Live reporting: School Committee - Apr 28, 2015

Present: Douglas, O'Malley, Clement, Mullen, Trahan, Jewell
Absent: Rohrbach


1. Routine Business
Citizen’s Comments - none

Review of Agenda
an addition of an action item


Minutes: I recommend approval of the minutes from the April 7, 2015 School 
Committee Meeting.
motion to approve, seconded, passed 6-0


Payment of Bills Mr. Clement
motion to approve, seconded, passed 6-0

Payroll Mrs. Douglas


FHS Student Representatives no representatives for this evening

Correspondence:
none
2. Guests/Presentations
a. FY 16 Budget Hearing

Superintendent Maureen Sabolinski, Business Administrator Miriam Goodman
thanks to all the school administrators for their input and to Miriam and her staff for putting this together

Foundation budget
number changes based upon enrollment and other factors
DESE determines the required municipal contribution
then add the Chapter 70 funds
required Net School Spending 
total FY 14 = $113M
slide to be added later with breakout on the totals

photo capture of slide during School Committee meeting presentation on school budget

28.5% of the town population is under 18
well above the state average of 21.7% and Norfolk Cnty avg of 23.3%

Chapter 70  $27M plus = 48.4% of the budget
down about 6 percentage points from prior years

slide showing Chapter 70 funds as a percent of school budget
and in relation to net school spending

Federal revenue of about $1.4M for Title I, Title II, IDEA/IDEA preschool and SPED program Improvements

Word from the State House is the kindergarten funds have been kept in the budget despite what the Governor has asked for. It has fluctuated from week to week.

Other sources of revenue from the revolving accounts
Circuit breaker, Lifelong Learning, Food Service, Transportation, etc.

no fee increases across the board: transportation or athletics

2.43% over the current year budget
contractual obligations of $1.0M and $213,000 for health care

5 new teachers being proposed for adding at the following schools

• 1 - FHS
• 2 - ASMS
• 2 - RMS

new teachers being brought in to reduce class size

reduction of 5 teachers across elementary due to declining enrollment
adding 3 math FTE specialists to help with the math program

overall the personnel changes would be a 4.0 FTE

looking at kindergarten enrollment, had 275 at end of registration, had 5 enroll today

$14,547 vs. $11,890 is the per pupil spending on state average DESE calculations

this is again below the state average in 10 of the 11 areas, only professional development (due to the new programs which is driving it) exceeds the state average

seeing increases in ELL requirements which is also driving the hiring process

O'Malley - how can we be so far below the state average? substantially, not just by a little. This is the town that started it all (Horace Mann). I want to be vigilant and increase it however we can.

Trahan - thanks for an excellent presentation. One of the reasons we can be under the state average is because we have phenomenal people teaching and supporting the schools.

reading the budget lines for holds on specific items (per budget hearing process)
no holds on budget

motion to close the budget hearing

MassBudget: New Report: The Right Size for Learning

The Right Size for Learning: Class Sizes in Massachusetts      Children have a better chance to succeed in school when they receive individualized support and attention. Smaller class sizes are one way to help our teachers meet the needs of each child. In The Right Size for Learning, MassBudget examines the evidence on how class size reductions can improve outcomes and expand opportunity for all of our children, particularly those who face the greatest obstacles. The evidence shows that reducing class sizes, particularly in early grades, can improve student engagement, academic achievement and college readiness--but only if it is done right. Examining successful programs in Tennessee and Wisconsin we see clear lessons. Class size reduction efforts work well when they are: Targeted for students in the early grades. Combined with other effective school practices, such as strong teacher professional development. While well-designed programs have shown positive results, a major initiative in California was far less effective. That case provides important lessons. Funding was structured in a way that provided more help to affluent districts and actually made it harder for lower income districts to attract high quality teachers. To read the full paper, please click HERE. This report is part of a shared project--the Roadmap for Expanding Opportunity: Evidence on What Works in Education--led by MassBudget and the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy. The project is composed of a series of reports that identify evidence-based strategies for supporting all children in achieving college, career, and life success. Click HERE to visit the project website and read the reports. The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts. MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER 15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700 BOSTON, MA 02108

Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center | 15 Court Square | Suite 700 | Boston | MA | 02108

Goodbye Cook's Farm

The process to get the zoning approvals seems like quite awhile ago. Tensions were raised in a June 2013 meeting. Math came to play as recently as a Nov 2014 meeting when the Council would have needed 6 votes and only had a maximum of 5 available. 

