Wednesday, March 14, 2012
15th Annual Trivia Bee - March 15th
Yes, you read that correctly.
The 15th Annual Trivia Bee will be held on March 15th! How cool is that?
FEF Trivia Bee Flyer 2012
Hold the date on your calendar!
Note: Email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to view the document
Franklin Panthers 5th grade boys win Metro West Tournament
Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:
via Wicked Local Franklin News RSS by GateHouse Media, Inc. on 3/13/12
The Franklin Panthers Metro West 5th Grade Boys Basketball team won the D4 Metro West Tournament this year on Sunday, March 11, in double overtime against Sudbury.
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MassDOT, MBTA Letter to Customers
Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:
via Commonwealth Conversations: Transportation by Klark Jessen on 3/13/12
Over the last nine weeks we have engaged in a public process to allow our riders to weigh in on recommendations for closing a $159 million budget gap next year. As we conclude that process this week, we want to take a minute to thank you for the unprecedented level of engagement you demonstrated over this period.
Since January, nearly 6,000 of you attended our 31 public meetings, with nearly 2,000 individuals offering public comment. In addition, we received 5,850 emails from you about the importance of the MBTA in your lives. By comparison, the last time the MBTA raised fares in 2007 just 800 people attended a public hearing.
The choices before us are difficult, to be sure. Hearing your individual stories only makes them more so. We know that a quality, reliable public transit system is essential to getting our customers to work, school, doctor's appointments and other activities. We know a public transit option makes our air cleaner and roads less congested. And we know that it is a lifeline for many of you.
We have been honest about our financial problems and we thank you for your willingness to listen. Massive debt costs, coupled with increased operating expenses for things like energy and health care are overburdening our system. The system we have today we cannot afford and the system we want is well beyond reach.
Before our April 4th Board Meeting, we will lay out our final recommendation for closing the Fiscal Year 2013 gap. We continue to work on identifying prudent one-time revenues that will allow us to stave off some of the proposed service cuts for one year. Our final proposal will include both cuts and a fare increase, however.
Unfortunately, without a new dedicated revenue source, we know we will be back in this very place next year. Many legislators attended our public hearings, acknowledging the need for a new solution. The Governor also heard your voices at the hearing he attended in Revere. Our hope is that we may continue these discussions in the coming weeks and months so that we can collectively figure out a way to continue to provide a world-class public transit system to you.
This is your system. Long after we're gone, customers will still have a need and desire for a public transit option. The decisions we make today will have a lasting impact on this system, and we thank you for remaining engaged in this process.
Sincerely,
Richard A. Davey, Secretary and CEO
MassDOT
Jonathan Davis, Acting General Manager
MBTA
Things you can do from here:
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Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Franklin played the defense
“It really hit me about halfway through the trial that no matter the outcome, we proved we belonged,” the team’s coach and high school teacher Michael Walsh wrote in an email yesterday. “When (Franklin student) John Wiech succeeded in blocking admission of the Plaintiff’s key piece of evidence, it was some of the finest argumentation I have seen in 14 years of mock trial.”
Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x770708198/Franklin-mock-trial-team-falls-to-ex-champs#ixzz1ozHEDPEF
Related posts:
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/01/in-news-library-mock-trial.html
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2010/02/franklin-mock-trial-team-beats.html
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/03/franklin-takes-down-boston-latin-in.html
Lori McKenna
The Boston Globe Magazine on Sunday featured singer/song writer Lori McKenna on the cover. Lori appears regularly at the Circle of Friends Coffeehouse in Franklin
http://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2012/03/11/lori-mckenna-writing-her-heart-out/zxXbmVKZmSzEK2foxB9hrO/story.html
For McKenna, 43, self-deprecation has long been her nature. The I’m-no-good shtick, though, gets crazier every day. Fifteen years after she broke into the Boston folk scene with her raw, honest lyrics and unique vocal style, her songs keep getting better and keep blowing people away. Even longtime collaborators, family members, and fans can’t make it through certain ones without choking up, if not weeping.
