Freetown-Lakeville committee reviews FY26 budget, finds $485,216 in reductions and flags funding formula concerns

The Freetown-Lakeville Regional School District school committee heard a detailed update on the FY26 budget and related program issues during its open meeting, with acting administrators reporting $485,216 in reductions to the draft budget and raising concerns about the state funding formula.

Acting Superintendent Jack Higgins told the committee that the administration had identified several categories of savings since the budget presentation on Feb. 5, and that the recommended FY26 budget now reflects more fine-tuned salary figures, updated out-of-district tuition projections and corrected enrollment counts used to calculate town assessments.

Higgins said an error was found in the FY25 assessment calculation: the FY25 enrollment figure that had been used did not match the state-provided foundational enrollment the regional agreement requires. That discrepancy will shift roughly $10,000 in assessment responsibility from Freetown to Lakeville (Freetown $10,000 less; Lakeville approximately $10,000 more), he said. The administration notified both towns and will use the correct foundational numbers going forward.

Why it matters: Higgins and others warned that the district is seeing state aid growth well below inflation. He cited the district's Chapter 70 figure rising from $11,940,339 last year to $12,136,839 (a 1.6% increase), while inflation was about 3.6%. The district and local leaders are participating in Massachusetts Association of Regional Schools (MARS) efforts to press for formula changes.

Key budget adjustments: Higgins summarized changes that reduced the FY26 recommended budget by about $485,216 overall. Those included a $117,622 reduction after moving from projected contract-model salary totals to employee-specific salary assignments, $148,005 in lower out-of-district tuition projections, approximately $36,980 in lower substitute-cost projections, and a $87,609 net savings tied to a finalized 10.54% health insurance figure provided by the carrier. In addition, he said principals and central office staff identified an extra $15,000 reduction in a high-school principal's expense line.

Special education and circuit breaker: The administration reported adjustments in out-of-district tuition that produced savings; Higgins cautioned these figures can be volatile during the year because of move-ins, move-outs and changing student needs. The committee discussed the use of circuit breaker reimbursements and a school choice fund offset for some salaries; Higgins explained the district is applying next year’s expected circuit breaker reimbursement (~$400,000) and current-year funds as appropriate.

Technology and capital needs: Technology director Ryan (last name not specified in the transcript) and Higgins reviewed the technology lines in the budget book. The recommended budget shows a 1% decrease overall but large year-to-year swings in particular lines because of planned hardware purchases (for example, instructional hardware) and a correction to the data-administrator salary line. Higgins said a prior decision to charge $75,000 from the tech revolving fund left the data-administrator salary underfunded; he moved the appropriate amount into the salary line and expects ongoing repairs labor to be roughly $30,000–$40,000 annually. Committee members raised future needs: replacement of older Windows desktops, a new phone system estimated at about $150,000 if purchased outright (the district plans a 4-year lease), and continuing Chromebook lifecycle replacements.

Pool engineering study: Higgins said he will meet Habib and Associates to request a proposal for an engineering study of the district pool; he had no timeline yet for the proposal but scheduled the meeting for the day after the meeting.

Discussion vs. decisions: Committee members thanked the administration for identifying savings and asked follow-up questions about substitute pay (committee direction: bring comparative rates from neighboring districts), the volatility of out-of-district tuition savings, and details of the tech lines. No final budget vote occurred at this meeting; the committee scheduled continued review and follow-up meetings with town officials on March 10.

Ending: The administration said the draft budget number now stands near $48.65 million after the reductions. Higgins and the committee urged continued work with town finance officials and noted state-level budget outcomes (governor, House, Senate) could still change aid levels later in the legislative process.