The Local School Council (LSC) is a twelve-member team, comprised of the Principal and elected staff, parent, and community representatives, whose primary responsibilities are to (1) provide input into, approve, and monitor the School Improvement Plan for Advancing Academic Achievement (SIPAAA); (2) provide input into, approve, and monitor the school’s budget; and (3) hire, continuously evaluate, and make retention decisions on the school’s Principal. Franklin holds its regular, monthly LSC meetings on the third Tuesday of each month of the school year, starting at 7 p.m. in the school library, with exceptions in some years (see actual dates below). Everyone is invited to attend.
The meeting dates during the 2011/12 school year are:
September 27, 2011 (exception due to Back to School Night on 9/20)
October 18, 2011
November 15, 2011
December 20, 2011
January 17, 2012
February 21, 2012
March 20, 2012
April 17, 2012
May 15, 2012
Events
Franklin’s LSC annually hosts the International Picnic. This is a fantastic way to celebrate the start of a new school year, meet or reconnect with families and teachers, and enjoy the amazing diversity we cherish at Franklin – including the delicious variety of potluck dishes! The picnic for the 2011/2012 school year will be on Saturday, September 24 from noon to 3 PM.
The event requires the help of over 80 volunteers (parents, staff, students, and community members) for setup, food service, international arts & crafts, sports, entertainment, and clean-up. Franklin receives generous food donations from many Old Town restaurants. It’s amazing to see everyone pull together for this remarkable social gathering. Click here to go to the on-line volunteer sign-up site.
SIPAAA
The current School Improvement Plan for Advancing Academic Achievement was approved in Spring, 2010, and covers the 2010/11 and 2011/12 school years. The current SIPAAA documents priority goals for Franklin in the area of literacy, arts education, and science. Key indicators of success for each of these priorities are:
1) Literacy: Move at least 3% of students from meeting to exceeding categories on ISAT test each year and 3% up to next level on DIBELS assessment.
2) Arts Education: Increase the amount of arts integration into the regular classroom with the goal that at least 3 classrooms per year collaborate with at least one fine arts department each year.
3) Science: Enrich and supplement the science curriculum school-wide with the goal of increasing the number of students exceeding on the science ISAT test by 3% each year.
In addition to the priority goals, Franklin’s SIPAAA identifies other areas of important focus: maintaining our excellent math program, with the goal of increasing the number of students exceeding on the ISAT math test; updating classroom computers and enabling expanded classroom computer use by acquiring a fully-equipped laptop cart; increasing the use of differentiation practices at each grade level; increasing the time spent by the Principal in classroom observation at all grade levels; and improving the overall operations of the school facilities.
The 2011/2012 school year is a year in which Franklin creates a new two-year SIPAAA. Watch for your opportunity to be involved in this important assessment and planning in February, 2012.
Budget
The SIPAAA forms the foundation for budget decisions, particularly decisions related to the school’s use of discretionary funds. Franklin’s current key sources of discretionary funds are State Supplemental Aid, some Federal aid (“Title II”), and money earned through renting out the school parking lot in the evenings. Smaller sources of discretionary funding are grants and donations given directly to the school. Traditional timelines had the LSC voting on the budget, or the agreed-upon priorities for the use of discretionary funds, for the upcoming school year in the April LSC meeting of the current school year. However, timelines have varied in the past couple years due to significant state and local budget shortfalls.
In addition to responsible use of the discretionary funds from the state or generated by lease of school property, Franklin recognizes that it depends on strong fundraising and donation support from parents and community to ensure the level of education resources required for Franklin’s excellent programming. In particular, over the past couple school years (during state and local budget crises), fundraising has even provided for certain staffing costs. The school’s primary fundraising organization is Friends of Franklin Fine Arts Center.
Election Year
Elections for a new two-year LSC term will be held on Wednesday, April 18, 2012. The new term runs from July 1, 2012, through June 30, 2014. Stay posted for information in January 2012 regarding the application and election process. The best way to learn about this service opportunity is to attend LSC meetings regularly.
Current Council
Principal: Carol Friedman
Teacher Representatives: Jennifer Mackenzie (1st Grade) and Brian Santos (piano)
Staff Representative: Kathi Trenholm (office)
Parent Representatives: Charlie Branda (Chairman), Suzanne Halperin-McIntosh, Lina Hilko, Dana O’Banion, Mari Sauer, Ana Scales
Community Representatives: John Neuhaus and Janice Kay Smith |
