Commonwealth Magazine: "In-person learning now considered ‘high risk’ by CDC"; "Parents frustrated"

From CommonWealth Magazine we share two articles of interest for Franklin:

"THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL for Disease Control and Prevention quietly removed controversial guidelines from its website promoting in-person learning in schools, and instead is now listing it as “high risk.”

The disputed guidance was composed of documents written by political appointees outside of the agency. One of the documents stated that children appear to be at lower risk for contracting COVID-19 compared to adults and that children are unlikely to be major spreaders of the virus, according to The Hill. The CDC removed the guidance from its website without public announcement some time in late October.

“Some of the prior content was outdated and as new scientific information has emerged the site has been updated to reflect current knowledge about COVID-19 and schools,” a spokesperson told the news outlet.

Now the website says “the body of evidence is growing that children of all ages are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection and contrary to early reports might play a role in transmission,” and lists in-person learning as high risk."

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/the-download/in-person-learning-now-considered-high-risk-by-cdc-2/

The CDC page with school guidance  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/schools.html

Reports from American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association released this week:  https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/11/17/covid-19-over-1-million-kids-infected-study/6324129002/

 

Parents frustrated, concerned with pandemic school year, poll finds

"THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY of Massachusetts K-12 students are either learning remotely from home or in a hybrid model that mixes in-person and at-home instruction, and most parents have a dim view of how the school year upended by the coronavirus pandemic is affecting their children.

Those are among the findings from a new poll of Massachusetts parents, who offer particularly negative reviews of hybrid learning. Meanwhile, pandemic “pods,” in which families share childcare and remote learning supervision, are not that common, despite the flurry of national and local attention they’ve received, according to the survey conducted by the MassINC Polling Group.

Overall, more than half of Massachusetts parents (52 percent) think the school year that’s been completely reshaped by the pandemic is having a negative impact on their child’s academic learning. Similar numbers of parents say the school year is having negative effects on their child’s mental health, social and behavioral skills, and opportunities for friendship. "

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/education/parents-frustrated-concerned-with-pandemic-school-year-poll-shows/

 

Help Raise Some Dough for ALS at Franklin's HoneyDew

Purchase The ALS Association Massachusetts Chapter Donut @ Participating Honey Dew Donuts Locations

100% of Proceeds Raised Go Directly to The ALS Association Massachusetts Chapter

• 213 East Central St, Franklin
• 405 West Central St, Franklin 

Download your copy of the flyer as a reminder:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FkDPVXgmWVkfzkrt74FZ5kSMHaXYBPoq/view?usp=sharing

   

 Help Raise Some Dough for ALS at HoneyDew

 

"State officials don’t expect a full recovery for several years, particularly in business travel"

From the Boston Globe, an article of interest for Franklin:

"The Massachusetts Port Authority is trimming about 25 percent of its workforce through layoffs and voluntary buyouts as it reacts to an unprecedented plunge in air travel at Logan Airport due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The port authority avoided layoffs in its first big round of budget cuts in the spring, but not this time. The downturn in jet passenger traffic has been far more protracted than Massport executives anticipated, forcing them to plug a new shortfall exceeding $100 million in this fiscal year’s budget.

“We are trending below our worst-case, business-activity forecast at Logan Airport,” Massport chief executive Lisa Wieland told the port authority board on Thursday. “It’s hard, and I hoped we wouldn’t be here. Unfortunately, we are.”

Rather than rebounding as Wieland and others had hoped, the number of passengers actually declined in August from July levels, and again in September. Only about 633,000 passengers were tracked through Logan in September, an 82 percent plunge compared with the same month a year ago. The number of flights, meanwhile, was down 64 percent, year over year."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

With Logan traffic still down, Massport cuts 25 percent of its workforce - The Boston Globe

 

From CommonWealth Magazine we share an article of interest for Franklin:

"FACING MASSIVE financial strain inflicted by the pandemic, the Massachusetts Port Authority plans to slash its workforce by about 25 percent through a combination of voluntary retirements, buyouts, furloughs, and layoffs.

