The full and complete budget book for the FY 2012 school budget. This is scheduled for discussion Tuesday at the School Committee meeting beginning at 7:00 PM.
- The Budget Book is not available yet. Due to the way it was packaged with Adobe, it is not viewable via my normal sources - I'll correct it as soon as possible.
You can view the presentation from Saturday
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/01/budget-workshop-preliminary-school.html
and the document handout (which is the intro to the Budget Book)
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/01/school-budget-workshop-hand-out-from.html
Note: email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to view the document.
Franklin, MA
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Franklin, MA: School Committee - Agenda - 2/1/11
Vision Statement
The Franklin Public Schools will foster within its students the knowledge and skills to find and achieve satisfaction in life as productive global citizens.
Mission Statement
The Franklin Public Schools, in collaboration with the community, will cultivate each student's intellectual, social, emotional and physical potential through rigorous academic inquiry and informed problem solving skills within a safe, nurturing and respectful environment.
"The listing of matters are those reasonably anticipated by the Chair which may be discussed at the meeting. Not all items listed may in fact be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by law."
1. Routine Business
Citizen’s Comments
Review of Agenda
Minutes: I recommend approval of the minutes from the Open and Executive Sessions of the January 25, 2011 School Committee Meeting.
Payment of Bills Mr. Glynn
Payroll - none for this meeting Mrs. Douglas
FHS Student Representatives
Correspondence
1. Budget to Actual
2. Guests/Presentations
a. Lifelong Learning – Pandora Carlucci
b. Preliminary Budget Overview
3. Discussion Only Items
Proposed School Committee Schedule for 2011-2012
4. Action Items
a. I recommend acceptance of a check for $921.60 from the Remington PCC for in-house enrichment.
b. I recommend acceptance of a check for $125.00 from the Kennedy PCC for field trips.
c. I recommend the naming of the FHS away-side press box in memory of FHS football coach, Gerry Leone.
d. I recommend approval of the recurring field trip to Hartford, CT for the FHS Cheerleaders for a competition as detailed.
e. I recommend adoption of the School Committee Schedule for 2011-2012 as discussed.
5. Information Matters
Superintendent’s Report
School Committee Sub-Committee Reports
School Committee Liaison Reports
6. New Business
To discuss future business that may be brought before the School Committee.
7. Executive Session
Contractual Negotiations
8. Adjourn
Franklin, MA
Sound in the Hall Records
They hope to sell 500,000 downloads in the month of February of Copathetic, an independent music album featuring Virginia singer/songwriter Kate Herndon and Jessi Fanuele, a Franklin High School history teacher who plays acoustic guitar.
The students are part of Sound in the Hall Records, a student-run record company launched five years ago to supplement music recording and performance classes at the high school. About 30 students participate in the group, which has recorded local bands and school concerts and broadcasts radio shows on the Internet.
If they are successful, they would earn a Gold record, awarded by the Recording Industry Association of America for albums that sell 500,000 copies, Peacock said, adding they would probably become the first independent record company to reach this goal.
"We'd be making history," Peacock said. "And, we'll be pioneering a new way of marketing an album."Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
You can visit Sound in the Hall records website here
Franklin, MA
Medway Library trustees meet about agreement with Franklin
Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:
via The Milford Daily News News RSS by Julie Balise/Daily News staff on 1/31/11
Medway Public Library supporters have been invited to a meeting tomorrow to discuss the Board of Trustees decision to end their inter-municipal agreement with Franklin.
Things you can do from here:
- Subscribe to The Milford Daily News News RSS using Google Reader
- Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites
Monday, January 31, 2011
Budget Workshop: Preliminary School Budget
The presentation used during Saturday's budget workshop for the FY 2012 budget for the Franklin (MA) Public Schools.
Franklin Public Schools FY2012 Preliminary Budget
My notes reported live from the Budget workshop can be found here and here
Note: Email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to view the document
Franklin, MA
Franklin Public Schools FY2012 Preliminary Budget
My notes reported live from the Budget workshop can be found here and here
Note: Email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to view the document
Franklin, MA
Getting squeezed
The i495 and King St intersection was completely re-done last year in a MassDOT project. The wide lanes disappear in the snow however so be very careful navigating there.
You really need to be skinny when you get squeezed into what was a full lane but is no longer and there is an 18 wheeler next to you. Be careful!
