Saturday, October 29, 2011
Election signs
I needed an excuse to keep me running Friday morning so I set out to find and photo as many election signs in Franklin as I could. With 37 candidates across the ballot, this wasn't too bad for a quick and short run. I will need to find some more as I get around town or run again with this goal in mind.
If you live in Franklin and find some different ones, please share.
Note: this is not an endorsement of any candidate or candidates. This is an exercise in getting photos of each candidate's sign.
Note: email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to view the slideshow
Friday, October 28, 2011
MA confirms $151,114 coming to Franklin
Franklin is getting $151,114 from this new allocation. Note that this allocation has been talked of coming, this is the confirmation of it. It is not 'another' set of dollars coming to Franklin.
On October 27, 2011, Governor Deval Patrick signed Chapter 142 of the Acts of 2011, which appropriated $65M in a supplemental budget for cities and towns of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This additional local aid will be distributed to municipalities on Monday, October 31, 2011.
The file for your distribution can be found at http://www.mass.gov/Ador/docs/dls/mdmstuf/LocalAidDist/65million.xls.
Please be advised that this revenue may be used in any one of the following ways:
• Applied as estimated receipts when setting the FY12 tax rate;
• Appropriated as an available fund during FY12, or;
• Any funds not appropriated must be closed to fund balance (free cash) at the end of FY12
Via the MA DLS Bulletin sent 10/28/11
Last Farmer's Market this season
Franklin is waking up to some snow on the ground with word of a good storm to bring more this weekend. Summer is behind us which also reminds us that the last Farmer's Market is today. Stop by the Town Common to take advantage of this opportunity for fresh local produce!
Reminder that the Farmers' Market now accepts SNAP dollars and can double your purchasing power.
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/07/franklin-farmers-market-doubles-food.html
Visit the Franklin Food Pantry tent at the Farmers' Market for details.
Franklin Farmers Market, Friday, 12:00pm to 6:00pm
Located on the Town Common
Reminder that the Farmers' Market now accepts SNAP dollars and can double your purchasing power.
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/07/franklin-farmers-market-doubles-food.html
Visit the Franklin Food Pantry tent at the Farmers' Market for details.
5 tips for staying safe on the web
A 2 minute video with good reminders to stay safe while using the Internet.
Thanks to Richard Byrne for pointing to this video
Thanks to Richard Byrne for pointing to this video
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Editorial - A sad day for Franklin
In the years that I have been following our budget cycles, the Town Council, the School Committee, there was nothing to compare to Wednesday night, October 26.
You can spin what happened that night in any number of ways (there will be at least two, and folks will, if they haven't already).
My bottom line: the Town Council played their power card and reversed their decision of passing the budget in June by reducing the school budget by $350,000. They may have said this was not against the teachers. This was not against the union. They may have said this was a funding issue. But rather than work to find the funds, they cut. Rather than help the children of Franklin whose educational opportunity has been in a decline for years, they cut. Rather than attempt to work together with the School Committee, they buried them.
In January 2008, probably the last time the entire Council and School Committee were in the same room together (other than on a 'candidate night'), both were together to listen to the Forensic audit report. That event started in the 2006 budget cycle when the Finance Director position was cut from the School Department budget. The assistant was moved up, did not get certified, the school department did not ask for a waiver, the person made incorrect transfers and then got caught in an audit. The incident was attempted to be buried in the news over the Thanksgiving holiday and ultimately wasn't. Franklin voters are smart. They know when something is being pulled over them.
Why do I raise that dark day? A few times Wednesday night many folks recounted the hours they spent working to get an over ride passed. The two most recent both failed. The two most recent were focused on the school budget. The one that did pass, the only one in Franklin's history was truly a Town wide budget override. It passed in 2007. Yes, 2007 before the forensic audit incident. No override will pass in Franklin if it is for the schools until such time as trust is restored in the school budget. Wednesday night was not a night that will go down as turning the tide.
Since that January 9, 2008 meeting neither the School Committee nor the Town Council has done much to truly try to be transparent and build trust. Despite all the talk, actions speak louder than words. So we are left with a choice.
1 - If the Town Councilors can't be trusted, you'll believe that they played their power card. It was a pure play power move. Us versus. them. TC vs. SC. To save their bruised egos, they cut the school budget to correct a decision they made based upon incomplete info in June.
2 - If you can believe the Town Council can be trusted, then there is more 'found money' in the school budget. Despite taking the $350K away from the schools, they feel the school budget has the money that will enable them to not add more damage to our students education.
There are no winners in this situation.
Educational opportunity in Franklin takes another hit.
Trust in Franklin takes another hit.
Now, there may still be hope.
Maybe there is a third choice.
This Town Council has one more meeting (Weds Nov 2).
Maybe. Just maybe, in the light of a new day, with a clearer head than they expressed on Wednesday night, they will reconsider the implications of their actions.
Maybe, just maybe, the School Committee will attempt to explain their budget and the impact the cut would have.
Maybe, just maybe, we might all get past this without further scarring the educational experience of our 6,000 students.
You can spin what happened that night in any number of ways (there will be at least two, and folks will, if they haven't already).
My bottom line: the Town Council played their power card and reversed their decision of passing the budget in June by reducing the school budget by $350,000. They may have said this was not against the teachers. This was not against the union. They may have said this was a funding issue. But rather than work to find the funds, they cut. Rather than help the children of Franklin whose educational opportunity has been in a decline for years, they cut. Rather than attempt to work together with the School Committee, they buried them.
In January 2008, probably the last time the entire Council and School Committee were in the same room together (other than on a 'candidate night'), both were together to listen to the Forensic audit report. That event started in the 2006 budget cycle when the Finance Director position was cut from the School Department budget. The assistant was moved up, did not get certified, the school department did not ask for a waiver, the person made incorrect transfers and then got caught in an audit. The incident was attempted to be buried in the news over the Thanksgiving holiday and ultimately wasn't. Franklin voters are smart. They know when something is being pulled over them.
Why do I raise that dark day? A few times Wednesday night many folks recounted the hours they spent working to get an over ride passed. The two most recent both failed. The two most recent were focused on the school budget. The one that did pass, the only one in Franklin's history was truly a Town wide budget override. It passed in 2007. Yes, 2007 before the forensic audit incident. No override will pass in Franklin if it is for the schools until such time as trust is restored in the school budget. Wednesday night was not a night that will go down as turning the tide.
Since that January 9, 2008 meeting neither the School Committee nor the Town Council has done much to truly try to be transparent and build trust. Despite all the talk, actions speak louder than words. So we are left with a choice.
1 - If the Town Councilors can't be trusted, you'll believe that they played their power card. It was a pure play power move. Us versus. them. TC vs. SC. To save their bruised egos, they cut the school budget to correct a decision they made based upon incomplete info in June.
2 - If you can believe the Town Council can be trusted, then there is more 'found money' in the school budget. Despite taking the $350K away from the schools, they feel the school budget has the money that will enable them to not add more damage to our students education.
There are no winners in this situation.
Educational opportunity in Franklin takes another hit.
Trust in Franklin takes another hit.
Now, there may still be hope.
Maybe there is a third choice.
This Town Council has one more meeting (Weds Nov 2).
Maybe. Just maybe, in the light of a new day, with a clearer head than they expressed on Wednesday night, they will reconsider the implications of their actions.
Maybe, just maybe, the School Committee will attempt to explain their budget and the impact the cut would have.
Maybe, just maybe, we might all get past this without further scarring the educational experience of our 6,000 students.
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