Memorial Service Thursday for Former Teacher, Coach Robert Jachowicz

A memorial celebration of Robert Jachowicz's life will be held Thursday, May 16 from 4 to 8 p.m. at The Eagles on Park Street in Framingham.

Robert Joseph Jachowicz, age 84, died peacefully Thursday, May 9, 2013 at his home in Framingham. He was the husband of 63 years to Phyllis M. (Rosicky) Jachowicz, also from Lynn. He was the son of the late Joseph and Emily (Lovely) Jachowicz. He was a graduate and standout football player at Lynn English High School and won a four-year full scholarship to the College of the Holy Cross, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree. Jachowicz had an extensive, fulfilling career in Framingham as an educator, coach and artist. Following college he began teaching and coaching in the Framingham School System as an 8th grade teacher at the Framingham Middle School, now the Danforth Art Museum. He worked for more than 40 years at Framingham High …

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You Ask, Patch Answers

When Will the 2013-14 School Calendar Be Finalized?

One of the reasons for the delay in the vote of a 2013-14 Framingham Public School calendar, as some issues were part of the new Framingham Teachers Association contract.

Last week, a half dozen Framingham Patch readers asked when the Framingham Public School 2013-14 school calendar will be finalized. The week before, Patch heard from a handful of parents, too. The calendar is still in draft form and will need a vote by the Framingham School Committee before it is finalized. One of the reasons for the delay in the vote, was some of the items within the calendar needed to be approved (and negotiated with) the Framingham Teachers Association. The Framingham Teachers Association voted on the contract last Tuesday and the Framingham School Committee unanimously ratified it on Thursday night. The next scheduled School Committee meeting is Monday, May 20 and a vote on the school calendar is scheduled for that …

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School Committee Issues Statement on Teacher's Contract

Hugo: "Our goal for this contract was to balance the sometimes competing needs of avoiding structural deficits, rebuilding educationai services for our students and providing a fair contract for our teachers."

Press Release from Framingham School Committee Chair Beverly Hugo issued Friday morning, May 10: The Framingham School Committee is pleased to announce that the vote for ratification of the teacher's contract resulted in favor of ratification 7-0. This concludes the contract negotiation process for the Fiscal Years 2013-2015, which took over a year to complete. The collective bargaining process is a complicated one that attempts to resolve many conflicting concerns in view of the realities of cost and the best academic interests of our students. Under Massachusetts law, this process is to be carried out in a confidential setting. In this case, public announcements - while they allowed for transparency  ultimately slowed the pace of our …

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UPDATED: Teachers Association Votes in Favor of New Contract

Superintendent of Schools and Framingham School Committee issued statement on Monday announcing specific details of teachers agreement reached with union.

UPDATED 7:55 p.m.: Framingham Teachers Association voted 88 percent in favor of a new contract, said FTA President Sam Miskin. *** The Framingham School Committee issued a statement on Monday, May 6 that a  tentative agreement has been reached with the Framingham Teachers Association. Framingham Patch reported on April 10 that an agreement had been reached by the two sides in closed door negotiations. The agreement comes after over 12 months of negotiations, which at times were assisted by a state mediator. Framingham Teachers Association members will vote this afternoon (May 7) to ratify the contract at Fuller Middle School. They held an informational session for members at Fuller yesterday. The Framingham School Committee anticipates …

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Patch Facts

5 Things You Need To Know Today: May 6

Sweeney Todd on stage, Framingham School Committee meeting, Framingham Cultural Council Reception, 5th Annual May Baskets and free karate class for children all featured in today's column.

Our daily column, 5 Things You Need to Know Today, will help you to get your day started and offer you some fodder for water cooler conversation. 1. Framingham High School's Drama Company will stage the dark musical Sweeney Todd on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Tickets are on sale now. Purchase here.  2. Framingham School Committee will meet tonight at 7:30 in the King Administration Building. At 7:45 a.m., School Committee members will recognize former School Committee member, and not Selectman Michael Bower. Also on the agenda is a discussion of school fees and school choice. 3. Friends of Literacy Unlimited is holding its 5th Annual May Baskets Raffle, a month-long fundraiser. Several high-end items—such as an iPad mini, Bose® …

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Teachers, District Reach Tentative Contract Agreement

The Framingham School Committee will ratify the contract after teachers vote; Framingham Teachers Association members are expected to vote after school vacation week.

After a year of sometimes contentious negotiations, Framingham Public Schools and the Framingham Teachers Association have reached an agreement on a new contract.  Superintendent Stacy Scott announced during Wednesday night's School Committee meeeting that a memorandum of agreement had been finalized earlier in the day, during a mediation session.   Framingham Patch reported early Wednesday, that the two sides were at 99 percent agreement before its scheduled Wednesday morning session. "With the contract settled, we look forward to providing undivided attention to student achievement for our district once again," Scott said, citing the need to focus on addressing rising enrollments, develop facilities and reenergize programs such as …

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BLOCKS Employee Honored by Massachusetts Teachers Association

An assistant teacher at B.L.O.C.K.S. Preschool was named the Massachusetts Teachers association ESP of the Year Award.

Diane Barnum, an education support professional working at the Framingham B.L.O.C.K.S preschool and a member of the Framingham Teachers Association, is this year's winner of the MTA ESP of the Year Award. Barnum, who is an assistant teacher in an inclusion classroom at the Building Learning Opportunities for Children's Kindergarten Success (B.L.O.C.K.S.) Pre-School, was singled out for her "supportive, kind, caring manner" by the MTA ESP Committee, which reviews submissions for the award. The award was announced on Saturday, April 6 at MTA ESP Conference in Falmouth. Millie Ficarra, co-chair of the MTA ESP Committee, said all the nominees this year are "creative, innovative thinkers who make a difference to their schools and communities," …

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Framingham Proposing 4, Not 3, Weeks of Vacation in 2013-14 School Year

Proposed Framingham Schools calendar reduces early release days at elementary level, increase early release days at middle school level, creates 2 night time parent-teacher conferences and schedules the first day of school on August 28.

Framingham Public School students may get four weeks of vacation next year instead of three, with the proposed 2013-14 school calendar. The calendar is still in draft form and will need a vote by the Framingham School Committee before it is finalized. With Christmas 2013 falling on a Wednesday, Framingham Educational Operations Director Sonia Diaz suggested schools close on Friday, Dec. 20 and not re-open until Monday, Jan. 6 2014, a 2-week break. School Committee member Beverly Hugo favored the two-week break saying it would allow for "incredible family time." School Committee member Michael Bower said closing the schools for that two-week period, in the heart of winter, could help the school district save money in fuel costs. The …

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UPDATED: 9-Hour Mediation Session Described as 'Productive' by Superintendent

Framingham Superintendent of Schools is hopefully for a contract to be ratified in April.

UPDATED: 2:30 p.m.  A 9-hour mediation session was held Monday into Tuesday morning between the Framingham Public Schools and the Framingham Teachers Association. Framingham Superintendent of Schools Stacy Scott described the session as "productive." "We accomplished a lot yesterday," said Framingham Teachers Association President Sam Miskin. "We came to agreement on all the main issues with only the topic of supervision and evaluation remaining," said Scott to Framingham Patch. "We worked until about 12:30 am and were able to work out many of the details of the proposals," said Miskin. The Framingham Teachers Association has been without a contract since August. They are seeking a new contract and want three key items: A fourth item …

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