The cost-cutting effort comes as Massport officials grapple with a $400 million budget gap projected over the next three fiscal years, driven by passenger volumes at Logan International Airport dropping to their lowest level in decades.

With a current workforce of about 1,300 full-time employees, hundreds of Port Authority employees could take incentivized retirements or buyouts, be terminated, or forced to take several unpaid days off in the coming months. 

“If we thought the airport would be coming back soon, maybe we could try other approaches, but we are years, many years, away from getting back to the number of passengers that were carried last year, and we have to be realistic about the right size for our workforce,” Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack said."

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/transportation/with-travel-way-down-massport-to-cut-workforce-25/

Franklin Public Schools: Re-opening Update Nov 19, 2020

November 19, 2020 

 

Dear Franklin Families, 

 

All of us at Franklin Public Schools hope that you and your family are doing well. We also recognize that this is an incredibly challenging time. I am writing today with a few updates; a similar message has also been shared with our faculty and staff.

Definition of Close Contact
Beginning last week, we have begun using the new CDC definition of close contact when conducting contact tracing, under the direction of our local health department and DPH assigned public health nurse. This means that we are looking to identify those individuals “who have been within 6 feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period, starting from 2 days before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic patients, 2 days prior to test specimen collection) until the time the patient is isolated”, with or without masks. This new definition may lead to additional individuals needing to quarantine. We are asking everyone in our schools to adhere to the 6 feet of distancing whenever possible.

Governor’s Message About In-Person Learning
As you likely know, the Department of Public Health and Governor’s office adjusted the health metrics last Friday, November 6, to take into account both the size of the community and the percent positivity of testing in addition to the number of positive cases per 100,000. The effect has been to change the way communities are identified for risk. Across the state, this has increased the threshold to be a yellow or red community. Franklin returned to green after a few weeks of being yellow; however, on November 12th, Franklin returned to yellow status. It is important to note that a cluster of cases in a particular facility in town is contributing significantly to Franklin’s overall numbers.

As part of this message, the Governor and Commissioner of Education adjusted the state’s expectations of learning models based on the metrics’ new color-coding. To summarize:

●    Districts and schools in communities designated gray, green, or yellow are expected to have students learning fully in-person, if feasible. A hybrid model should be used only if there is no other way to meet health and safety requirements.
●    Schools in red communities should implement hybrid models while maximizing in-person learning time for high-needs students.
●    Fully remote instructional models should be implemented only as a last resort.

While the public health metrics favor in-person learning and we ALL want to get students back into school full-time, guidance based on health metrics alone does not account for feasibility factors that lead me to continue to recommend a hybrid model of instruction.

Several practical matters come immediately to mind with respect to the feasibility of being full and in-person: distancing standards/space, staffing, transportation, and funding.

Similar to many districts across the state, Franklin has committed to 6 feet of distance among individuals based on health guidance, including contact tracing. This means that we can only accommodate roughly half of our students (one-third at FHS) in a hybrid model. Although we have additional space in some of our buildings for classes of students to spread out, we do not have enough staff to provide two supervisors per class list of students. If we shrink distancing standards to below six feet, the number of individuals quarantining as a result of positive cases will increase dramatically.

Franklin, like many communities, has worked diligently to staff schools and classrooms during the pandemic. The health and safety practices that are in place require additional supervision. This comes at a time when more people are unable or unwilling to work in-person in schools. Although we have sought to add monitors, interventionists, additional paraprofessionals, and permanent building substitutes, many positions remain vacant despite recruitment efforts. As COVID cases increase across the state, we are seeing an increase in the number of staff having to quarantine for long periods of time, exacerbating the problem of supervision. Other districts, at times, have had to return to remote learning for lack of educators in schools. This could be a possibility in the future for one or more schools in Franklin, particularly as cold and flu season approaches and COVID numbers rise.

