School committee discusses using $250,000 in E&D funds to save four positions amid budget uncertainty

The Freetown-Lakeville Regional School District school committee discussed a proposal to use $250,000 from FY25 excess and deficiency (E&D) funds to preserve four positions—a mix of three teachers and one paraprofessional—while state aid and other revenue sources remain uncertain.

The discussion followed public comments urging the committee to adopt an amended budget that would avoid staff cuts. Rich Sharra, a special educator, asked the committee to "please vote yes on the amended budget," saying cuts would be "devastating to the students and to the staff" and would reduce teacher time with students. Sean McGee, a second-grade paraprofessional and resident of Freetown, described paraprofessionals' work and pay, saying "paraprofessionals receive a poverty level wage" and describing reliance by many on a spouse's income or government benefits.

Interim Superintendent Dr. Barbara Starkey and Director of Finance Jack Higgins presented the fiscal context. Higgins proposed using $250,000 of FY25 E&D to keep the four positions, and said the move would not change the town assessments for Freetown and Lakeville because the budget increase would be offset by the E&D draw. Higgins described the package as a "safety net" to buy time while the district waits on state-level decisions about transportation and special-education reimbursements.

Committee members pressed for clarity about alternatives. Members discussed drawing on school choice funds versus E&D. Higgins noted both are available but cautioned that school choice balances have been built during years of federal ESSER funding and are declining; he said using either pool would deplete a finite reserve. A committee member asked whether the district would be "stuck" if state aid does not materialize; Jack Higgins acknowledged that the E&D draw is a temporary measure and that the committee could elect to use a different fund later, but warned that persistent reliance on reserves would increase long-term risk.

Higgins also reminded the committee that state rules limit E&D to roughly 5% of the operating budget and said the district is close to that ceiling; excess above the ceiling must be returned to the towns. He estimated that fully avoiding all reductions presented in earlier budget drafts would require between $500,000 and $600,000 total (a figure described in discussion as the broad scale of the shortfall), and reiterated that the $250,000 item was intended to preserve four positions while awaiting more clarity from the Commonwealth.

Why it matters: The proposal would temporarily preserve staff and programs but does not change the district's structural budget gap. Committee members and speakers noted the trade-offs of using one-time reserves to cover recurring personnel costs.

What's next: The committee discussed bringing formal language or a vote back at a future meeting; no committee vote to use the E&D funds was recorded in the transcript excerpt.