Friday, January 28, 2011

Clear Snow Away From Furnace Pipes (video)

A public service contribution from Bill Glynn on the need to keep your furnace pipes clear of snow.



Thanks for sharing this Bill!

Note: For email subscribers, you will need to click through to Franklin Matters to view this video.

Franklin, MA


"a tough budget season for the town of Franklin"

Under Patrick's plan, local aid to Franklin would be cut by $228,753.
In fiscal 2011, the town's aid from the state was reduced by more than $1 million, according to state Department of Revenue figures.
Patrick's plan, unveiled this week, would cut the fiscal 2012 budget by $570 million. Aid to cities and towns would be reduced by $65 million, but Chapter 70 funding for public schools would rise by $140 million.
"It sounds like the governor wants to preserve school funding," Town Council Vice Chairman Stephen Whalen said. "If that helps us not have as big a deficit with the schools, then that's great."
School budgeting is always challenging because it involves special education and other costs that are difficult to control, Whalen said.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here

Additional information on the FY 2012 budget can be found here

Friendly reminder: the School budget workshop is Saturday, Jan 29th beginning at 8:30 AM in the Municipal Bldg, 3rd floor Training Room.



Franklin, MA

Thursday, January 27, 2011

"Specific costs have yet to be determined"

The plan creates eight clusters which each have four classrooms, a group project room, science lab and space for teachers to provide individual instruction, said Michael McKeon, of Foxborough-based Kaestle Boos Associates.
"These clusters or teams actually have all the services they need within the cluster to support that learning group, which is actually a very advanced or modern way to organize a school," he said.
Two clusters would be reserved for freshmen, who are already grouped for most classes, and one would be for a pre-existing arts academy. The remaining clusters would be for sophomores, juniors and seniors who would be grouped by interests with faculty who share those interests, Principal Peter Light said.
"What you're trying to do is make the school a little smaller for students," Light said. "When you provide them a home base and smaller learning community you actually boost student achievement."
You can read the full article in the Milford Daily News here



Franklin, MA

"You can't be a best plant and not be a safe plant"

"The success is driven by a great work force," plant manager Jim Clark said yesterday at an event celebrating the recognition.
In 2005, when General Cable purchased the plant, it was on the verge of closing. But plant officials, attracted to Franklin by its proximity to regional highways, improved efficiency without laying off any workers, Clark said.
The magazine noted plant leaders have transitioned to a flexible work force which has employees shift among several jobs and who are encouraged to come up with their own ideas for improvements.
The magazine praised the plant for developing charts at each workstation that provide step-by-step instructions for how to resolve common issues that may affect quality, such as properly measuring each cable to make sure it is the correct diameter.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here

You can find the Industry Week article here with additional details on the recognition for General Cable's Franklin facility.

The General Cable website can be found here


Franklin, MA

You're Invited!

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

via Franklin Public Library by Franklin Public Library on 1/26/11


Things you can do from here:

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Preliminary Analysis: The Governor's Fiscal Year 2012 Budget





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  Noah Berger
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  (617) 426-1228 x102


  Tom Benner
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Preliminary Analysis:
The Governor's Fiscal Year 2012 Budget


Wednesday, January 26, 2011
 
 

The Governor's budget proposal (House 1) for Fiscal Year 2012 recommends both significant reforms and deep cuts.  While the national economy is still struggling to recover from a recession worse than any since the depression of the 1930s, the assistance that the federal government had provided to reduce the severity of state budget cuts during this economic crisis is ending.  

As a result, the coming budget year will likely be even more challenging than the past three.

This Preliminary Analysis provides a quick overview of the Governor's budget proposal. The report, Preliminary Analysis: The Governor's Fiscal Year 2012 Budget, is available at www.massbudget.org or by clicking here.

A more complete analysis will be provided in our Budget Monitor, which will be released late next week.

MassBudget provides independent research and analysis of state budget and tax policies, as well as economic issues, with particular attention to the effects on low- and moderate-income people.

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