There has been much talk about the loss of 43.5 teachers in Franklin should the override fail to pass on June 10. There are suggestions that the School Committee is just using “scare tactics” and that the cuts are not real. This piece is intended to clear up some of the misconceptions
Today, we employ a total of 507 teachers. If you look at the Massachusetts Department of Education (DOE) website, it lists 443 teachers as of October 1, 2007. Why the discrepancy? When the DOE talks teachers they mean only classroom teachers. When the School Committee refers to teachers in its budget materials, we mean all people in the FEA bargaining group, which includes guidance counselors, school psychologists, speech pathologists, ELL teachers and so forth. So when you look at DOE data, please keep that difference in mind.
For the past two budget cycles, the School Committee has had to make reductions in teaching staff in order to meet costs not funded with budget appropriations from the town. Prior to that, the School Committee steadily reduced spending on other services and imposed and increased fees for busing, athletics, and student activities, to name a few. The savings generated from these decisions have been poured directly into the classroom, to recruit and retain top quality teachers, support a strong curriculum and to maintain appropriate class sizes. The result has been stellar academic performance, to the point where our students have gained acceptances at the top universities and colleges in the nation. Compared to dozens and dozens of other districts, Franklin academically outperforms those who spend much more per pupil. We have cut around the edges to protect our core.
This year, however, there are no edges left. Without substantial additional revenue, we must and we will make budget reductions mostly in personnel, because we have exhausted all other areas for significant cuts. What this means is the loss of approximately 43.5 teaching positions – 16 at Franklin high, 12.5 at the middle school level, and 15 at the elementary level. If the layoffs go through, it is a step back of some magnitude.
Last fiscal year, we also had to reduce the number of teachers by 23 even though we had a successful override vote. Some have suggested that we never made these cuts, but we did, and you can refer back to the DOE data for proof. In FY07, we had 466 classroom teachers, and this year we have 443 classroom teachers. To find these figures on the DOE website, you can take the following steps and navigate the site, or simply click on the hyperlinks below:
Start by selecting School/District Profiles on the DOE Main Page.
- Under School/District Data Reports in the upper left corner, select Teacher Data.
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The report displayed is the 2006-2007 Teacher Data Report.
- Scroll down to Franklin and you’ll see that the total number of teachers is 466.
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Click on Franklin and you’ll be presented with a report entitled “Franklin – Enrollment/Indicators.“
- The last section of this table has Teacher Data 2007-2008 and indicates that the total number of teachers is 443 as of October 1, 2007.
If you would like to see the numbers for previous years, you can do that from the Teachers Data page, by clicking on any of the hyperlinks at the top of the page. The data goes back to the 03-04 school year. You will see that the number of classroom teachers in Franklin is as follows:
| School year | # of classroom teachers |
| 2003-04 | 408 |
| 2004-05 | 459 |
| 2005-06 | 449 |
| 2006-07 | 466 |
| 2007-08 | 443 |
During that same time period, enrollment in the Franklin schools has increased by approximately 500 students. If the override is unsuccessful, that number of classroom teachers is expected to dip below 400 for the 2008-09 school year, which means we will have less teachers than we had in 2003, but 500 more students.
On June 10, the Franklin community will have the opportunity to express its opinion about whether these proposed school cuts are acceptable.
Some have asked why we don’t just freeze teacher salaries in light of these difficult economic times? While it may seem easy to “freeze” salaries, there are many reasons why that is not a good idea and would adversely affect the school system. To begin, it is our goal to attract and retain high-quality teachers in our system. Indeed, our superintendent is the co-author of a book entitled “The Skillful Leader: Confronting Mediocre Teaching.” In that regard, he knows quite well what it takes to get us the best staffing. Salary freezes would run counter to our goals.
Part of attracting and retaining quality staff is the pay scale. Indeed, there are many communities throughout Massachusetts that offer more attractive salaries and benefits than Franklin. We are in competition with these other communities. Last year, we lost some high-quality teachers because of budget issues and the prospect of layoffs. Many current teachers have applied for jobs outside of Franklin because they perceive a lack of community support. There are many communities out there that will take our talent in a heartbeat. That will continue to occur if we are unable to meet the budgetary needs.
Last year, the teachers agreed to salary increases of 2%, 2%, and 2.5% for the years 2007-2010. That follows a three-year agreement where their increases were 1.5%, 2.5% and 3%. At least over the last six years, the teachers union has worked well with us in trying to strike a balance, and in this context, it would be unwise to ask teachers to freeze salaries. Moreover, as a community, we want to continue on the path of good to great. And we want to keep and retain the best and brightest in front of our students. We can’t do that unless we offer competitive salaries, benefits, and conditions.
Twenty-five years ago, Americans awoke to a forceful little report that changed public education. It is fruitful to revisit this report, as we consider the choices that face the citizens of Franklin with an override vote. The Nation at Risk report found poor academic performance at nearly every level of the American education system. It warned that “the educational foundations of our society are presently being eroded by a rising tide of mediocrity that threatens our very future as a Nation and a people.” One of the five goals that stemmed from the report was for districts to provide better teacher training, and salaries should be “professionally competitive. In 25 years, the Franklin School system has made tremendous progress on this recommendation. The result has been stellar academic performance, to the point where our students have gained acceptances at the top universities and colleges in the nation. Making this change, among others has required an infusion of money. You can read more about this report by clicking here.
The bottom line is that Franklin’s budget problems stem from the fact that we have an artificially low tax rate and it is going to take a few overrides in order to bring us back to where we should be. The state has bailed us out over the last 10 years through Chapter 70 aid, and now that that is running dry, it is time for the community to step up to the plate. From last year to this year, we will see an increase in Chapter 70 funds of approximately 9%. Those funds make up more than 50% of the school budget for the town of Franklin. We are seeking a total budget increase of approximately 6.6%. If you factor in the Chapter 70 aid, the amount we need from the town is actually less than 6.6%. In this context, I think it would be inappropriate to ask teachers to freeze their salaries when the community will not match even approach what the state is doing relative to increased funding.
Moreover, we want to keep and retain the best and brightest in front of our students. We can’t do that unless we offer competitive salaries, benefits, and conditions.
Last year, when speaking about the budget, we noted that Franklin was below the state average in 9 of 11 categories of education spending. The only areas where we outspent other Massachusetts communities were in classroom teachers and instructional materials. The new data has emerged, and this year Franklin has slipped further. With the continued education cuts, Franklin now spends over $2,000 less than the state average per pupil and is now below the state average in 10 of 11 categories. With the loss of 43.5 teachers (if the override fails), Franklin is sure to dip below on all 11 categories next year.
Finally, you may have heard that notices went out to 47 teachers last week (see Milford Daily News article by clicking here). That is true. In addition to those RIF notices, we have received notice that some teachers will be retiring or taking leaves of absence, some teachers have been dismissed for performance reasons, and some have resigned. In total, there are 78 teachers that will not be returning to Franklin’s schools if the override is unsuccessful, taking into account RIF’s, retirements, performance based issues, leaves of absence, resignations, etc. That number will probably increase. Of those 78, we will replace about 33 of those positions without an override (for a net loss of 45 positions, including the administrative losses).