While the State did the reconstruction of the interchange, does any one know who is responsible for this section to be plowed: the State or Franklin?
Franklin, MA
You really need to be skinny when you get squeezed into what was a full lane but is no longer and there is an 18 wheeler next to you. Be careful!
While the State did the reconstruction of the interchange, does any one know who is responsible for this section to be plowed: the State or Franklin?
Franklin, MA
Tale of two sidewalks (part 2)
It is good to see that downtown businesses can be taken care of. After all, business is at the heart of Franklin.
From what I hear, some folks would like the sidewalks around schools to be given a little more attention.
Parmenter School looked like this Friday morning:
To be fair, I need to go back to Parmenter to see what it looks like today. The downtown picture was taken Saturday afternoon. The DPW do a tremendous job. They have not added personnel since the 1990's and their amount of roads to cover has grown in that time. One of the two sidewalk snow plows dates back to 1970's. But it all costs money!
Franklin, MA
From what I hear, some folks would like the sidewalks around schools to be given a little more attention.
Parmenter School looked like this Friday morning:
To be fair, I need to go back to Parmenter to see what it looks like today. The downtown picture was taken Saturday afternoon. The DPW do a tremendous job. They have not added personnel since the 1990's and their amount of roads to cover has grown in that time. One of the two sidewalk snow plows dates back to 1970's. But it all costs money!
Franklin, MA
Work real hard to clear the snow!
Someone will need to be really energetic to clear all the snow with this mortar and pestle!
Stir, stir, stir!
Franklin, MA
Stir, stir, stir!
Franklin, MA
Sunday, January 30, 2011
School Budget Workshop - hand out from Sat Jan 29, 2011
The handout from the Budget Workshop held on Saturday, Jan 29, 2011 is now available in PDF form.
Note: In the conversion from hard copy to PDF, page 1 of 4 in the budget detail section was inadvertently copied twice. Otherwise, the document is as handed out Saturday.
Franklin, MA Public Schools - Budget Workshop Handout 1/29/2011
My notes reported live from the Budget workshop can be found here and here
Note: Email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to view the document
Franklin, MA
Note: In the conversion from hard copy to PDF, page 1 of 4 in the budget detail section was inadvertently copied twice. Otherwise, the document is as handed out Saturday.
Franklin, MA Public Schools - Budget Workshop Handout 1/29/2011
My notes reported live from the Budget workshop can be found here and here
Note: Email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to view the document
Franklin, MA
FM #84 - Week Ending Jan 30, 2011
Let's spend a few minutes to catch up on what matters in Franklin, MA as this week ends Jan 30, 2011. We'll look at the Town Council goal setting session, the School Committee budget workshop and close with some of the music and conversation from Ben Franklin's birthday party at the Historical Museum on Jan 23
Time: 21 minutes, 20 seconds
MP3 File
Session Notes:
This internet radio show or podcast is number 84 in the series for Franklin Matters.
I missed last week's show due to technical issues with my laptop. Those issues have been resolved and I am up to speed writing and reporting again but still trying to catch up on some things. As the week ends this Sunday, Jan 30th, the snow is piled up higher than my mailbox and winter is still upon us.
In this session we'll spend sometime with the Town Council who held their goal setting session on Weds Jan 19. From that session we'll look into the possible field use fee, and the future of the old museum. The School Budget workshop was held on Saturday providing a preview of the budget to be unveiled on Tuesday, Feb 1. It is not going to be pretty.
On a more positive note, we'll close with a sample or two from Ben Franklin's birthday party held at the Historical Museum on Sunday Jan 23rd. There were many folks came in throughout the afternoon. I know I had a great time talking with several. Those who came by were able to learn from Vera Meyer about the glass harmonica that Ben invented while listening to her play.
1 -
The Council goal setting session was a more informal meeting than most. Five councilors participated along with Jeff Nutting and Maxine Kinhart. Brian Benson and I were the only others in attendance. Jeff provided his update on the overall FY 2012 budget, it will be a very tough budget year with a deficit of about 4-5M dollars expected. How to address the systemic expense side of the budget is where much of the discussion took place. The group will hold a working session with the School Committee to get into more detail on health benefits and what options there are to control them. They would like to look at how to get the retirees to share more of the cost. The employees currently contribute 32% of the cost with the Town picking up 68%. Moving to a 50/50 split would take $10 M out of the budget. Doing this is also subject to collective bargaining with the Towns unions. The working session would bring in a health care specialist and be held in 'executive session' due to the collective bargaining nature of some of the discussion.