The power of McKenna’s music lies in her artful pairing of intimacy and universality. With her own experience as a template, she explores and dignifies the many corners of domestic life, the hopes of small-town dreamers, and the emotional voids that aren’t easily filled. McKenna, whose mother died young, is especially moving when she’s wrestling with that wounding loss.Read the full article online
http://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2012/03/11/lori-mckenna-writing-her-heart-out/zxXbmVKZmSzEK2foxB9hrO/story.html
Monday, March 12, 2012
Tidbits
- During the Councilor Comments section of the last week's Town Council meeting, some folks were wishing a speedy recovery to Bob Dean. He has been heavily involved with the broadcast and video operations for Franklin meetings. I wonder if that is why all of a sudden meetings since Feb 15th have not been posted to the video archive section?
- The Planning Board is scheduled for a meeting on Monday night. There may be a meeting agenda posted on the window at the Town Clerk's office but there is nothing on the Franklin website (yet).
- Bloomburg Businessweek was another one to line up and say Franklin is a good place to raise kids. http://images.businessweek.com/slideshows/20111115/the-best-places-to-raise-your-kids-2012/slides/22.
- There won't be a weekly summary this week. Two family funerals over the last three weeks has taken the 'free time on the weekend' away I would have had to prepare such. The family is doing well through this period. The support has been great. Time is reinforced as all that more precious.
Ensuring Food Stamp Integrity
Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:
via USDA Blog by Kevin Concannon, Undersecretary of Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, USDA on 3/8/12
Cross posted from Politico:
As agriculture undersecretary and a former director of state Health and Human Services departments in Maine, Oregon and Iowa, I know the importance of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps. In today's difficult economic times, this vital program helps families across the nation put food on the table.
Despite a rash of recent stories about food stamp fraud, the facts are that the Agriculture Department has a zero tolerance policy on this. We aggressively pursue those trying to take advantage of America's compassion for people in need.
First-quarter results of our anti-fraud efforts demonstrate this commitment. From Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 2011, we penalized — with fines or temporary disqualifications — more than 225 stores that violated program rules and permanently disqualified more than 350 stores caught trafficking food stamp benefits.
We're now stepping up our efforts. I announced in December new anti-fraud initiatives. We awarded a 10-year contract to SRA International to develop the next generation of fraud-detection systems.
We plan even stronger penalties for retailers that misuse the program. We recently updated our policies to clarify that advertising the sale of benefits through social media is a violation and can result in disqualification from the food stamp program.
In addition, we're finalizing rules to deter the practice of buying and discarding food to get money-back deposits; or reselling and exchanging products bought with food stamp benefits to obtain cash or other noneligible items.
The Agriculture Department's efforts to combat SNAP trafficking have been particularly successful. Trafficking — the sale or purchase of benefits for cash — is an illegal activity punishable by criminal prosecution. Over the past 15 years, department and state agencies administering the program have sharply reduced such trafficking — from 4 percent to 1 percent.
But we cannot be content with that success — the people taking unfair advantage constantly change their tactics. We remain vigilant, working to stay ahead of these new forms of program abuse. We have stepped up documentation requirements and background checks on retailers who participate, or seek to participate, in food stamps. Stores that falsify information will be denied or disqualified and may face a $10,000 fine or imprisonment for as long as five years, or both.
The Agriculture Department recently launched a website (www.fns.usda.gov/fightingsnapfraud) to get the word out about our efforts to deter fraudulent food stamp activity and enlist the public's help in fighting it. We will continue to use all tools available, including the latest technology, to combat fraud.
Some perspective on this is crucial. There are 46 million eligible Americans who depend on food stamps, largely because of income, age, disability or job circumstances. Nearly half are children, 8 percent are elderly and 20 percent of food stamp households include a person who is disabled. The great majority abide by program rules.
The fact is fraud is a limited problem in SNAP — though no amount is acceptable. Stores violating the program represent less than one-half of 1 percent of the more than 230,000 food stores authorized to redeem benefits. And the recent fraud stories indicate enforcement efforts are working — as those who would abuse the program are being caught and prosecuted.
This is good news for all U.S. taxpayers and good news for those who use the program — including millions of children and older Americans — who depend on food stamps. Which, in turn, is why the Agriculture Department is committed to assuring the integrity of this vital program.
