Franklin has started out on the right foot by inviting you, the stakeholders, to participate in the discussion and study to "study the feasibility of adjusting school start times in Franklin based on current research related to children and sleep."
You have likely heard that the Boston Public Schools attempted to take a systematic, yes, using a mathematical algorithm to develop school start times. The team was highly qualified but as the news has been touting left out conversations with all the stakeholders until after the new start times were developed. The Boston school start times implementation has now been canceled.
It will be different in Franklin. The stakeholders will be at the table first to study, review, discuss, and ultimately "present their findings and possible recommendations for the School Committee to consider."
What does the timeline for the Advisory Committee look like?
- Applications accepted through Jan 17, 2018
- Committee appointments approved by School Committee at Jan 23, 2018 meeting
- Advisory Committee starts work in Feb 2018
- Meet approximately twice a month (one full group meeting, one subcommittee meeting), exact times and schedules TBD
- Present recommendation to School Committee January 2019
You have several options:
- Sign up to take part as a member of the Advisory Committee (sign up info below)
- Participate in as many of the public meetings there will be to observe and have your say (meeting schedule TBD)
- Follow along as Franklin Matters reports on the meetings and progress of the Advisory Committee (subscribe via email to ensure you get all the info http://www.franklinmatters.org/p/welcome.html)
I would encourage you to consider the first and second options. You can then also help to craft and add to the reporting on the third option.
The conversation about to begin will help Franklin prepare for what it will look like in 2028. What is 2028? The 250th anniversary of its founding.
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Hello
The purpose of the School Start Times Advisory Committee will be to study the feasibility of adjusting school start times in Franklin based on current research related to children and sleep. The Advisory Committee will be considering any proposed changes within the local context. Representatives from the Advisory Committee will present their findings and possible recommendations for the School Committee to consider. Changes to school start times, if any, are to be decided by the Franklin School Committee.
The commitment for this committee is expected to be two meetings per month, most likely in the evenings. The committee is planned for the 2018 calendar year, with a presentation to School Committee planned for January, 2019. All activities of this committee will be subject to the Open Meeting Law.
If you would like to apply to be a member of the Advisory Committee, please fill out this form. The deadline to complete this form is Wednesday January 17, 2018 at 5 PM. Appointment of committee members by School Committee is scheduled to be made at the January 23, 2018 School Committee meeting.
Click on this link to apply: https://goo.gl/forms/stAh38Ok8637KwkG2
Thank you,
Franklin Public Schools
Additional Resources
an archive of school start times articles
http://www.startschoollater.net/news-archives.html
The Boston School Superintendent statement on canceling the start times change (subscription may be required)
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/12/22/read-statement-from-tommy-chang-new-start-times/1gEkL1rxYy7M5JW3j08uwN/story.html
The Boston Globe article on canceling the start times change (subscription may be required)
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/12/22/boston-schools-boss-halts-plan-change-school-start-times/Z0pAKKcF3ggCL0mkgeBPiM/story.html
The Boston Globe article on the algorithm used to calculate the start time hours and resulting bus schedules (subscription may be required)
https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2017/12/22/don-blame-algorithm-for-doing-what-boston-school-officials-asked/lAsWv1Rfwqmq6Jfm5ypLmJ/story.html
This was originally posted Dec 24, 2017