All that is in the archives now and today when we go by what was the Cooks Farmstand on Route 140, it is no longer there.

what was Cooks Farm (Franklin Country Club to left in photo)

what was Cooks Farm (Franklin Country Club to left in photo)

what was Cooks Farm (Franklin Country Club to left in photo)

Additional links from the archive on Cooks Farm:

The Planning Board meeting in June 2013 that had a procedural problem with one of their votes
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/10/contrary-to-theory-of-smart-growth.html

The Council finally approved the bylaw changes to allow for Cooks Farm to proceed in Oct 2013
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/10/ichigo-ichie-cooks-farm-and-bunch-of.html

FSPA Debuts New Summer Theater Program

Franklin School for the Performing Arts debuts an all-new FSPA Summer Theater program with opportunity for hands-on immersion in a cabaret show, concert musical, behind-the-scenes theater design, straight play or musical theater production. With a focus on performing opportunities, enrollment is open for one to five weeks, with each week running Monday through Friday from 9:30-3:00 daily.

FSPA

Registration is underway for all programs and placement auditions will be held on Saturday, May 2 at 38 Main Street in downtown Franklin. Auditions are for placement purposes only, as all students are guaranteed a part in whichever week(s) they are registered. A makeup audition will be held on Monday, May 4 at 6:30 p.m. or by appointment throughout the month.

The Summer Theater’s Cabaret week, from July 20-24, focuses on performance skills and presentation, including repertoire choices, song interpretation and audition technique. The experience concludes with a cabaret style revue at THE BLACK BOX that showcases the solo and small ensemble pieces that have been workshopped during the week. For grades 5-12, Cabaret participants also will have the opportunity to perform during the Franklin Cultural Festival.

Students in grades 3-12 enrolled in the Concert Musical week, from July 27-31, will rehearse and present the iconic Schoolhouse Rock! With timeless hits such as “Conjunction Junction,” “I’m Just a Bill” and “Three Is a Magic Number,” the Emmy Award-winning Saturday morning cartoon series taught an entire generation lessons about grammar, science, math, money and American history in a most animated and catchy way. An August 1 matinee performance of Schoolhouse Rock! will be presented at THE BLACK BOX as part of the Franklin Cultural Festival.

A two-week musical theater program, running August 3-7 and August 10-14 for grades 3-12, will present the Disney mega-hit, High School Musical. FSPA will stage the record-breaking, chart-topping pop culture phenomenon at THE BLACK BOX at the conclusion of the second week.

FSPA Summer Theater Week 5, running from August 17-21, will focus on the rehearsal and preparation of a play. The play, which will be chosen based on enrollment, will feature students in grades 5-12 and will be performed at THE BLACK BOX on August 20 and 21.

A behind-the-scenes exploration of theater design and production will include staging, lighting, costuming, sets, stage managing and sound. Offered to students in grades 7-12, Behind the Scenes runs August 10-14 and 17-21, with enrollment options for one or both weeks. Participants in the first week will be part of the tech crew for High School Musical, while those registered for the second week will tech the play.

Placement auditions on May 2 will begin at 2 p.m. for students entering grades 3-5 in September and continue at 2:30 for students entering grades 6-8, and at 3:00 for those entering grades 9-12. Please prepare 16 bars of a musical theater song. Students auditioning for the straight play may choose to prepare a monologue, but that is optional. Cold readings may also be part of the audition.

FSPA Summer Theater is only part of a full roster of programming at the school, which also features two 3- and 4-week ballet intensives, three-day workshops, weeklong camps, and an eight-week session of dance, voice, and instrumental private lessons and classes. The summer session runs from June 29 to August 21. For summer registration or information about programs or the May auditions, call FSPA at (508) 528-8668. For summer session brochure with full program descriptions and dates, call or visit online at www.FSPAonline.com.

