LAKEVILLE — To meet calls to reduce the Freetown-Lakeville Regional School District budget, the School Committee and district administration agreed to convert a new full-time preschool teacher position into a half-time role despite concerns about growing preschool population.

The cuts mean the towns will be asked to pay one of the lowest year-on-year increases the district has seen in the last decade-and-a-half, according to Superintendent Alan Strauss.

Both the School Committee and administration expressed frustration with the budget process because of how many cuts have been made before committee member Stephen Sylvia suggested adding in the half-time role.

“I don’t think we do enough for the students” with the proposed budget, said School Committee member Steve Owen, who attended the meeting remotely. “That’s what our job is.”

School Committee member Will Sienkewicz, who was voted to the chair position at the meeting, said he was “not thrilled” about cutting a new preschool teacher from the budget. Fellow committee members Jean Fox and Sherrill Brown agreed.

“We’re continuing to cut, continuing to cut, and continuing to cut,” Sienkewicz said. “But we’re not getting the feedback from the towns that we need” to create the best possible budget.

The district agreed to cut a full-time preschool teacher position from the budget while voicing their concerns during the School Committee meeting on April 26. Sylvia suggested adding the half-time role later in the meeting. 

The committee voted to add $27,520 for the position into the budget before it is decided by voters at Town Meeting.

Strauss and Brown called the half-time role “a great idea,” while Director of Student Services Ashley Bouley expressed concerns over finding a qualified candidate for a part-time role.

“I don’t want to see us not able to service the youngest children,” Brown said.

With the half-time position added into the budget, Lakeville will be asked to pay around $267,000, or 1.65%, more than the current school year’s budget, according to the final calculations released on Sunday, April 30.

Freetown’s share is slated to increase by around $112,000, or 0.86%.

Strauss said he was frustrated by a lack of support from the towns over the projections of demand for preschool spots that were presented by the district. He praised Director of Student Services Ashley Bouley’s use of data in the budget planning process.

“We’re using that approach because we can’t project out,” said Strauss. “That’s why we’re going to cut [the preschool teacher position].”

“People ask for us to stop using projections,” Strauss said. “So we stop using projections, and this is what happens. It cuts off. Would I prefer [to have the position]? I said that right in the beginning. But based upon right now, where we are numbers wise, we can handle it. What happens down the road? I can’t answer that question.”