In the News: Bellingham to decide on a $1.5 million override; Franklin schools budget gap expected to close

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"Voters will decide in May on a $1.5 million override requested by the School Department for its fiscal 2021 budget. 

Selectmen last Saturday approved the override, meaning the proposal will appear as a ballot question at the annual town election on May 5. The measure requires approval from a simple majority of voters to pass. 

Superintendent of Schools Peter Marano said the school district is seeking the override to help compensate for a lower reimbursement expected from the state on charter school funding, as well as to add positions in areas of increased need. 

For the average homeowner, the $1.5 million override would result in property taxes being increased by about $160 in the next fiscal year, Marano said, based on a home value of about $325,000.

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200226/bellingham-override-bid-heads-to-ballot-selectman-oked-15-million-school-budget-override-request

"The School Department anticipates “a budget gap to close” after reviewing its plans for fiscal 2021, requesting an increase of $3.9 million in funding from the town, according to Superintendent of Schools Sara Ahern. 

Reviewed on Tuesday night before the School Committee, the proposed school budget of $68,767,873 represents an increase of $3,909,373 (6%) over the current budget, said Ahern. Fiscal 2021 begins on July 1. 

The town’s total current budget is $129.6 million, with about half of it - $64.8 million - allocated to Franklin Public Schools. 

Even though the school district is requesting a $3.9 million increase for the coming year, Ahern said she doesn’t anticipate the town paying that entire amount."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200227/franklin-superintendent-anticipates-budget-gap-to-close

The live reporting from the School Committee meeting on Tuesday on the budget for FY 2021
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/02/live-reporting-recommended-budget-fy.html

Assume Town of Franklin gets $3m in expected revenue, with schools proposing an increase of $3.9m over last year we have a math problem

Franklin Veterans: Hire A Vet Breakfast - March 18

Best Bet "Hire A Vet" 2020

The Neponset Valley Sunrise Rotary is sponsoring a breakfast to assist veterans seeking employment to meet with potential employers.

Wednesday, March 18, 2020 At 7:30 AM

MIT Endicott House, 80 Haven Road, Dedham, MA

Please RSVP to John Gorham at: (781) 292-3290 or email: jgorham@bulfinchgroup.com

Veterans Please Bring Resumes/Business Cards. Be ready for an interview!

Franklin Veterans: Hire A Vet Breakfast - March 18

Shared from the Town of Franklin page
https://www.franklinma.gov/veterans-services/news/hire-vet-breakfast

For students (teachers): Take A Virtual Field Trip With the Census!

"You and your students are invited to take a virtual field trip to the U.S. Census Bureau on March 5 with a behind-the-scenes pass to hear from Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham and some of the agency’s top experts. Use this special event to teach students how census data is collected and used, and to boost their interest in the 2020 Census.

The virtual field trip is an entertaining, fast-moving video that takes students on a mission to discover details about the Census Bureau’s work, featuring insights and demonstrations from geography and data visualization experts. At the close of the video, students will be challenged to test their knowledge with an interactive quiz show.

• Extend the experience with a live Twitter chat at 1 p.m. ET on March 5. Experts from the Census Bureau (@uscensusbureau) will be on hand to answer questions about the 2020 Census and the many uses of census data. Just follow with the hashtag #StatsinSchools to participate.
• The field trip and Twitter chat are part of SIS Week: Everyone Counts! — Statistics in Schools’ weeklong series of daily activities to educate and excite students about the 2020 Census. The full virtual field trip video will be available March 5 through the online daily activity guide, but in the meantime you can catch a glimpse of what it will include.

Watch a sneak preview  https://youtu.be/FdkwJ8ecQJ8"



For more about the virtual field trip
https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/sis/2020census/sisweek/thursday.html?

Low-Budget Beacon Hill Episode 2: How a Bill Really Becomes a Law

Rep. Maria Robinson and I decided it was time to update the beloved Schoolhouse Rock video and shed some light on how a bill really becomes a law in Massachusetts.

Have you ever wondered why there’s such a rush of legislative activity at certain times of the year? Or why the same exact bill gets filed in both the House and the Senate? Or how that bill ends up looking so differently when it comes out of the House and the Senate, and how those differences between the chambers get resolved?

