Freetown-Lakeville school committee reviews enrollment data, approves multiple grants, policies and donations

The Freetown-Lakeville Regional School Committee met Aug. 20, 2025, and heard a detailed update on district enrollment trends and the interim superintendent’s three goals for the year, then voted on a series of grants, donations, policy changes and surplus declarations.

Interim Superintendent Dr. Barbara Stockey opened the substantive portion of the meeting by presenting three goals for the 2025–26 year: create a three-year multiyear budget projection process, review and improve human-resources systems, and implement a consistent schedule of school and classroom visits across all grade levels. Dr. Stockey said the formative evaluation of those goals will occur in November 2025 and the summative evaluation in March 2026.

Why it matters: the multiyear budget projection is intended to surface recurring nonpersonnel expenses (for example, multi-year textbook subscriptions) so the district can plan more predictably and align resources to priorities.

Enrollment and next steps Dr. Stockey and district staff presented month-by-month enrollment tracking and a five-year lookback, noting an overall decline across Massachusetts and local declines in some grades. For example, kindergarten enrollment fell from 207 in 2021 to a low of 172 in 2023–24, though the district has seen a recent uptick; the superintendent also flagged a 10-student drop from fifth to sixth grade at one point and a 10-student increase into 12th grade year over year as items warranting follow-up.

The district reported 79 students from 35 families currently registered as homeschooled. Staff said the district will continue to collect older datasets (five to 10 years) and consider entrance/exit surveys for families to better understand reasons for leaving or joining the district. School choice and recent property sales were cited as sources of small, rapid enrollment changes (staff reported five new enrollments in two days, four in Lakeville and one in Freetown).

Grants, capital and facilities The committee voted to accept a $100,000 grant from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection to support upgrades to the district’s domestic water system used on campus and at Freetown Elementary; the committee also acknowledged a separate $100,000 state earmark awarded earlier in the spring to support campus improvements (pool engineering study, stadium uprights and track/fieldwork). The pool engineering firm told the district it is delayed by a subcontractor cyberattack and the district expects a timeline update soon.

The committee discussed an FES boiler study (work in progress) and a three-phase project to replace fire-suppression devices across campus that began this summer. Facilities director Greg Goodwin reported an outside contractor will perform a planned wash to remove biological growth from outdoor surfaces.

Student services, special education and career pathways Director of Student Services Kelly Steele summarized extended-school-year (ESY) participation (137 students recommended, 93 attended, a 68% attendance rate and an 8% increase from last year) and introduced administrative assignments for special-education coverage. Steele also outlined a new “life suite” (a mock apartment) at the high school for life-skills instruction; several community donations (bed, dresser, dining set, refrigerator and freezer) were presented and accepted by vote.

Handbooks, SROs and other local agreements The committee approved updated, unified student handbooks for Assawamset Elementary School and Freetown Elementary School. The district said both SRO (school resource officer) agreements—Freetown and Lakeville—remain in effect and asked the committee to note annual review procedures; no changes were requested by the chiefs.

Policies and technology The committee adopted a local AI policy (final vote) that the policy subcommittee had introduced earlier. The committee also voted to approve an optional Chromebook insurance program for families, keeping current premium levels ($30 for a single-student plan, $50 for families with multiple students) and adding a proposed coverage cap so that families would be responsible for costs above $100 for a single student or $175 for a family (the cap was part of the change the committee approved). District technology staff reported increased device breakage and noted protective cases had been deployed previously.

Budgetary housekeeping and surplus Business office staff reported FY2025 close activity and identified summer projects and encumbrances. The committee voted to repurpose certain fund account numbers to accommodate multi-year grants and to declare surplus items (one broken teacher desk and bookshelves at Assawamset, and 24 obsolete overhead projectors at the intermediate school). The committee also approved payroll vendor warrants and other routine finance items.

Community donations and community requests A Girl Scout leader, Michelle Hecht, presented a request from two local Girl Scout troops to donate and install butterfly houses at the district’s schools; the superintendent said that request will be added to the September agenda for a committee vote. The committee accepted a donation-collection plan from the Real Estate Collaborative of Lakeville, which will collect school supplies in exchange for ice cream at an event; the committee approved accepting that donation when presented later in the meeting.

Votes at a glance - Accept Real Estate Collaborative (TREC) school-supplies donation: approved - Approve updated FES and AES 2025–26 student handbooks: approved - Accept MassDEP domestic water grant ($100,000): approved - Repurpose fund account numbers (for grant/fund tracking): approved - Declare surplus items (broken desk, bookshelf, 24 overhead projectors): approved - Accept donated items for ARHS life-suite (bed, dresser, dining set; refrigerator/freezer): approved - Adopt district AI policy (final vote): approved - Approve optional Chromebook insurance (retain premiums; add caps): approved - Approve payroll vendor warrants (listed dates): approved - Approve regular-session minutes of June 11, 2025: tabled to next meeting

What’s next Committee members said the district will return monthly or bimonthly enrollment updates and continue the pool engineering and boiler studies. The Girl Scouts’ butterfly-house donation will return on the September agenda; staff said they will circulate further enrollment analysis and an updated budget-projection mechanism tied to the superintendent’s stated goals.

Ending note: The meeting included public comments on subcommittee appointment procedure and a recognition of Wendy Gregory, a First Student bus driver who won a regional bus rodeo grand-champion title.