While the overall Town revenue is ultimately in the voters hands (by their determination of any override or debt exclusion), there are some smaller items that can be used to help prepare to cover for eventual costs. For example, the artificial turf fields will need to replaced sometime down the road. By adding a user fee now, a small fee can accumulate over the years of use by the various sports teams and when the fields do need to be replaced, the funds should be available. Pay a little now or pay a whole lot later. The fields were purchased and installed with a grant of what something in the neighborhood of 4-6M. Adding a small fee to each participant in a sport for each season will set up a fund to be able to pay for the replacement.
Somehow this has become quite a lightning rod. It is not meant to cover maintenance of the fields, those are covered in the regular operational budget. It is meant to cover the replacement of the artificial turfs. The simplest and fairest way to implement the fee is for all to share. If you tried to do t just with those sports using those fields, that would get real complicated and ultimately be unfair. This is only a proposal. It has not been determined when it will appear on a Council agenda for further discussion.
2 -
The old museum came up in discussion but rightfully belongs with the Historical Commission to make a decision or propose some options for the Council to weigh in on. To do otherwise would not be appropriate. The Historical Commission is the group of record responsible for managing the property. The Council ultimately can have its say but HC needs to take the lead. It is not an simple matter. There is a pumping station on the property but it should not hinder usage. The lot is zoned residential but you could not put in a residential building without a ZBA variance. The lot is currently too small for a residence. If it were used for something other than a residence, the neighbors would have their say. The property has been quiet for quite some time. The church that had turned over the property to the town still has first right to it should we not want it. The church merged in with what is the Franklin Federated and doesn't really exist as a separate church today.
To re-use the building itself would require extensive renovations. Before even going down that path, you need to determine a use for the property. Once the use is determined, then the proper planning can be done to see what it would take to bring it up to current zoning and building code requirements to meet the need. Then you could begin to look at alternative ways of funding the renovations. So let's not get wrapped around the axle of a cart that may not even need to move.
3 -
The School Committee, Central Office and all the principals meet for their budget workshop on Sat Jan 29th. Councilors Tina Powderly and Glenn Jones also participated. Julie Balise from the Milford Daily News and I were the only non-school, public representatives. Disappointing but that is what it is.
The preview of the budget shows an ugly picture. Even with an almost level service proposal, there are 14 plus positions being lost which will result in further increases to class size. I was not provided a copy of the document but didn't press the issue as the full budget package is coming out Tuesday night anyway.
Why 'almost level service'? This is due to the stimulus funds provided the last couple of years. The funds were required to be applied to keep some existing positions and to fund some positions that would otherwise be cut. With the stimulus funding gone this year, those positions come back on the budget to the tune of about 1.1 M. This accounts for the bulk of the personnel increase of 1.7M with the balance mostly in contractual commitments.
A nice what-if scenario was explored. With Franklin at 10,010 per pupil expenditures, and the State average at 13,006 – what would the State average look like for the Franklin budget? Try 78M, yes much more than the 52 million proposed. It would provide the budget that just about should be if the prior year cuts were not implemented. Another way to look at it, if the failed override for schools had passed since 2002, this is closer to what the school budget would be today. Very pie in the sky and unrealistic but certainly an insightful perspective.
4 -
So instead of closing on this depressing note, let's shift to include some segments of the party held at the Historical Museum on Sunday Jan 23. As I mentioned in the opening, there was good attendance, Many folks came in throughout the afternoon. I know I had a great time talking with several. Those who came by were able to learn from Vera Meyer about the glass harmonica that Ben invented while listening to her play. I hope she is able to come back to the museum in the future. The instrument is special and her presentation of it is engaging.
I hope you enjoy these few minutes from what was a really pleasant afternoon.
Photos from the afternoon at the Museum can be found here
----
This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin. I can use your help.
How can you help, you ask?
If you have an interest in covering the Planning Board, Conservation Commission and or the Zoning Board of Appeals meetings in Franklin, please let me know.
And as always -
Without this feedback loop, I can not improve this service.
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!
Time: 21 minutes, 20 seconds
MP3 File
Session Notes:
This internet radio show or podcast is number 84 in the series for Franklin Matters.
