LAKEVILLE — Barbara Starkie will serve as interim superintendent for the Freetown-Lakeville school district through June 30, 2026 and then become permanent superintendent through 2029, Freetown-Lakeville School Committee members agreed at their March 12 meeting.

The promotion from interim to permanent superintendent will be pending a performance evaluation, committee chair John Burke said.

She begins work April 1 and continues as interim superintendent through June 30, 2026, based on the contract provisions. She then becomes superintendent July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029.

The contract was approved by all committee members present except Carolina Hernandez, who abstained from voting. Committee member Will Sienkewicz was not present.

Starkie is returning to familiar turf. She worked as an English language arts teacher at Apponequet from 1993 to 2010. After serving as assistant principal in Stoughton, she returned to Apponequet as principal from 2013 to 2021. 

She currently works as assistant superintendent for the Bourne school system, where she said she moved to gain upper management experience.

She and former Freetown-Lakeville Superintendent Rick Medeiros were the two finalists to replace Alan Strauss, who resigned in January. Medeiros retired from the district in 2022.

Committee members liked both candidates but selected Starkie with an eye to a longer stay.

“This district needs stability,’’ committee member Robert Clark said at the Feb. 24 meeting when Starkie was selected. “We don’t need musical superintendents like we’ve had in the past.’’

Since Strauss left the district, his legal counsel informed the Town of Lakeville the community could face claims of as much as $1 million. Strauss has claimed he was defamed by committee members who questioned whether he was actually sick with leukemia.