As agriculture undersecretary and a former director of state Health and Human Services departments in Maine, Oregon and Iowa, I know the importance of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps. In today's difficult economic times, this vital program helps families across the nation put food on the table.
Despite a rash of recent stories about food stamp fraud, the facts are that the Agriculture Department has a zero tolerance policy on this. We aggressively pursue those trying to take advantage of America's compassion for people in need.
First-quarter results of our anti-fraud efforts demonstrate this commitment. From Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 2011, we penalized — with fines or temporary disqualifications — more than 225 stores that violated program rules and permanently disqualified more than 350 stores caught trafficking food stamp benefits.
We're now stepping up our efforts. I announced in December new anti-fraud initiatives. We awarded a 10-year contract to SRA International to develop the next generation of fraud-detection systems.
We plan even stronger penalties for retailers that misuse the program. We recently updated our policies to clarify that advertising the sale of benefits through social media is a violation and can result in disqualification from the food stamp program.
In addition, we're finalizing rules to deter the practice of buying and discarding food to get money-back deposits; or reselling and exchanging products bought with food stamp benefits to obtain cash or other noneligible items.
The Agriculture Department's efforts to combat SNAP trafficking have been particularly successful. Trafficking — the sale or purchase of benefits for cash — is an illegal activity punishable by criminal prosecution. Over the past 15 years, department and state agencies administering the program have sharply reduced such trafficking — from 4 percent to 1 percent.
But we cannot be content with that success — the people taking unfair advantage constantly change their tactics. We remain vigilant, working to stay ahead of these new forms of program abuse. We have stepped up documentation requirements and background checks on retailers who participate, or seek to participate, in food stamps. Stores that falsify information will be denied or disqualified and may face a $10,000 fine or imprisonment for as long as five years, or both.
The Agriculture Department recently launched a website (www.fns.usda.gov/fightingsnapfraud) to get the word out about our efforts to deter fraudulent food stamp activity and enlist the public's help in fighting it. We will continue to use all tools available, including the latest technology, to combat fraud.
Some perspective on this is crucial. There are 46 million eligible Americans who depend on food stamps, largely because of income, age, disability or job circumstances. Nearly half are children, 8 percent are elderly and 20 percent of food stamp households include a person who is disabled. The great majority abide by program rules.
The fact is fraud is a limited problem in SNAP — though no amount is acceptable. Stores violating the program represent less than one-half of 1 percent of the more than 230,000 food stores authorized to redeem benefits. And the recent fraud stories indicate enforcement efforts are working — as those who would abuse the program are being caught and prosecuted.
This is good news for all U.S. taxpayers and good news for those who use the program — including millions of children and older Americans — who depend on food stamps. Which, in turn, is why the Agriculture Department is committed to assuring the integrity of this vital program.
Things you can do from here:
- Subscribe to USDA Blog using Google Reader
- Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Franklin, MA: School Committee - Agenda - 3/13/12
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 February 28, 2012 School Committee Meeting.
Payment of Bills Mrs. McIntyre
Payroll Mrs. Douglas
FHS Student Representatives
Correspondence: Budget to Actual
2. Guests/Presentations
a. Parmenter Update
b. Health / PE Update
c. Senior Project
3. Discussion Only Items
Policy – First Reading
JJ – Co-Curricular and Extracurricular Activities
4. Action Items
a. I recommend acceptance of a check for $500.00 from the Parmenter PCC for field trips.
b. I recommend approval of the Field Trip request of the FHS Classics Club to attend the MA Junior Classics League State Convention in Hyannis from April 27 to 29, 2012 as detailed.
c. I recommend acceptance of the donation of a digital piano from Doug Newton for the Annie Sullivan Middle School.
d. I recommend approval of the Field Trip request of the FHS Drama Club to see Godspell in New York City on March 24, 2012 as detailed.
e. I recommend acceptance of a check for $239.45 from Super Valu, Inc. (Shaw’s) for the Franklin Public Schools.
