This session shares the Franklin (MA) School Committee meeting held on Tuesday, December 9, 2025. All 7 members of the committee were present.

Quick recap:

• FHS Volleyball team recognized for D1 State Championship for first time
• Student Services presentation
• Link to slides included below
• Capital budget presentation
• Link to slides included below
• Franklin (MA) School enrollment
• Yes, total of Franklin MA and shown where they end up FPS, or elsewhere
• Numbers mentioned during recent Town Council meeting shown to be in error with these statistics
• Link to the 2 page document included below
• Citizen Comments
• Steve Sherlock stepped up to talk about
• “Hold harmless” is akin to OPEB, Other Post Employment Benefits (OPEB) was for years an unfunded mandate that drove every budget discussion until the Town realized that the funding requirement for the Norfolk County Retirement would be fulfilled shortly (now slipped to approx 2035) but then once complete, those funds could be shifted to pay down the OPEB liability. The Town has a plan to fund OPEB. The School can not come up with a plan to fund hold harmless without Town help. There needs to be a plan as part of whatever financial plan the Town puts together.
• While the Town (and correctly so) touts clean audits, that wasn’t always the case. The current revolving funds policy to maintain a year's worth arose as a result of an audit issue revealed during 2007. Part of the resolution was (1) the hiring of Miriam Goodman in March 2008 and (2) the intro of the policy to keep one year's worth of funds in the revolving accounts
• Audio of student services available https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/12/insights-into-student-services-how-in.html
• Community calendar reminder, this week only Weds doesn't have a booster club, youth sports or otherwise a fundraising effort by eating at one of Franklin’s restaurants. Let me know of your fundraising efforts and they can get published on the Community Calendar
• Action: To submit a community or cultural event, please use this form: https://bit.ly/Submit2Calendar
• entered into Executive Session not to return to open meeting

The recording runs about 3 hours and 45 minutes

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Additional links to key documents for this session

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/12/school-committee-recognizes.html

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