Lakeville to revote the school budget July 27
Select Board members, from left, Chris Plonka, Lorraine Carboni and Kristen Howard. Photo by Sandy Quadros Bowles
Select Board members, from left, Chris Plonka, Lorraine Carboni and Kristen Howard. Photo by Sandy Quadros Bowles
LAKEVILLE -- Lakeville will host a special town meeting July 27 to reconsider the school budget after the Freetown Lakeville Regional School Committee rejected the town’s original vote.
The date for a new meeting was set at the June 16 Select Board meeting in response to a call for another vote by the Freetown Lakeville Regional School Committee.
Town Meeting voters June 8 approved a reduced school budget. The school committee subsequently met to reject that lower budget and call for a new vote.
“I’m extremely disappointed,’’ committee member Jen Blum said of the town’s response to the school budget.
Lakeville voters rejected a Proposition 2 ½ override vote in May that would have raised funds to maintain the current level of staffing and services for the school district.
Blum said she was “appalled’’ by the vote.
Committee members agreed to send back a budget of about $20 million for Lakeville voters to consider.
Committee member Tim Emery said he backs the original budget. He acknowledged that the vote might not go the committee’s way but he noted that voters elected him to advocate for the schools and the students.
Fellow committee member Rebecca Cushing said she wished the community could work together rather than have a “them vs. us’’ approach.
Committee chair Melinda Richards said she doesn’t have “high hopes’’ that the budget will be approved. She said she suspects that after the vote “we’re back here again having this discussion’’ again.
Committee member Bob Clark said he would not be “throwing in the towel just because we’re outnumbered.’’
Acting superintendent of schools Barbara Starkie said she will continue to meet with the town administrators of Lakeville and Freetown for ongoing discussions.
The select board set the meeting date at the June 16 meeting with little discussion.
In the only comment by select board members, Chris Plonka said “it appears [the school committee] wants to drag this out to a joint Town Meeting’’ with Lakeville and Freetown, which is one option if the Lakeville vote fails again.