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. Adjourn
Senior Project and Health/PE Updates
These two presentation documents are scheduled for the School Committee meeting on Tuesday, Mar 13, 2012
The Senior Project update
FPS_SeniorProject_20120313
The Health/PE update
FPS_Health-PE_20120313
The full agenda for the School Committee meeting can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/03/franklin-ma-school-committee-agenda.html
The Senior Project update
FPS_SeniorProject_20120313
The Health/PE update
FPS_Health-PE_20120313
The full agenda for the School Committee meeting can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/03/franklin-ma-school-committee-agenda.html
Grease is the word!
FHS production of Grease. March 23 & 24, 2012 at the Horace Mann Middle School in Franklin starting at 7pm. Tickets are $10 at the door.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Tax Expenditure Budget Commission data on line
Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:
via Commonwealth Conversations: Revenue by Robert Bliss on 3/9/12
The 11-member Tax Expenditure Commission has posted a wide array of materials on DOR's website in an effort to make its work as transparent and accessible as possible.
What are tax expenditures? The introduction to the FY13 Tax Expenditure Budget puts it this way:
"In its simplest form, a tax is an across-the-board levy on a base, such as income, to which a specific rate applies and for which no modifications exist. Taxes are rarely levied in this manner, however. Instead, most state tax codes incorporate a number of exemptions, deductions, credits, and deferrals designed to encourage certain taxpayer activities or to limit the tax burden on certain types of individuals or endeavors. Known as 'tax expenditures', these provisions can have a significant impact on state tax revenues."
The FY13 Tax Expenditure Budget (TEB) is more than $26 billion, roughly $4 billion larger than projected FY13 revenues of nearly $22 billion. The Commonwealth collects less in revenue than it has chosen to forego.
The Commission is scheduled to issue a report by April 30. Agendas and minutes from Commission meetings are included on the web page, as are historic looks at TEBs from previous years and TEB's from other states.
The Commission unanimously approved a Statement of Principles (found on the agendas and minutes page) on Feb. 6 which makes it clear that the Commission believes tax expenditures merit regular scrutiny and should be subject to periodic cost-benefit analysis and review by the Executive and Legislative branches.
The eleven members of the commission are its chair, Administration and Finance Secretary Jay Gonzalez, Auditor Suzanne Bump, Treasurer Steven Grossman, House Ways and Means Committee Chair Brian Dempsey, Senate Ways and Means Committee Chair Stephen Brewer, House Revenue Committee Chair Jay Kaufman, Senate Revenue Committee Chair Katherine Clark, Rep. Steven Levy (designee of House Minority Leader Brad Jones), Sen. Michael Knapik (designee of Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr), Alan Clayton-Matthews (member of the Governor's Council of Economic Advisers), and James Stock (also a member of the Governor's Council of Economic advisers).
What are tax expenditures? The introduction to the FY13 Tax Expenditure Budget puts it this way:
"In its simplest form, a tax is an across-the-board levy on a base, such as income, to which a specific rate applies and for which no modifications exist. Taxes are rarely levied in this manner, however. Instead, most state tax codes incorporate a number of exemptions, deductions, credits, and deferrals designed to encourage certain taxpayer activities or to limit the tax burden on certain types of individuals or endeavors. Known as 'tax expenditures', these provisions can have a significant impact on state tax revenues."
The FY13 Tax Expenditure Budget (TEB) is more than $26 billion, roughly $4 billion larger than projected FY13 revenues of nearly $22 billion. The Commonwealth collects less in revenue than it has chosen to forego.
The Commission is scheduled to issue a report by April 30. Agendas and minutes from Commission meetings are included on the web page, as are historic looks at TEBs from previous years and TEB's from other states.
The Commission unanimously approved a Statement of Principles (found on the agendas and minutes page) on Feb. 6 which makes it clear that the Commission believes tax expenditures merit regular scrutiny and should be subject to periodic cost-benefit analysis and review by the Executive and Legislative branches.
