Back to the drawing board, again

The School Committee meeting sent the Superintendent back to the drawing board to see if the proposed language and music cuts could be kept even if the override passes.

A gallant effort.

You know folks, cuts are going to be painful. The budget is so tight, any one thing will trigger an emotional reaction from the affected parties.

The time it takes to do the analysis delays getting the message to the entire community. It delays getting the layoff notices out to the teachers that would be affected.

Let's get real folks. Cuts hurt. There will be hurtful cuts no matter what happens if the override fails.

Let's focus on getting the vote out for the override to pass!

That is a challenge that will require a whole lot of effort and we have so little time.

May 22 is rapidly approaching.

• Get informed. Read the article Michael Morton wrote about the School Committee meeting Tuesday night.
• Talk with your neighbors.
• Get out the vote for May 22.

Teachers face uncertain future

Michael Morton of the Milford Daily News reported on a teacher meeting held on Tuesday at the high school.

"It brings the teachers together," said Mary Doherty as she left the information session. Doherty, a Franklin parent and fourth-grade teacher at Oak Street Elementary School, said, "There are a lot of teachers in there getting cut."

During the meeting, staff also received an update on contract talks, with union President Chandler Creedon Jr., the Horace Mann Middle School psychologist, later confirming that negotiations are on hold until the fate of a $2.7 million Proposition 2 1/2 tax override is known. The schools' portion would be $2.14 million.

The session focused on budget issues with three main concerns, according to union Vice President Donna Grady, who is a kindergartner teacher at Helen Keller Elementary School: staff reductions, larger class sizes if teachers are lost, and trying to get information out to parents in an appropriate and ethical manner.

"It's very discouraging," she said of the situation, adding that not having immediate answers before the May 22 override vote increased the frustration. "It's really just waiting for what the budget is going to be."

For the full article, you can read it here.

Franklin Charts Summary

Note: Click on the image to expand it to a more readable size.

I put four of the charts which have been published here separately together on one slide. This may help paint the picture of what is needed May 22.

The charts were previously published

• Per pupil spending below MA average
• Franklin contribution to education declining
• Special education costs increasing
• MCAS test results for 2006

Franklin MCAS Scorecard

Note: Click on the image to expand it to a more readable size.


For as little as Franklin contributes to the education of its own children, we do benefit a great deal. The school department across the board does a wonderful job with the funds that they have been provided. MCAS scores are one example of the benefits that Franklin reaps.

The numbers for this chart can be found on the MA Department of Education web site.

Franklin Special Ed as Percent of Total Education Spending

The figures come directly from the MA Dept of Education web site.

• The Special Education (SPED) amounts (all dollars shown in thousands) in the dark purple.
• The Total Education budget for Franklin shown year of year from 1997 through 2006 shown in the light blue.
• The percentage of SPED of the Total is shown on the line.

For detailed information on the SPED problem, check out this file found (PDF) on the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents.