"looking at cutting the athletic program"

By Ashley Studley/Daily News staff

Milford Daily News

Posted Apr 14, 2010 @ 12:35 AM

FRANKLIN —

Some School Committee members last night said taxpayers will need to pass a Proposition 2 1/2 tax override to prevent severe cuts. Moves being considered include the elimination of all sports and extracurricular activities.

The discussion came after Superintendent Maureen Sabolinski gave the committee a general list of possible cuts to bridge its expected $1.8 million deficit if a Proposition 2 1/2 tax override isn't passed. She did not provide specific figures, but will do so at the committee's next meeting.

"I'd like to be able to go to the Town Council (meeting) on the 28th of April, and I'd like the council to fill that gap of $1.8 million with override revenues," Committee Chairman Jeffrey Roy said. "We have to stop eliminating these programs."

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here

Open Meeting Law Changes – Request for Comment

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

Open Meeting Law Changes – Request for Comment

via At Issue & In Focus by Massachusetts Attorney General on 4/13/10

The Open Meeting Law was recently revised as part of the 2009 Ethics Reform Bill, and will centralize responsibility for state-wide enforcement of the law in the Office of the Attorney General.  The effective date of the revised law is July 1, 2010. Historically, the Attorney General has enforced  the Open Meeting Law applicable to state governmental bodies.  Local District Attorney's Office's were responsible for enforcement of the laws relative to cities, towns, and counties. 

Among the changes that become effective July 1, 2010, the Open Meeting Law, G.L. c. 30A, § 19(c),  will require that, for local public bodies, "notice of public meetings must be filed with the municipal clerk and posted in a manner conspicuously visible to the public at all hours in or on the municipal building in which the clerk's office is located."  The law does not specify the ways in which cities and towns can satisfy this requirement, but an outdoor, weather-proof bulletin board would seem the most obvious means.  Concerned about their practical ability to post numerous meeting notices outdoors, many municipalities have requested that the Attorney General approve alternative notice posting methods as allowed by the Open Meeting Law.  Specifically, numerous municipalities have requested that they be permitted to satisfy the "at all hours" requirements by posting their meeting notices on their town websites.

The AGO, through its Division of Open Government is requesting public comment on proposed alternatives to the notice posting requirement in the Open Meeting Law.  Comment should be submitted by April 23, 2010.

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Franklin company earns GM award

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

Franklin company earns GM award

via The Milford Daily News News RSS by Staff reports on 4/12/10

Clark-Cutler-McDermott Company last month received the 2009 Supplier of the Year Award from General Motors at a ceremony at the Design Dome in Michigan.

The company -  which supplies acoustical insulation and interior trim parts to GM plants throughout the country - was one of 76 companies recognized out of 20,000 worldwide suppliers.

"It is certainly a privilege  and an honor for us to be named a General Motors 2009 Supplier of the Year award recipient,'' President Thomas R. McDermott said in a press release. "The commitment, hard work and dedication of all our employees is reflected in this prestigious award. We are very grateful to General Motors for this honor.''

The award program began in 1992, and each year a global team of purchasing, engineering quality, manufacturing and logistics executives determine the winners. Decisions are based on supplier performance in quality, service, technology and price.

Clark-Cutler-McDermott has three factories at 5 Fisher St.

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Live reporting - Information matters/Closing

5. Information Matters

Superintendent’s Report
a. Enrollment Comparison

facilities update, the grounds will be fertilizer Sunday morning and not be ready for use until Tuesday.  A  Connect-Ed update will also go out to the school population and families

b. Financial Audit
Miriam Goodman - end of year report submitted annually to DESE, the report is extensive, there are three minor findings of expenditures reported on one line instead of another. Overall it was an excellent audit.

