Let’s get budget number in the ballpark

When reading that the Boston Red Sox are spending $51.1 million simply to talk to a Japanese pitching ace about coming to Boston, I couldn’t help about think of the Franklin School budget. In Franklin, the FY07 budget for the entire school department is $50,443,000. That means, from July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2007, we will educate over 6,200 children in grades K-12, and pay over 1,000 employees with less than what it costs to “talk” to a hurler of baseballs. And let’s keep in mind, that $51.1 million in talking money does not include the $40 to $50 million it will cost to sign the player.

MASC/MASS Joint Conference 2006

Four members of the Franklin School Committee, along with the Superintendent of Schools, attended the annual MASC/MASS Joint Conference which took place in Hyannis from November 8-11. The conference provided an opportunity for school committee members and superintendents from throughout Massachusetts to meet and discuss a myriad of issues which arise in public education.

The collaborative annual joint conference between MASC and MASS presented a program of nationally known speakers, current-issue panel discussions, informative exhibits, and demonstrations of successful instructional and mangement initiatives in local districts. The MASC Delegate Assembly was also held during the four-day event at which time officers were elected and the Assembly considers resolutions submitted in conformance with the MASC By-Laws. These resolutions often result in the filing of legislation by the Association, or the establishment of Association positions.

Representatives from Franklin attended workshops on school finance, improving achievement, special education, districts in transition, drugs and substance abuse, dealing with difficult people, school law, collective bargaining, and assessing operations. In addition, the group participated in a program on the media and your message which was presented by Suzanne Bates, a former anchor for the WBZ-TV news.

A number of Web resources were highlighted at the convention. Among some of those resources are the following:

Massachusetts State Performance Plan for special education reporting: The Massachusetts State Performance Plan (MA SPP) was developed in accordance with 20 U.S.C. 1416(b)(1), which states that “not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA), each State must have in place a performance plan that evaluates the State’s efforts to implement the requirements and purposes of Part B and describes how the State will improve such implementation.” The MA SPP responds directly to the 20 indicators identified by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) in Information Collection 820-0624, Part B State Performance Plan (SPP) and Annual Performance Report (APR);

Special Education Finance Policy: The attached link is an updated powerpoint presentation prepared by Dr. Sheldon Berman on Special Education Finance Policy. The document represents an analysis of the cost trends and issues with funding special education. The document also includes a Policy recommendation to address this issue.

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