are using the internet to harass other kids online. The panel will cover real cases, prevention, and safety tips for parents, kids and schools.
·        Panel 2: Keeping Kids and Families Safe in a Digital World will share information about the 4Ps – privacy, predators, pornography and piracy, the new WiredSafety.org video, the Teenangels’ and Tweenangels’ own safety tips and what parents, schools and industry leaders should know.
·        Panel 3: The Secret World of Kids Online will share hidden risks of new technologies and showcase products and improvements created or enhanced by the TeenAngels as well as recommendations for features to existing products to enhance online safety, privacy and security.
·        Panel 4: Just for Fun will explore what kids enjoy doing online including their favorite sites and activities. (The Wired Kids Best of the Web Awards will be given during this panel.)
Awards Ceremony:
The Summit will include awards for the following:
·        The Teenangels Hero Awards
·        WiredSafety’s Super Librarian of the Year
·        The Wired Cops Awards
·        The Educational Superstar Award
·        The Wired Kids’ Best of the Web Awards
·        The Internet Visionary Award
·        And for the first time, our Internet Super Hero Award will be presented by Marvel’s Super Heroes, including Spider-Man and The Incredible Hulk
In addition, the Internet safety video – The 4Ps – Privacy, Predators, Porn and Pop-ups will be released in honor of Christina Long, the first confirmed murder victim by an Internet sexual predator.




Posted by at
Labels: , , ,

HMEA 5K Race/Walk - May 23rd

The Horace Mann Education Associates - HMEA, Inc. is located here in Franklin, MA but their effective service delivery is to over 100 communities in MA.

HMEA has a long history of providing innovative services in school, at work, at home and in the community and now serve over 2400 children and adults with developmental disabilities. Services include: Residential, Day and Family supports, and services for children.

HMEA's Employment Programs provides people with disabilities the opportunity to pursue meaningful employment either on a full- or part-time basis. For people in the Employment Program who work part-time, HMEA encourages volunteering for community organizations, or leisure and recreation activities to supplement their day.

HMEA's Employment Programs serve people 22 years of age and older who live within the commuting distance of program locations in the following cities and towns: Bellingham, Clinton, Hopedale, Plainville and Worcester

The annual fund raiser for HMEA is the 5K Race/Walk and Family Fun Day scheduled for May 23, 2010.

From Passionate Runner

SAVE THE DATE...Sunday, May 23, 2010 HMEA's 9th Annual Independence 5K Walk/Run in the Park - MARK YOUR CALENDARS and grab your sneakers to participate in this "Fun-filled Family Day fundraising event...
This event, which is hosted by our good friends at EMC2 Corporation in Franklin, MA gathers 2,000 or more people to help HMEA continue its mission to make a difference in people's lives. AND, all the money raised is returned to the many programs at HMEA, which supports 2,400 children and adults with intellectual challenges and developmental disabilities.
Once again we have Gene Lavanchy from Fox News25 and tentatively Gail Huff from WCVB-TV Channel performing hosting duties for us. And our great friends and inspiration to many, "TEAM HOYT", Dick and Rick will be on hand again this year -- plus we're pretty sure there will be a few other celebrities and mascots on hand as well!
So come on down and participate in the fun...there's raffle prizes, food, tee shirts for participants (while they last), prizes, a Kids Corner filled with games and activities, a Kids "FUN RUN" and so much more... 


In addition to working the road race registration table (and providing splits at the 2 mile mark), I have decided to help HMEA do some fund raising this year.

I love the quote from Horace Mann that they use on their History page:
"Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity"

You can help the HMEA make a difference with a donation. I have a widget in the center column of this and my other blogs, should you choose to donate an amount within your means.

I will appreciate it.
The HMEA clients you help will too!

