About time, Franklin

The new superintendent for the Franklin School Dept Wayne Ogden, is using the kind of terminology I like and think will work well to describe the problem we have had here in Franklin.

To recap, in case you weren't aware:

• A growing community.
• School population increases every year. (PDF)
  
• Budget cuts every year.
• Service cuts every year.
  
• Previous administrations were guilty of mismanagement.
• Previous Town Councils were just as bad.
• The population does not trust the numbers.

I don't blame them.

He is describing the problem using "level funded" and "level service" to refer to the budget. Effectively under a level funded budget, you will have to cut something when faced with an increase in students or other fixed costs (i.e. teacher salaries). With a level service budget, there would be an increase for that same scenario but you would be providing the same level of service to the students this year as you did last year.

We need to understand these two concepts. We need to determine if we want to maintain or increase our service, with an increase in population, there will be an increase in the cost.

Money does not grow on trees or appear automatically at an ATM machine. I fully understand that. Hence the need for a real comprehension of the issue and a real decision based upon what we need to provide for our children who will help to determine our countries future.

Read Superintendent Ogden's monthly newsletter here (PDF).

Explore the Superintendent's page.
Become familiar with the Franklin school district information.

I think there should also be a listing of the program changes reflecting what the budget cuts have done to the instruction provided to the students; like, reducing instruction in foreign language, reduction in supplies for the classroom, increases in fees for school activities, school trips completely funded by PCC fund raising efforts, etc.


Disclosure: In case you are new to this blog and are not aware, my two daughters are products of the Franklin School system and both are now doing well in college. My wife, Dolores is teaching kindergarten here in Franklin. I started teaching and coaching in RI schools before changing professions and companies.