Full and in-person instruction will require modification to transportation. With buses only able to accommodate one-third of the students at a time, transportation would need to be increased in order to have full and in-person learning. It is not likely that Franklin could add additional buses and, therefore, buses would have to do “double runs” in order to transport all students to school safely. This would disrupt the rhythm of the school day and impact time on learning.

The district would incur additional costs in order to provide full and in-person learning. Additional staff would be needed (even though we would struggle to be able to hire them), and additional Personalized Protective Equipment (PPE) would be required. While we have been fortunate to have been able to access Coronavirus relief funding to both the schools and the Town in order to support PPE, additional staff, tents and fences for outdoor use, HVAC improvements, Chromebooks, software, and other COVID related expenses, this funding must be spent by December 30, 2020, after which we would be expected to incur costs beyond this using tight funds from our operating budget.

 

Lastly, Franklin, like other districts, worked collaboratively with the union, in our case the Franklin Educators’ Association, to negotiate two unique Memorandum of Agreement in good faith to which we must abide.

We truly value having students in our school buildings -- seeing each other and developing in-person relationships with educators around them. Given the feasibility factors described above, however, we do not have plans at this time to shift to full and in-person instruction.

Over the summer, we had prepared a reopening plan with three models of learning: full and in-person, hybrid; and fully remote. We will continue to develop and refine each model and, as the field understands more about the virus, its risk, and how best to meet health and safety requirements in the school setting, look forward to a time in the future when we can return to school fully in-person.

Recognizing that our Kindergarten and grade 1 learners are struggling the most due to developmental factors, we are prioritizing this group in our examination of how to teach them full and in-person while meeting all health and safety requirements. A series of scenarios/implications will be shared with the School Committee in the coming weeks.

HVAC Update
We have been working with the Facilities Department to put the installation of Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) out to bid. The Town will be using Coronavirus relief funding to fund the installation; as noted above, these funds must be spent by December 30, 2020. Unfortunately, there is a supply chain issue of materials. As a result of the spending deadline and supply chain delays, parts of the project will move forward, but parts of the project need to be postponed.
UVGI will be installed as follows:

●    “Large Units” at ECDC/HMMS/Oak; Remington/Jefferson; Keller/Sullivan to cover large spaces where ventilation is tied together among rooms
 
●    All of Franklin High School
UVGI may be installed in the “Large Units” at DT, Kennedy, and Parmenter if able to be completed by 12/30/2020.

As an alternative to UVGI, the District has purchased portable HEPA air purifier units for classrooms and workspaces where UVGI is postponed. HEPA units will be provided according to the square footage of the room and will filter the air. We expect these to be due in a few weeks, which is helpful as the colder weather approaches. This solution is one that many other Districts have or are pursuing as an effective approach.

Additional information about classrooms, ventilation, windows, especially in light of the approaching winter conditions will be coming out soon.

Travel Reminder/Holiday Celebrations
We would like to remind families of the District’s travel expectations and Governor Baker’s Executive Order requiring those who travel out of state to quarantine or receive a negative COVID-19 test no more than 72 hours prior to their return to Massachusetts. As noted in the COVID-Handbooks for Families/Students, FPS requires travelers of all ages (including those 10 and under) to test or quarantine when returning to Massachusetts from a non-lower risk state in order to return to school in-person.

As you make plans for holiday celebrations, we recognize that college age students may be returning home. As emphasized in Governor Baker’s press conference from yesterday, college age children should also be tested for COVID. Should you have other visitors to your home, they should also be tested. Visitors and college students are also advised to isolate as much as possible, and household members are advised to wear masks, distance physically, practice 20 seconds of handwashing/hand hygiene, and clean high touch surfaces frequently.

Given the increase of cases that seem to be occurring in private gatherings, the Governor and health experts issued guidance about limiting holiday travel and limiting the size of holiday gatherings to those within the immediate household. I recognize the difficulty this presents for staff and families, as holiday gatherings of family and friends are something most looked forward to and celebrated at this time of year. This year, in particular, I think we are all looking for something positive to anticipate. For my family, our gathering will be a quiet dinner for the four of us, and we will be Zooming or Face-timing with our loved ones. We will miss the hugs, kisses, and conversations of extended family and friends, but we feel this is the best course of action for our family.