I missed last week's show due to technical issues with my laptop. Those issues have been resolved and I am up to speed writing and reporting again but still trying to catch up on some things. As the week ends this Sunday, Jan 30th, the snow is piled up higher than my mailbox and winter is still upon us.
In this session we'll spend sometime with the Town Council who held their goal setting session on Weds Jan 19. From that session we'll look into the possible field use fee, and the future of the old museum. The School Budget workshop was held on Saturday providing a preview of the budget to be unveiled on Tuesday, Feb 1. It is not going to be pretty.
On a more positive note, we'll close with a sample or two from Ben Franklin's birthday party held at the Historical Museum on Sunday Jan 23rd. There were many folks came in throughout the afternoon. I know I had a great time talking with several. Those who came by were able to learn from Vera Meyer about the glass harmonica that Ben invented while listening to her play.
1 -
The Council goal setting session was a more informal meeting than most. Five councilors participated along with Jeff Nutting and Maxine Kinhart. Brian Benson and I were the only others in attendance. Jeff provided his update on the overall FY 2012 budget, it will be a very tough budget year with a deficit of about 4-5M dollars expected. How to address the systemic expense side of the budget is where much of the discussion took place. The group will hold a working session with the School Committee to get into more detail on health benefits and what options there are to control them. They would like to look at how to get the retirees to share more of the cost. The employees currently contribute 32% of the cost with the Town picking up 68%. Moving to a 50/50 split would take $10 M out of the budget. Doing this is also subject to collective bargaining with the Towns unions. The working session would bring in a health care specialist and be held in 'executive session' due to the collective bargaining nature of some of the discussion.
While the overall Town revenue is ultimately in the voters hands (by their determination of any override or debt exclusion), there are some smaller items that can be used to help prepare to cover for eventual costs. For example, the artificial turf fields will need to replaced sometime down the road. By adding a user fee now, a small fee can accumulate over the years of use by the various sports teams and when the fields do need to be replaced, the funds should be available. Pay a little now or pay a whole lot later. The fields were purchased and installed with a grant of what something in the neighborhood of 4-6M. Adding a small fee to each participant in a sport for each season will set up a fund to be able to pay for the replacement.
Somehow this has become quite a lightning rod. It is not meant to cover maintenance of the fields, those are covered in the regular operational budget. It is meant to cover the replacement of the artificial turfs. The simplest and fairest way to implement the fee is for all to share. If you tried to do t just with those sports using those fields, that would get real complicated and ultimately be unfair. This is only a proposal. It has not been determined when it will appear on a Council agenda for further discussion.
2 -
The old museum came up in discussion but rightfully belongs with the Historical Commission to make a decision or propose some options for the Council to weigh in on. To do otherwise would not be appropriate. The Historical Commission is the group of record responsible for managing the property. The Council ultimately can have its say but HC needs to take the lead. It is not an simple matter. There is a pumping station on the property but it should not hinder usage. The lot is zoned residential but you could not put in a residential building without a ZBA variance. The lot is currently too small for a residence. If it were used for something other than a residence, the neighbors would have their say. The property has been quiet for quite some time. The church that had turned over the property to the town still has first right to it should we not want it. The church merged in with what is the Franklin Federated and doesn't really exist as a separate church today.
To re-use the building itself would require extensive renovations. Before even going down that path, you need to determine a use for the property. Once the use is determined, then the proper planning can be done to see what it would take to bring it up to current zoning and building code requirements to meet the need. Then you could begin to look at alternative ways of funding the renovations. So let's not get wrapped around the axle of a cart that may not even need to move.
3 -
The School Committee, Central Office and all the principals meet for their budget workshop on Sat Jan 29th. Councilors Tina Powderly and Glenn Jones also participated. Julie Balise from the Milford Daily News and I were the only non-school, public representatives. Disappointing but that is what it is.
The preview of the budget shows an ugly picture. Even with an almost level service proposal, there are 14 plus positions being lost which will result in further increases to class size. I was not provided a copy of the document but didn't press the issue as the full budget package is coming out Tuesday night anyway.
Why 'almost level service'? This is due to the stimulus funds provided the last couple of years. The funds were required to be applied to keep some existing positions and to fund some positions that would otherwise be cut. With the stimulus funding gone this year, those positions come back on the budget to the tune of about 1.1 M. This accounts for the bulk of the personnel increase of 1.7M with the balance mostly in contractual commitments.
