Freetown-Lakeville committee approves $250,000 from reserves to save four staff positions

The Freetown-Lakeville Regional School Committee voted May 7 to move $250,000 from its Excess and Deficiency (E&D) balance into the FY2026 salary budget, a one-time action the committee said will preserve four district positions that otherwise would have been cut.

The vote followed a months‑long budget process that began with a level-service budget of $49,135,217 presented to the committee on Feb. 5 and narrowed after town officials signaled they could not fully support that number. District leaders said additional savings identified after the first presentation — including about $500,000 in line‑item reductions and updated health‑insurance figures — did not eliminate the need for staffing changes. The committee and administration said an initial proposal in March identified roughly 17 positions for reduction; subsequent adjustments cut that number to 11 and, with the E&D transfer, the district will avoid eliminating four additional posts.

Interim Super…