Lawmaking in Massachusetts is a complex but crucially important process, so we knew we had to cover it in our informational video series, Low-Budget Beacon Hill, explaining the nuts and bolts of how the State Legislature works.

Check out Low-Budget Beacon Hill, Episode 2: How a Bill *Really* Becomes a Law, to learn all this and more. (Unfortunately, there’s no singing in our version.)

Please click below to watch and let us know if you have any suggestions for future episodes!

Yours in service,
Senator Becca Rausch

https://youtu.be/toRFIcvZtFU



View the newsletter online
https://mailchi.mp/b3b319794d2f/lbbh-episode-2?e=0c2c9810fe

Attention Franklin: Election Workers needed for March 3rd Primary.

Election Workers needed for March 3rd Primary.

The Town Clerk's office is seeking election workers for the March 3rd Primary at Franklin High School. 

Time slots available from 6 AM until 8 PM. $12/hour, must be 18+ years old and a registered voter.  

Contact the Town Clerk's office for more information at 508-520-4900.

Attention Franklin: Election Workers needed for March 3rd Primary.

Shared from the Town of Franklin page
https://www.franklinma.gov/home/news/election-workers-needed-march-3rd-primary

9th annual Culinary Cabaret - April 3

Join us at THE BLACK BOX when the culinary and performing arts unite for an inspired evening of fabulous food, wine and entertainment!

The 9th annual Culinary Cabaret spotlights this region's outstanding culinary talent, showcasing fine wines, craft beer, flavorful dishes and delectable desserts!

Featuring entertainment by Electric Youth and special guest artists of the Franklin Performing Arts Company. Culinary Cabaret supports Electric Youth!

When: April 3, 2020 - 7:00 to 10:00 PM

Where: THE BLACK BOX,  15 West Central Street, Franklin, MA

Your all-inclusive ticket delivers a delicious, entertaining evening!
Check out our website for more information and updates.
https://www.theblackboxonline.com/events.php?id=1353

Only until March 1st - save $20 on a pair of tickets, so get your tickets today!

 

9th annual Culinary Cabaret - April 3

FM #212 - School Committee meeting - demographics study 2/25/20 (audio)

This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 212 in the series. We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm).

The expected demographics study was presented during the School Committee meeting on Tuesday, Feb 25, 2020. Expected? Yes, This is ONE key piece of the information that needs to be gathered and digested to enable the School Committee and community to make a decision on what needs to be done to prepare for enrollment and facilities.

The potential for closing the Davis Thayer school has been talked of off and on for several years. The work is now underway to look at that and what it would mean for the district and community as a whole.

The demographics study presented is ONE key piece of the information needed for such a decision. As outlined by Superintendent Sara Ahern at the end of the presentation segment, the SECOND key piece is expected in or around April as the facility analysis arrives from that consultant.

For our existing school facilities, what capacity do we have for students in each building based upon current or anticipated requirements? The capacity report should provide the answer to that question. One could go back to when each building was built and look at what it was designed for but the educational requirements have changed considerably since then. Davis Thayer for example, since it is the key item driving the question, was built as a high school and is now being used as an elementary school.

Along the course of the discussion you’ll hear James McKibben comment on space requirements. Note - this was not part of his charter, his was only to focus on the demographics - however, from his experience in working with other districts, he can say that due to special education requirements the space (that is, square foot requirements) per student will increase.

Pay attention to the assumptions, there are 19 of them. Mr McKibben counts a couple as more critical than others. The mortgage interest rate most would acknowledge as important. The lower it is, the more willing buyers will be. Of interest is the amount of existing home sales required to maintain our population. Per his calculations, 275 homes per year.

The presentation doc is linked in the show note so you can follow along.
https://www.franklinps.net/district/meeting-packets/files/demographic-presentation

FPS Demographics Presentation from Franklin Matters

Assumed to be supporting documentation for the presentation
(was not referenced during the meeting but was posted to the packet web page)

https://www.franklinps.net/district/meeting-packets/files/enrollment-forecast


More analysis and insights will be discussed over time as we all digest the numbers. The discussion runs about an hour and 10 minutes so without further ado, let’s listen in.   https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-212-school-committee-meeting-demographics-study

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This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but I can't do it alone. I can always use your help.

How can you help?

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors
• If you don't like this, please let me know

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements.  I thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/
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!

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James McKibben presenting the demographics study to the School Committee