A nice what-if scenario was explored. With Franklin at 10,010 per pupil expenditures, and the State average at 13,006 – what would the State average look like for the Franklin budget? Try 78M, yes much more than the 52 million proposed. It would provide the budget that just about should be if the prior year cuts were not implemented. Another way to look at it, if the failed override for schools had passed since 2002, this is closer to what the school budget would be today. Very pie in the sky and unrealistic but certainly an insightful perspective.
4 -
So instead of closing on this depressing note, let's shift to include some segments of the party held at the Historical Museum on Sunday Jan 23. As I mentioned in the opening, there was good attendance, Many folks came in throughout the afternoon. I know I had a great time talking with several. Those who came by were able to learn from Vera Meyer about the glass harmonica that Ben invented while listening to her play. I hope she is able to come back to the museum in the future. The instrument is special and her presentation of it is engaging.
I hope you enjoy these few minutes from what was a really pleasant afternoon.
Photos from the afternoon at the Museum can be found here
----
This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin. I can use your help.
How can you help, you ask?
If you have an interest in covering the Planning Board, Conservation Commission and or the Zoning Board of Appeals meetings in Franklin, please let me know.
And as always -
- If you like this, please tell your friends and neighbors
- If you don't like this, please tell me
Without this feedback loop, I can not improve this service.
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!
Franklin, MA: Town Council - Agenda - Feb 2, 2011
A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – January 12, 2011
B. ANNOUNCEMENTS
C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS
D. CITIZEN COMMENTS
E. APPOINTMENTS
Design Review - Chris Baryluk as member
Len Rafuse as Associate member
F. HEARINGS
G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS - Maguro House – Change of Manager
H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS
1. Updates:
I. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS
J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
1. Resolution 11-05: Authorization to Expend Funds in Excess of Available Appropriations
K. TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT
L. OLD BUSINESS
M. NEW BUSINESS
N. COUNCIL COMMENTS
O. EXECUTIVE SESSION – Negotiations, Litigation, Real Property, as May Be Required
P. ADJOURN
Franklin, MA
B. ANNOUNCEMENTS
C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS
D. CITIZEN COMMENTS
E. APPOINTMENTS
Design Review - Chris Baryluk as member
Len Rafuse as Associate member
F. HEARINGS
G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS - Maguro House – Change of Manager
H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS
1. Updates:
- Snow Budget
- Meeting with Recreation Advisory Board
- Handicap Parking
- High School Feasibility Study
- FY 2012 Budget
I. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS
J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
1. Resolution 11-05: Authorization to Expend Funds in Excess of Available Appropriations
K. TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT
L. OLD BUSINESS
M. NEW BUSINESS
N. COUNCIL COMMENTS
O. EXECUTIVE SESSION – Negotiations, Litigation, Real Property, as May Be Required
P. ADJOURN
Franklin, MA
Survey on priorities - lack of substantial results hinders progress
Survey results:
What one service would you discontinue?
What one service would you keep?
The survey did not come close to achieving what was intended so it is back to the drawing board.
Franklin, MA
What one service would you discontinue?
I would like to see homeowners made responsible for shoveling their own sidewalks so that the students could walk to school. If a snowfall over a certain amount, then the town's sidewalk plows could be used to assist and supplement. Also, if the schools and library and other departments are cut a certain percentage, then so should the senior center. The senior center should not be exempt from cuts. I believe that all services provide benefits. Even though some services may be stretched thin, eliminating one might mean that, in the future, it would be difficult to put back. If something is truly obsolete, and I can't think of any service that is, it should be eliminated.
--
Some winter classes, to save heat costs. Is it possible to change the calendar year to go to school through June and take 1-2 additional weeks off in the winter?
--
Most people only use the "optional" services of police and fire and trash, most "mandated" services offered I don't need. You should put the list somewhere for reference in this survey, so people could see how many useless things there are. If schools are "mandated", why are they always the first cut?
What one service would you keep?
Obviously the schools and essential services such as police and fire.
--
AP classes. The gifted/talented get little to no service in elementary school, then maybe some attention at the middle school. AP in high school is their only hope of sharing challenging course work with like-minded students.
--
Police, Fire, Trash, roads, Health and Building inspectors. Schools, and there is a LOT that could be trimmed there.
The survey did not come close to achieving what was intended so it is back to the drawing board.
Franklin, MA
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