Spring sports found Franklin vs. KP mostly

A full day of spring sports action found Franklin vs. King Philip for all but the girls lacrosse match. The results from Hockomock Sports are as follows:

Baseball

Franklin, 8 @ King Philip, 2 - Final 

- Zane Byrne tossed a complete game to pick up the win, striking out three and walking just one. Four different players had multi-hit games for the Panthers as Nick Burgos went 2-4 with a double, a pair of runs scored a pair of stolen bases, Byrne went 2-4 at the plate with an RBI, a double and a run scored, Tyler Gomes was 2-4 with an RBI and a triple, and Ben Chaffee was 2-4 with a pair of RBIs.

FHS Panthers

Softball

Franklin, 0 @ King Philip, 1 - Final 

- Kali Magane struck out eight and allowed just one hit to lead King Philip. Magane also tripled in the first inning with two outs and scored on a base hit by Breanna Sebio.

Boys Tennis

Franklin, 3 @ King Philip, 2 - Final

Girls Tennis

Franklin, 5 @ King Philip, 0 - Final

Girls Lacrosse

Foxboro, 10 @ Franklin, 18 - Final 

- Franklin qualified for the postseason with the win. Emily Jeffries scored six goals, had one assist and 10 draw controls to pace the Panthers while Kendall Reardon had four goals and one assist. Siobhain Nolan had four goals for Foxboro, Jackie Brion scored three goals and Mary Beth Sweeney, Kiersten Warner and Morgan Ames each scored once.

For the complete set of results from Monday's Hockomock League action
http://www.hockomocksports.com/blog/hockomock-schedule-scoreboard-042715

In the News: school budget, i495 crash

School officials Tuesday will present the School Committee with a $56.9 million budget proposal for next fiscal year, a 2.43 percent increase over this year. 

Larger class sizes at Franklin High School and the three middle schools, contract negotiations and health insurance increases played a key role in the crafting of the budget, which does not increase fees or cut programs in art, music or athletics. 

To control class sizes, the district has asked to hire four new middle school teachers and one high school teacher. At the elementary level, three math specialists are sought to help continue efforts in those schools to align the curriculum with the Common Core standards.

Continue reading the article here:
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20150428/NEWS/150426814/1994/NEWS

The full agenda for the School Committee meeting can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/04/franklin-ma-school-committee-agenda-apr_26.html

State police say a 31-year-old Whitinsville woman died Sunday afternoon in a one-car crash on Interstate 495. 

Ashley Hartung, the only passenger in a 2014 Ford Focus, was killed instantly when the vehicle turned right off the highway and struck a guardrail while traveling south near exit 17, police said. 

According to police, the force of the crash split the guardrail.

Continue reading the article here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20150427/NEWS/150426820/1994/NEWS

Mother’s Day Shopping Event Benefits Franklin Food Pantry

esbe Designs will hold a Mother’s Day Jewelry Sale on Thursday, May 7, at the Franklin Food Pantry to raise money for hunger relief efforts at the Pantry. The community is invited to do their Mother’s Day shopping from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m., and will have the opportunity to tour the Pantry and learn about volunteer opportunities. 

Representatives from esbe Designs will have a variety of merchandise available for purchase. A portion of the proceeds from every sale will go directly to the Food Pantry. Items include designer jewelry, handcrafted in Bali, using quality metals and real gemstones. Traditional and on-trend designs will be featured. Complimentary gift wrapping and gift certificate purchases will be offered on site.  

screen grab of esbe Designs webpage

“With nearly 600 households counting on us for supplemental food assistance each year, this benefit will help other moms in Franklin provide enough food for their families,” says Erin Lynch, executive director of the Franklin Food Pantry. “Many parents in our community struggle with providing three meals a day for their children. Mother’s Day was the inspiration for esbe Designs to help others do something nice for their moms while also doing something meaningful for the families we serve. It is a way for people to pay it forward with their Mother’s Day shopping.” 

For more information on the jewelry sale, please contact Sue Kilcoyne at skilcoyned1@hotmail.com. 

The Franklin Food Pantry is located at 43 West Central Street, Franklin, near the Rockland Trust parking lot on Route 140 across from the Franklin fire station.