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Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Preliminary Analysis: The Governor's Fiscal Year 2012 Budget
FY2012 Local Aid Proposals
The FY2012 local aid estimates based on Governor Deval Patrick's budget proposal have been posted to the Division of Local Services' web site at the link below:
http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=dorsubtopic&L=5&L0=Home&L1=Local+Officials&L2=Municipal+Data+and+Financial+Management&L3=Cherry+Sheets&L4=FY2012+Cherry+Sheets&sid=Ador
The Governor's budget proposal recommends funding FY2012 Chapter 70 at $3.990 billion or $139.3 million higher than FY2011. The Governor's budget also recommends reducing Unrestricted General Government Aid by $65 million to $834.0 million in FY2012. Most other cherry sheet accounts are funded at the FY2011 level.
Please be advised that these estimates are based on the appropriation levels appearing in the Governor's FY2012 budget proposal (House 1) and may change as the legislative process unfolds and proposed appropriation levels change.
Please note that Charter School and School Choice assessments may change significantly when updated to reflect spring enrollment data and final tuition rates.
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE) has published the Chapter 70 aid calculations, minimum contributions and net school spending requirements on the Office of School Finance website at:
http://finance1.doe.mass.edu/chapter70/chapter_12p.html
To review additional information about how the estimates were determined and what may cause them to change in the future, click on the link at the bottom for an index of the FY2012 programs and links to individual explanations.
If you have questions about these estimates please call Lisa Juszkiewicz at (617) 626-2386, or Jared Curtis at (617) 626-2320.
From the MA DLS email
"keep all the schools open"
through minor redistricting, some students could be sent to Oak Street Elementary School, which has the most available classroom space, she said. She said that would not impact middle school enrollment since Kennedy and Oak Street students already attend the same middle school.
In 2008, school officials estimated it costs $30,000 per year to operate all the modulars and would cost $20,000 to remove a set of modular classrooms from a school.
Updated cost figures were not presented at the meeting, but Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting has told the subcommittee there would likely be funding available to remove one set each summer, according to the report.
"I hope all the plans you laid out are followed," School Committee member Ed Cafasso said. "Some of these are outside our total control. ... I hope we do our part to go forward with this."Read the full article about the School Committee meeting in the Milford Daily News here
Franklin, MA
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Correction: Library is collecting books, will hold Book Sale
While a recent headline did say that the Franklin Public Library was not accepting books for the next book sale, that is not true.
Cynthia Dobrzynski, Chairperson of the Library Board of Directors, sent me this email:
Franklin, MA
Cynthia Dobrzynski, Chairperson of the Library Board of Directors, sent me this email:
The Franklin Public Library continues to accept donations and will hold a book sale in May. We are grateful to the Friends of the Franklin Library for their support and past efforts in running our book sale.As we had just received a letter in the mail from the Friends of the Library which was confusing, I wrote back to ask for clarification. Cynthia replied:
The Friends were wrong in stating that they were no longer accepting donations. Donations are to the Library, not the Friends. There is still the same space at the Library for sorting donations. The Friends were never denied this space. However, the Library could no longer allow the Friends space to store books year round on the premises when it was deemed necessary to allocate such space for other uses better suited to provide services. We worked diligently to find other storage space and Jeff Nutting has been very supportive of our efforts. The Friends have been aware of this issue for quite awhile and did not attempt to make other arrangements in the meantime. We expect other storage space to be available shortly.
At this time, the Library plans to run the next book sale with the assistance of volunteers and the support of the Board of Directors.
I hope this clarifies things. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any other questions.
Franklin, MA
Tale of 2 sidewalks
There is a significant difference in how well the current equipment can clear the sidewalks. Franklin has four devices, a couple of plows for sidewalks and a couple of snow throwers for sidewalks. The plows can move faster but as show below don't really do a great job.
Let me be clear about what I mean by a great job: I don't mean that there is not good time and effort put in, there is. But would you have your elderly parents walk down this? Sidewalks like this are hard to walk on when you are young and fully functioning.
The first photo above was taken Saturday morning, the second photo was taken Saturday afternoon. The snow thrower had gotten to the other side of the street by then. This one leaves a much cleaner path. Not perfect but much better than the plow leaves.
Given the choice between the two, I'd wait for the snow thrower to clear the sidewalks rather than have the plow cruise by. What about you?
Franklin, MA
Let me be clear about what I mean by a great job: I don't mean that there is not good time and effort put in, there is. But would you have your elderly parents walk down this? Sidewalks like this are hard to walk on when you are young and fully functioning.
The first photo above was taken Saturday morning, the second photo was taken Saturday afternoon. The snow thrower had gotten to the other side of the street by then. This one leaves a much cleaner path. Not perfect but much better than the plow leaves.
Given the choice between the two, I'd wait for the snow thrower to clear the sidewalks rather than have the plow cruise by. What about you?
Franklin, MA
Legal Food Frenzy 2011
Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:
via At Issue & In Focus by Massachusetts Attorney General on 1/24/11
Help Fight Hunger in Massachusetts!
Law firms, law schools and legal organizations are encouraged to sign up now to participate in Massachusetts' second annual "Legal Food Frenzy" sponsored by the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office in partnership with the legal community.
The Legal Food Frenzy is a benevolent competition within the legal community to raise funds and collect food to benefit food banks and their member agencies, food pantries and shelters during the spring, a traditionally slow time for donations. In these tough financial times, the role of food banks and hunger relief agencies have become even more crucial as more and more Massachusetts residents are seeking help to put food on the table.
Last year's first annual Legal Food Frenzy was piloted in the Greater Boston area and benefitted the Greater Boston Food Bank. Over 46 law firms, law schools and legal associations participated in the competition in 2010 and collectively raised the equivalent of, in food and funds, 350,000 pounds of food, providing an additional 180,000 meals for hungry families in eastern Massachusetts.
In 2011, the Legal Food Frenzy will be expanded to benefit all four Massachusetts Food Banks and donations will serve the entire Commonwealth. The competition will be held from March 28, 2011 – April 8, 2011. Learn more.
Law firms, law schools and legal organizations are encouraged to sign up now to participate in Massachusetts' second annual "Legal Food Frenzy" sponsored by the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office in partnership with the legal community.
The Legal Food Frenzy is a benevolent competition within the legal community to raise funds and collect food to benefit food banks and their member agencies, food pantries and shelters during the spring, a traditionally slow time for donations. In these tough financial times, the role of food banks and hunger relief agencies have become even more crucial as more and more Massachusetts residents are seeking help to put food on the table.
Last year's first annual Legal Food Frenzy was piloted in the Greater Boston area and benefitted the Greater Boston Food Bank. Over 46 law firms, law schools and legal associations participated in the competition in 2010 and collectively raised the equivalent of, in food and funds, 350,000 pounds of food, providing an additional 180,000 meals for hungry families in eastern Massachusetts.
In 2011, the Legal Food Frenzy will be expanded to benefit all four Massachusetts Food Banks and donations will serve the entire Commonwealth. The competition will be held from March 28, 2011 – April 8, 2011. Learn more.
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