The eleven members of the commission are its chair, Administration and Finance Secretary Jay Gonzalez, Auditor Suzanne Bump, Treasurer Steven Grossman, House Ways and Means Committee Chair Brian Dempsey, Senate Ways and Means Committee Chair Stephen Brewer, House Revenue Committee Chair Jay Kaufman, Senate Revenue Committee Chair Katherine Clark, Rep. Steven Levy (designee of House Minority Leader Brad Jones), Sen. Michael Knapik (designee of Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr), Alan Clayton-Matthews (member of the Governor's Council of Economic Advisers), and James Stock (also a member of the Governor's Council of Economic advisers).
Things you can do from here:
- Subscribe to Commonwealth Conversations: Revenue using Google Reader
- Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites
Friday, March 9, 2012
“Everyone should do this”
During the tour, town officials answered residents’ questions, the most common of which concerned the field house. The new school would not have a field house because the state does not pay for such buildings, and putting up a new field house would be a multi-million dollar project entirely paid for by taxpayers, officials explained.
The current field house is structurally damaged.
Some residents complained about poor maintenance, but officials countered that, saying a substantial part of the state funding for the proposed new school comes from noted good maintenance.
“We got a bonus from the (state building authority) for good maintenance,” Nutting said. “This has been maintained, but it’s worn out.”
Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x127283799/Franklin-residents-tour-old-high-school-weigh-paying-for-new-one#ixzz1oby7uIu3
Additional information on the new high school project can be found in the collection here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2011/12/collection-high-school-building-project.html
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Live reporting - architectural details
The presentation document used tonight will be added here later. In the meantime, the document used at the School Committee meeting last week, is reported to be close to that shown tonight.
New Franklin High School: Educational Design Features - Revised
Note: this is an update version of the presentation!
Live reporting: Public Presentation on new FHS project
Took the tour of some of FHS, K wing, boys locker room, through to the field house and back to the entrance. From there to the lecture hall where we are now for the presentation followed by Q&A.
Tom Mercer, School Building Committee Chair
Peter Light, FHS Principal
Maureen Sabolinski, School Superintendent
Jim Jordan, Ai3 principal and architect
Sean Fennell, Daedelus Owner Project Manager (OPM)
Overview of project starting back in 2005 with probation status from NAESC
Building committee put together three options for presentation to MSBA. The model school or fourth option became available when Franklin was invited into the model school program.
There are many advantages for the model school program including a high state reimbursement rate.
Ai3 was chosen as for it's model school used at Whitman Hanson and at least 6 others. Their model is the most flexible to meet Franklin's educational needs.
A comparison of the size for the existing building versus the new building is available
http://newfhs.com/facts.php#big
The building is being designed to support 1650 students.
Project contingency and owners contingency amount to a total of $4.5M. This money is already built into the total to cover for unexpected costs and avoid any other cost increases.
What is included in the "non-reimbursable" costs?
There is an allowance for site work and anything above that is non-reimbursable. The State wants to put their money into the building and let the local community choose to do the rest.
The cost to the taxpayer with an average home value of $352,000 can be found in this table
http://newfhs.com/facts.php#cost2
Jim Jordan takes the podium to review the design highlights
Tom Mercer, School Building Committee Chair
Peter Light, FHS Principal
Maureen Sabolinski, School Superintendent
Jim Jordan, Ai3 principal and architect
Sean Fennell, Daedelus Owner Project Manager (OPM)
Overview of project starting back in 2005 with probation status from NAESC
Building committee put together three options for presentation to MSBA. The model school or fourth option became available when Franklin was invited into the model school program.
There are many advantages for the model school program including a high state reimbursement rate.
Ai3 was chosen as for it's model school used at Whitman Hanson and at least 6 others. Their model is the most flexible to meet Franklin's educational needs.
A comparison of the size for the existing building versus the new building is available
http://newfhs.com/facts.php#big
The building is being designed to support 1650 students.
Project contingency and owners contingency amount to a total of $4.5M. This money is already built into the total to cover for unexpected costs and avoid any other cost increases.
What is included in the "non-reimbursable" costs?
There is an allowance for site work and anything above that is non-reimbursable. The State wants to put their money into the building and let the local community choose to do the rest.
The cost to the taxpayer with an average home value of $352,000 can be found in this table
http://newfhs.com/facts.php#cost2
Jim Jordan takes the podium to review the design highlights
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