School Committee Sub-Committee Reports - none

School Committee Liaison Reports
JPCC today, budget reviewed, hopefully will try to pass that one to their membership

Cafasso - School Bldg committee will meet in early May, progressing on selection of an architect

Glynn - To Mr Sherlock's point, I'll start to collect some items to help present to the community the full and complete story

Roy - at a recent MICA event, seven different school ensembles performed, all seven received medals, one Gold for Franklin High School - will be performing at Symphony Hall in Boston this Saturday

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

Trahan - reminder about FEF Trivia Bee on 4/29


Glynn - I was at the MICA Festival to see the middle school perform



7. Executive Session
Contractual Negotiations

motion to enter with no intention to return to public
approved 7-0





Franklin, MA

Live reporting - Action items

4. Action Items

A. I recommend approval of the 2010-2011 School Calendar with the change discussed. motion to approve, passed 7-0

B - covered earlier in meeting

C. I recommend approval of the field trip request for Keller 5th Grade class to visit Roger Williams Zoo in Providence, RI on May 7, 2010 as detailed.  motion to approve, passed 7-0

D. I recommend acceptance of a check for $250.00 from the Alliance for Climate Education for the FHS for supplemental curriculum materials.  motion to approve, passed 7-0

E. I recommend approval of the RMS Adventure Club’s recurring trip to Mt. Monadnock, Jaffrey, NH for May 15, 2010 as detailed.  motion to approve, passed 7-0

 Franklin, MA

Live reporting - budget FY 11

3. Discussion Only Items

B. Budget Discussion

Broad and general discussion with regards to the overall Town budget situation
$1.8 million difference between level service and level funded (actually 1.9 but less the 100,000 offset from the Town side)
School Committee meeting on 4/27 would get closer to the choices in advance of the Town Council meeting and discussion on 4/28

working to reduce health care costs via a redesign to allow for only a 3% increase in health care costs.

agreed last year to hold the high school harmless for cuts this year due to decisions made last year

will look at high school athletic fees versus actual operating costs, there may need to be an icrease

we'll be looking at personnel reductions in the K-5

possibly shortening the elementary school day to cover some prep time, may present some challenges for parents but would be out of the box approach to save teachers.

we are not ready at this time to put half day kindergarten on the table. going to half-day would require a systemic redesign of the curriculum, it would likely also bring about some other unintended consequences

wage freezes were obtained last year with the intent that the community would step up to do their part this year.

meeting with the administrative team in the morning to review these and get more specific.

shortening the elementary level only one day a week, not everyday
would require looking at how specialists are scheduled across the district

Cafasso - looking at the transportation contracts, I believe we can do with less buses, some of the rides might get a little longer but there are a lot of empty seats on the buses at Horace Mann

Look at turning down thermostats and see how much that would, if anything, buy us
look at the foreign language curriculum

If the voters in this town don't think they are getting their monies worth, they got another thing coming

Trahan - It is tough but I think the community will need to see what they can contribute this year.

Glynn - pay to ride, look at what it is for everyone. I know it is against state law, These cuts are painful and need to be equitable. Look at everything else we can cut to preserve the sanctity of the classroom.


I stepped up to remind the Committee to come back for their next meeting with the one-page overview reconciliation of where they started and where they are. Already tonight you are talking about 1.9 and 1.8 shortage when on Jan 26th, you were presented a 53.5 million budget that at the time was an increase of 2.2 million over the prior year.

I will help you spread the word on the need for the money but you need to get all the numbers on the same page and be in agreement on what they are. You may not be deliberately trying to confuse the issue but it could be read that way.


Franklin, MA

Live reporting - space needs

3. Discussion Only Items

A. Space Needs Sub Committee Report and Modular Rubric

Roberta Trahan - subcommittee chair
Space at the high school but most other space has been utilized
Looking for direction from the committee overall on what to do next, i.e. re-districting

Rohrbach - Davis Thayer space, Town has not yet financed to remove the modular units (although approved by School Committee).

Trahan - with the modulars out, there would be some space depending upon the enrollment at the time

Horace Mann is using space that would otherwise be Oak Streets not the other way around.

Sherlock - Clarification on the use of the rubric, a four point scale but some of the pages had two numbers, hence you couldn't make a decision?
Trahan - yes, some of the modular units fell between the status categories

Sherlock - I was also anticipating that the room capacities would be included so one could assess the true space needs and capacity requirements of what we have and what we need.

Discussion on minor re-districting possible to address crowding at JF Kennedy, Keller and shift to elsewhere.

Sabolinski - We started the re-districting process with space needs, an enrollment projection.
Roy - the last one we did was 2001, so it has lasted for quite some time
Cafasso - we need to look at where these is growth, as you go around town, there is new building coming. Look at the housing turnover, particularly with the elderly leaving at some point to "cash in" on their housing values.

That segways nicely into out budget discussion



Franklin, MA