LAKEVILLE — The potential loss of 13 to 16 positions in the Freetown-Lakeville schools in the current proposed school budget would seriously harm the district, educators told FreeLake School Committee members at their most recent meeting.

These possible cuts represent a “threat to the current and future success of our students,’’ Apponequet Regional High School teacher Daniel Rutledge told committee members during public comment at the March 26 meeting.

The FreeLake committee is scheduled to vote April 9 on a proposed budget. The Lakeville portion of the budget would total $17,781,784, an increase of 4.26 percent over current spending, Lakeville Town Administrator Andrew Sukeforth said.

The district had originally proposed a budget that would increase Lakeville’s portion by 9.54 percent. Town administrators and finance committee members asked the district to reduce the budget.

To make this reduction, no further expenses could be cut, Acting Superintendent of Schools John Higgins said, so staff reductions were required. Some of the staff cuts reflected declining enrollments, he said.

Educators urged committee members to reject the budget. The cuts would “take away vital opportunities’’ for students, Rutledge stated, and represent a “setback for our small communities.’’

Class sizes would likely be increased, leaving less time for individualized education, he said. The cuts would affect all aspects of education, he said, from reduced special needs staffing to fewer AP course offerings.

Freetown-Lakeville Middle School teacher Jacqueline Hinkley noted that the cuts would “hurt our high-need students the most’’ but would also “impact each and every family.’’

Lakeville Finance Committee Chair Christopher Plonka explained that, if committee members and the community reject the current budget and opt for increases in spending, Lakeville’s town services would be seriously impacted. 

The result would be a “significant reduction’’ in town services or require a possible Proposition 2 ½ override, which allows a community to spend beyond state-mandated increases, Plonka said.