At this time, Franklin Public Schools does not have a plan to return to full remote learning in anticipation of rising cases due to the Thanksgiving holiday. However, we will monitor case counts and positivity rates closely, in collaboration with our local health department, as we always do. We ask that you please be safe in order to protect the entire community.

Please see the full list of travel guidance here: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-travel-order

On behalf of the entire Franklin Public Schools, I want to extend sincere wishes for a restful Thanksgiving holiday. Please know how grateful and thankful I am for the Franklin community.
 

Sincerely, 

 

Sara Ahern
Superintendent of Schools 

 

 

This was shared from the FPS page

https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/uploads/english-november_19_reopening_update_to_families.pdf

 

 

Sara Ahern, Superintendent of Schools , provides an update at a recent SChComm meeting

Franklin Food Pantry: Sharing the bounty of love and giving

Dear Pantry Friends,

During this season of Thanksgiving, hunger and food insecurity receive a lot of attention. Thanksgiving is, typically, a time when families and friends gather around a table and a bounty of food!  Unfortunately, that bounty of food is not a reality for everyone and this year many more people are facing a more difficult holiday season. Feeding America has just shared the most recent statistics  reminding us that there is still a lot of work for us to do to continue to decrease food insecurity in the Commonwealth.   

-    1 in 7 people (1 in 5 kids) in the Commonwealth is considered food insecure
-    During the pandemic, Massachusetts, has seen the greatest percentage increase of individuals experiencing food insecurity anywhere in the country - up 59%.
-    We have also seen the greatest increase in childhood food insecurity - up 102%.
-    Norfolk County has seen the largest percent change in child food insecurity - up 163%.
-   Communities of color have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and food insecurity - 1 in 5 Black households, and nearly 1 in 3 Latino/a households is experiencing food insecurity.  For white households, the number is 1 in 8.   

The Franklin Food Pantry's mission is to alleviate food insecurity and compassionately empower our community through resources and collaboration.  We are doing this with your help.  Hunger does not stop after the holidays.  We can continue to provide food for our neighbors through your support - and there are a number of ways in which you can help:

  -  Donate. If you can make a monthly commitment, that helps us even more!
  -  Run or walk in this year's re-imagined Turkey Trot.
  -  Sponsor a Food Elf.
  -  Create a fundraising page.
  -  Become a Food Pantry Ambassador.
  -  Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
  -  Share our newsletter.
  -  Continue to educate yourself about food insecurity.

Everyone can make a difference. Thank you for all that you have done for the Pantry.  From our hearts to yours, we wish you a very safe and happy Thanksgiving.  As always, if you have any questions, concerns, or would simply like to talk (or zoom!), my door is always open!

With Appreciation, 

Lynn Calling

Executive Director

lcalling@franklinfoodpantry.org

 

Franklin Food Pantry Turkey Trot 2020

 

This is the entry memo to the email update shared recently, for the full contents, please visit http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?m=1114432653691&ca=ddfce886-234f-4e1c-b79e-74e5acdf068d

Senate Passes FY 2021 Budget, Conference Committee to start with House to reconcile differences

The Massachusetts State Senate on Wednesday unanimously passed a $46 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21), after adding $36.1 million in targeted investments over the course of two days of deliberations. Passed with bipartisan support, the budget aims to move the Commonwealth towards an equitable recovery by making critical investments in sectors impacted by COVID-19 including early education and childcare, food security, housing supports, and public health.

“With a second surge of COVID-19 upon us, we must do everything we can to shore up critical resources for those most in need so that we can begin to build towards an equitable recovery,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). “This unprecedented budget is a testament to the challenges we face as a Commonwealth, but I am confident Massachusetts will emerge stronger and more resilient than before. I am thankful for the hard work of Chair Rodrigues, his team, Vice Chair Friedman, Assistant Vice Chair Lewis and the entire Senate Committee on Ways and Means for the budget they produced and finalized under these very difficult circumstances.”

