Votes at a glance: school committee maintains school choice; approves substitute-rate changes and van surplus

The Freetown-Lakeville Regional School Committee voted on several items during its March 11 meeting. The board's actions were procedural and were approved unanimously, with vote tallies not specified in the meeting record.

School choice: The committee voted to continue the district's participation in school choice for the 2019-20 school year. The motion to maintain school choice was made and seconded during the meeting and passed unanimously. The administration said the recommendation included 21 additional seats districtwide while limiting school choice seats in primary grades; the superintendent also noted that the committee and superintendent retain discretion to adjust exact per-grade numbers through the summer.

Substitute pay rates: The committee approved a revised substitute-pay schedule to take effect beginning the 2019-20 school year. The proposal increased daily paraprofessional and teacher day-to-day rates and adjusted the long-term substitute step structure (moving to an intermediate rate for assignments beyond 10 days, while preserving full long-term rates for 6- or 12-month vacancies). The superintendent explained the change was intended to better align costs with the budget and to make long-term placements equitable.

Van surplus: The committee approved declaring two special-education vans surplus; one additional van originally proposed for surplus was held for repair and eventual return to service so the district can restore a route. The motion to surplus two vans passed unanimously.

Acceptance of minutes: The committee also approved acceptance of the minutes from its February 6 meeting during roll call; that motion passed with no further discussion.

The meeting record did not include roll-call vote tallies by member for these motions; the minutes note unanimous approval for the substantive votes.