Freetown‑Lakeville committee hears $53.6M FY27 budget proposal as insurance, staffing and technology costs rise

At its Jan. 14 meeting the Freetown‑Lakeville Regional School Committee received an overview of the fiscal 2027 recommended budget, which Director of Finance Jack Higgins said totals $53,619,217 — an increase of $3,734,234, or about 7.55%, over the current year. Higgins said that number includes federal grant money and one‑time uses of carryover funds.

Higgins told the committee the increase is driven by several large factors: the planned use of excess and deficiency and school‑choice carryover that must be absorbed into the general fund, a staff‑cost estimate of roughly $1.2 million tied to negotiated increases, and a health‑insurance estimate budgeted at about 12 percent. Technology needs are another major item, he said, noting replacement cycles for Chromebooks and that end‑of‑life network switches present security and operational risks.

"The recommended budget is $53,619,217," Higgins said, restating the headline number and the plan to include federal grants in the total. He also listed specific capital and technology items the district is tracking separately, including roughly $198,000 for phase 2 of fire suppression upgrades and network switch replacements that could exceed the budgeted amount before applying E‑Rate offsets.

The presentation explained how district revenue is assembled: town assessments, Chapter 70 and Chapter 71 state aid, school‑choice tuition, circuit‑breaker reimbursements for high special‑education tuitions and federal grants. Higgins cautioned that assessment sheets were not yet populated because they await final state and town numbers. "You'll notice that your section... is the assessment sheet. It's empty. There's a reason why the assessment sheets have not been provided to you," he said.

Committee members asked about the effect of calendar choices and weather on the school year end date and about staff input on calendars; Dr. Starkey said the leadership team preferred a before‑Labor‑Day start. Members also pressed for outreach to town officials and for public communication about large driver items like transportation reimbursement volatility.

Higgins summarized capital needs beyond the operating budget, including a wastewater upgrade estimate of about $132,830, possible campus roof replacements and options for resurfacing or replacing six tennis courts (estimates ranged from roughly $707,000 for a four‑court plan to over $1 million for six). He said some projects would be pursued through grant cycles such as MSBA rounds when feasible.

Next steps: the committee was asked to review detailed budget binders and submit questions through the chair; staff will provide a more granular building‑level presentation next week and the committee indicated it could take up a formal vote on the budget in February once assessment numbers arrive.

Provenance: Topics introduced at SEG 1976 and reviewed through SEG 2386. Ending: Higgins and the interim superintendent asked members to review binders and return with questions at the next scheduled meeting.