“Under difficult circumstances because of the COVID-19 pandemic, I am proud of the Senate's ability during these last two days to meet the moment, engage in respectful debate, take action to protect our most vulnerable and set the Commonwealth on a path toward an equitable recovery,” said Senator Michael J. Rodrigues (D- Westport), Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. “Under the leadership of Senate President Spilka, the Senate has taken important steps this week to confront the unprecedented challenges brought on by this public health crisis and pass a fiscally responsible budget plan that further protects access to child care, health care, housing, public transportation and economic opportunity. Thank you to my colleagues in the Senate for their tireless work and passionate advocacy over the course of our debate.”
 
As COVID-19 continues to spread across our Commonwealth, the Senate budget preserves access to essential services for our most vulnerable residents. The budget funds MassHealth at a total of $18.2 billion to maintain critical access to affordable health care coverage for over 1.9 million people, ensuring that comprehensive care for our most vulnerable children, seniors and low-income residents is protected in the middle of a public health crisis. The Senate’s budget also includes targeted investments to maintain and expand access to mental health care, while strengthening public health infrastructure at the local, state and regional level to combat the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I am proud to have voted in favor of this budget—the $46 billion in funding will help our residents, especially those who are most vulnerable, as the Commonwealth continues to face new and unprecedented challenges that have emerged as a result of the coronavirus pandemic,” said Senator Cindy Friedman (D-Arlington), Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. “The Senate's investments in behavioral health services, housing protections, reproductive health access, education, and food insecurity in particular are crucial steps toward ensuring a more equitable economic recovery and a more equitable Commonwealth for all. I thank Senate President Spilka, Chairman Rodrigues, and fellow committee members for their diligent but expeditious efforts in passing this budget.”

The Senate’s budget protects Massachusetts students and educational institutions. Continuing the Senate’s long- standing support of targeted investments in education, this budget holds harmless Chapter 70 funding in a manner consistent with the agreement reached between the Senate, House and Administration in July by providing $5.283 billion, an increase of $107.6 million over FY20.

This additional level of investment will allow all school districts to maintain foundation spending levels while accounting for enrollment and inflation changes. The budget also includes $345 million for the Special Education (SPED) Circuit Breaker, reimbursing school districts for the cost of educating students with disabilities at the statutorily required 75% reimbursement rate. In addition to ensuring stability for the state’s K-12 population, the Senate’s budget takes steps to invest in childcare providers and higher education institutions—both of which are critically important to the state’s economy and recovery in midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As our communities continue to struggle with both a public health and economic crisis, this budget represents an essential step forward to help our Commonwealth recover from the pandemic and rebuild a strong and equitable economy,” said Senator Jason Lewis, Assistant Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means and Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Education. “I’m especially pleased that despite a significant decline in revenue, this budget invests substantially in early education and childcare -- recognizing how critical this sector is for children, working families, and the state’s economic recovery -- and also seeks to protect important public transit services that are currently at risk.”

The Senate’s budget recommends a total of $46 billion in spending, a 5.5% increase over the Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20) General Appropriations Act. This spending recommendation is based on a revised tax revenue estimate of $27.592 billion, which provides for $3.558 billion less in available revenue than the original consensus revenue estimate originally agreed upon in January 2020. To close this anticipated revenue shortfall, the FY21 budget includes $1.5 billion from the Stabilization Fund, ensuring a majority of the Stabilization Fund balance remains for future years; $1.38 billion in available federal supports; and more than $400 million in new revenue initiatives. Among those initiatives, the budget includes provisions such as accelerated sales tax collection and a new fee structure for Transportation Network Companies. The budget also avoids drastic budget cuts while leaving the Commonwealth in a sound fiscal position moving forward.