-----

If you would like to register for the race you can do so here
http://www.hmea.org/events.html

If you'd like you can contribute in one of several options directly through the HMEA website here
http://www.hmea.org/donations.html


Posted by at
Labels: , , , ,

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Solid Waste Pros/Cons - Updated

I received two emails this morning in response to my posting here. I provide answers to them as follows:

The first:


The new trash fee will be $233 (MAYBE it will go down to $220, but no guarantee).  However, all cost bases are going off the $220 number.  I feel that is a big mistake.  There is no $20 savings per resident.  There is only $7, based on the assumed current cost of trash pickup being $240.  So stickers to the dump will cost $20 now, which means the residents net cost is $13 for those wishing to use that service.  It is not a wash.

Do you know where they are getting the 800,000 from?

Let's walk through this step by step. It can be confusing and easy to mix up the numbers to end up with incorrect math. I caught one of my own mistakes as I went through this.

1 - The current annual is $244. That is 4 quarter charges of $61 dollars per quarter.
The proposal on Wednesday 2/10/10 was shown as $233
So the savings of this proposal would be $11.

Considering the Beaver St Sticker fee would increase from $10 to $20, the net savings for the approx 2500 folks considering the $11 savings for the annual curbside fee would be $1.

2 - The original proposal of the new system would $220. This does still require a Council vote but I think would be likely. More likely than not. The further savings of $24 dollars would come from use of a surplus of the Solid Waste enterprise account. Jeff Nutting has mentioned this a couple of times. Application of the surplus against the curbside fee would allow for the $220 annual fee for the next two years.

You may argue that the application of the surplus would be better used elsewhere. Those could be options to consider. Considering the cast flow and time value of money, the savings provided by the reduced fee to Franklin residents today would be better.

However, assuming the $220 becomes the new system fee, the resulting savings is $24 per resident per year.

Applying the $24 savings to the increase in the Beaver St fee it becomes better than a wash which I did claim earlier. The resident now saves $14.


Annual Curbside fees  
Current         244
Proposed 1    233
Savings 1       11
  
Current         244
Proposed 2    220
Savings 2       24

   
Beaver St sticker  
Current          10
Proposed        20
Increase       -10

3 - The $800,000 is the gross amount required to fund the totters/bins required (with some spares). Jeff Nutting has said a couple of times that the full amount may not be needed. Historically, an amount authorized for borrowing if not fully utilized can be rescinded and has been rescinded. You can check the actions for the Town Council meeting on February 3rd, where two prior bond authorizations were rescinded as no longer required.

Per Jeff it is $45 per totter/bin and we need 2 for each resident. $90 per resident at 8600 residents comes out to $774,000 or $800,000 in round numbers.

The $800,000 would be borrowed against the enterprise account to finance the purchase of the totter/bins over a five year period. This amount is included in the calculations that would still result in either the $11 savings or the $24 savings.
   
4 - As I went back through my notes and the Town video archives, the presentation to the Council at the January 20th meeting showed a $3 over flow sticker. Assuming the $24 savings, this would allow residents to obtain 8 overflow stickers and still break even for the year ($3 x 8 = $24).


The second:

You refer to a $20 savings in your article, but I thought the savings is only $11. Which is correct?

Actually based upon the above, my "savings of $20" is an incorrect calculation. It should be $24. It currently is $11 until the Town Council approves the budget which as I mentioned above is likely to bring it to $24.

I hope this helps to clear up some confusion around the numbers, some of which I contributed to with my own math error. 

------

For additional information:

1 - You can review the Town Council meetings on the video archive here
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_Webdocs/videoarchive


2 - You can review the solid waste presentation to the Town Council on 1/20/10 here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/live-reporting-solid-waste.html


3 - My summary of the recent Town Council meetings covering this topic
2/10 -> http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/02/town-council-021010.html
2/03 -> http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/02/town-council-mtg-smry-020310.html
1/20 -> http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/town-council-mtg-smry-01202010.html





Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , ,

Solid waste - pros/cons

While it is a done deal with the Town Council approving to set the new trash fee at $233 per year (with future action to possibly reduce it to $220 per year) let's recap the impact on the average homeowner.