Additional education investments include:

•    $5.283 billion for Chapter 70 education funding
•    $345 million for the Special Education Circuit Breaker
•    $115 million to reimburse public school districts for costs incurred when students leave to attend charter schools
•    $82.2 million to reimburse school districts for regional school transportation costs
•    $560.4 million for the University of Massachusetts, $308 million for the fifteen community colleges, and
$285.5 million for the nine state universities; and $2 million for grants offered through the Massachusetts Inclusive Concurrent Enrollment Initiative to support high school students with intellectual disabilities ages 18–22 with access to higher education opportunities
•    $40 million for a new reserve to cover parent fees for families receiving subsidized childcare for the remainder of FY 21
•    $25 million for a new Early Education and Care Workforce and COVID-19 Supports Reserve to provide classroom stabilization grants, incentive pay for providers, and support for increased operational costs due to COVID-19
•    $15 million for grants to the Head Start program to maintain access to early education services for low- income families
•    $5 million for the Commonwealth Preschool Partnership Initiative to expand access to preschool in underserved areas
•    $6.4M for Youth-At-Risk Matching grants, including support for YWCAs, YMCAs and Boys & Girls Clubs, after adding $5M on the floor
•    $3.0 million for Rural School Aid, after adding $1.5M on the floor
•    $1.5 million for the Civics Education Trust Fund Additional health investments include:
•    $500.3 million for Adult Support Services, including assisted outpatient programming and comprehensive care coordination among health care providers
•    $163.6 million for a range of substance abuse treatment and intervention services
•    $94.5 million for children’s mental health services
•    $45.2 million for domestic violence prevention services
•    $35.4 million for early intervention services, to ensure supports are accessible and available to infants and young toddlers with developmental delays and disabilities
•    $20 million for funding to support expanded access to mental health services, including $10M for the Behavioral Health, Outreach, Access and Support Trust Fund and $10M for a new inpatient mental health acute care beds grant program to expand access to critical mental health services
•    $17.5 million for Family Resource Centers to meet increased demand for services
•    $10 million for grants to support local boards of health to combat COVID-19
•    $2.5 million for a new matching funds grant program to assist communities making public health-oriented adjustments to their public safety systems, including targeted reforms such as jail diversion programs, de- escalation training and professionals, and behavioral health staffing and supports
•    $1.7 million for the State Action for Public Health Excellence (SAPHE) program to support a more effective local and regional public health delivery system
•    $1 million for a COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Plan program, focused on equitable vaccine distribution

In addition to these health care investments, the Senate’s budget takes meaningful steps to expand access to care. It includes provisions that prohibit insurers from denying coverage for mental health services and primary care services solely because they were delivered on the same day in the same facility. This important measure will remove a significant financial barrier to the integration of primary care and mental health. The budget, through the amendment process, also includes provisions that further expand reproductive health care options.
 
The Senate is committed to building an equitable recovery while dismantling the systemic barriers that exist in our society. To that end, the Senate’s budget creates and invests in programs to educate, train and prepare Massachusetts workers.

Opportunity investments include:

•    $46.4 million for a new Economic Planning and Response Program, including grants and loans to small businesses, small business technical assistance and capital improvement supports
•    $40.6 million for adult basic education services to improve access to skills necessary to join the workforce
•    $20 million for summer jobs and work-readiness training for at-risk youth
•    $15 million for a Community Empowerment and Reinvestment grant program to provide economic supports to communities disproportionately impacted by the criminal justice system
•    $10 million for the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund to connect unemployed and under-employed workers with higher paying jobs
•    $6 million for Regional Economic Development Organizations to support economic growth in all regions of the state
•    $5 million for Community Foundations to provide emergency economic relief to historically underserved populations across the Commonwealth
•    $3 million for the Secure Jobs Connect program, providing job placement resources and assistance for homeless individuals
•    $2 million for the Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership

Access to affordable housing, which has taken on new urgency for many during the COVID-19 pandemic, is a key Senate priority for recovery. The Senate’s budget recognizes the crucial importance of housing to the Commonwealth’s recovery efforts and invests over $540 million in housing stability programs to support many families, tenants and property owners in this time of crisis.