My typical trash day:

What it could be with the two new tooters:



Approx 2,500 people get stickers at Beaver St to dump trash there. The cost for the sticker will go up $10 to a total of $20. But the annual curbside pickup service rate drops from $240 to $220 so it is a break-even situation for those 2,500 folks. They pay $20 for the Beaver St sticker but save $20 $24 on the annual curbside rate. For the other approx 6,000 Franklin trash users, they all save $20 $24 per year. Franklin has a net savings.

Franklin residents currently would need to buy and maintain their own trash barrels. The Town does supply the current recycle containers. In the new system, the Town will buy and maintain new 65 gallon tooters or bins or trash barrels with wheels. The wheels should allow for easier movement from garage or wherever to the sidewalk or curbside. If a wheel comes off, call the DPW and they'll get it repaired. All this is included in the $20 $24 per year savings.

The totters (bins, barrels, etc) would be purchased from the enterprise account. With current interest rates, the financing cost will be minimal and after a projected five year payback, the Town owns the totters. The annual rate can drop as the financing is complete. The Town could elect (and probably should elect at that time) to put some of the project $19 savings aside in the enterprise account for future purchases to replace the totters as they wear out after ten years. All this would be done with the existing $20 $24 per year savings and a possibility for more after five years.

Some fear that the large totters with wheels will be too hard to navigate from the garage/shed/wherever to the curbside. Well it seems to me something can roll a whole lot easier than it can be carried even if the ground is uneven. The Town has committed to give the 65 gallon containers a trial period. At different times it was talked of from 3-6 months, after which if someone really needs a smaller container, they can have one. There would be no reduction in fee for the smaller size. They would still benefit from the overall $20 $24 annual savings.

Some fear that the 65 gallon container would not be sufficient for their normal trash usage. This might be a good opportunity to look at your trash usage and perhaps try to recycle more, or change your purchases to avoid creating so much trash. For those few times a year (holidays and special parties, in particular) where the 65 gallon container would not be enough, the resident could obtain (in some not completely specified manner) a sticker to put out an additional bag (at presumably an additional cost). It could also be an opportunity to be careful about what goes into the container when it would be anticipated to get too full and hold some of the trash for the following week when there would be more space. It could also be an opportunity to put some in with a neighbor (assuming they have room). It could also be cause for the resident if this happens on too frequent a basis, to actually obtain an additional 65 gallon trash container and pay the additional fee for it. How many residents would fit into this category on a regular basis? Good question, I don't believe anyone knows. 

Given the one uncertainty and the more compelling cost savings considered above, I think the Council made a good choice. The final result will clearly be known overtime as the new system gets implemented.

Updated - I caught a math error of my own that was replicated throughout this posting. Subtracting 220 from 244 is 24 not 20.

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , ,

Town Council - 02/10/10

The collection of posts live reported from the Town Council meeting on Wednesday can be found here:




Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,

Spilka and Vallee to Hold Office Hours in Franklin; Fri - Feb 19th

Senator Karen Spilka to Hold Office Hours in Franklin

Join Senator Spilka and Puja Mehta, Senator Spilka's District and Constituent Services Director, for coffee and conversation.  They will update constituents on the latest news and events, and answer any questions you may have.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Franklin: Elizabeth's Bagels and More
10:00 a.m -11:00 a.m.
456 West Central Street, Franklin

----------

Rep. James Vallee, D-Franklin, will hold walk-in office hours on Feb. 19 in Medway and Franklin.

Vallee or a member of his staff will take visitors at the Medway Town Administrator's office on 155 Village St. from 9 to 10 a.m.

From 10:30-11:30 a.m., he or a staff member will be at his Franklin office at 4 West St.

He and his staff may be reached at 617-722-2600 or Rep.JamesVallee@hou.state.ma.us.


Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , ,

In the News - trash fee reduced, Seniors get aid

Franklin sets new trash fees

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

Franklin seniors missing out on aid

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


Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)