Housing investments include:

•    $180.7 million for Emergency Assistance Family Shelters
•    $135 million for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP)
•    $50 million for Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT), as well as emergency changes to the RAFT program to increase the maximum amount of rental assistance that a household can receive from $4,000 to $10,000 and allow eligible households facing a housing crisis to access both RAFT and HomeBASE.
•    $53.4 million for assistance for homeless individuals
•    $27.2 million for the HomeBASE diversion and rapid re-housing programs
•    $12.5 million for the Alternative Housing Voucher Program (AHVP), which provides rental assistance to people with disabilities, and $2.5 million for grants to improve or create accessible affordable housing units
•    $10.5 million for housing vouchers for Department of Mental Health (DMH) clients to transition into housing and community-based services
•    $4.75 million for the Housing Consumer Education Centers (HCECs)
•    $3.9 million for the Home and Healthy for Good re-housing and supportive services program, including
$250,000 for homeless LGBTQ+ youth
•    $2.5 million for the Office of Public Collaboration to support housing dispute mediation efforts across the Commonwealth
•    $1.3 million for the Tenancy Preservation Program
 
In addition to these critical investments, this budget includes additional protection measures to ensure the state’s residents most at risk of eviction in the middle of a pandemic are kept safe and secure in their homes. Through the amendment process, the budget also includes a provision that would simplify the application process for RAFT and protect the credit rating of individuals who face eviction due to COVID-19 by sealing eviction records. This proposal provides additional protections and resources to tenants suffering a COVID-19-related financial hardship, as well as stability as they await short-term emergency rental assistance.

Food insecurity has become one of the most prevalent consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, impacting children, adults and seniors alike. The Senate’s budget therefore prioritizes access to food resources across the Commonwealth.

Food insecurity investments include:

•    $30 million for the Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program
•    $13 million in Healthy Incentives Programs to ensure vulnerable households have continued access to food options during the pandemic
•    $1.2 million for Project Bread to support the Child Nutrition Outreach Program (CNOP) and the FoodSource Hotline

The Senate’s budget supports cities and towns while allowing them flexibility to confront the unique challenges facing them by directing significant resources to local and regional aid. This includes increased funding for Regional Transit Authorities (RTAs) to $94 million to ensure that commuters, students, seniors and people with disabilities have access to reliable public transportation during this time of critical need. Along with traditional local aid, the Senate’s budget level funds payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) for state-owned land to $30 million. PILOT funding has been a beneficial source of local aid that provides cities and towns with additional resources to support core public services.

Local investments include:

•    $1.129 billion for unrestricted general government aid to support community investments in education, health care, public safety and roads and bridges
•    $32.6 million for the Board of Library Commissioners, $11.5 million for regional library local aid, $12 million for municipal libraries and $4.4 million for technology and automated resources
•    $18.2 million for the Massachusetts Cultural Council to support local arts, culture and creative economy initiatives
•    $17 million for local Councils on Aging to strengthen programs and services in senior centers in communities across the state.

A Conference Committee will now convene to reconcile the differences between the Senate budget and the version passed by the House of Representatives last week. 

The chart hadn't been update with the most recent action by the Senate moving the budget to Conference Committee

 

Voices of Franklin: KP Sompally - Keep Franklin Beautiful

Several community members and I have been raising awareness to seek participation towards establishing an initiative surrounding the goal of keeping Franklin beautiful. Through our collective efforts, we as a community intend to maintain cleanliness throughout the town of Franklin during the Spring, Summer and Fall seasons. We intend to meet during the first Saturday of each month during these seasons and will work together to clean up public areas of our community. Due to the pandemic, we are currently working with a limited number of volunteers for general safety of our community.

The net impact brought upon by this initiative is heavily reliant on the collective effort of volunteers and the active participation of our residents. If interested in joining us in our mission to keep our community clean, please reach out via email at keepfranklinbeautiful@gmail.com, https://facebook.com/keepfranklinbeautiful, those who are interested will be periodically updated with the list of volunteers, progress and milestones accomplished during the cleaning process and the opportunity to reflect and develop our general shared goals and ideas. Join us and help us keep our community clean!!!

 

Keep Franklin Beautiful