State aid boost good news for Lakeville school budget

LAKEVILLE — With the state budget released, the requested percentage increase to Lakeville’s share of the Freetown-Lakeville Regional School District fiscal year 24 budget has dropped from over 5% to 3.82%.

The updated 3.82% increase is closer to Lakeville Town Administrator Ari Sky’s previously-stated goal of an increase “in the three percent range.”

Freetown-Lakeville will receive $300,000 more from the state than predicted in the school administration’s first budget presentation.

Another major cost-saver is a reimbursement from the state of nearly 90% for transportation costs. That saves the district around $200,000, according to Freetown-Lakeville Regional School District Director of Finance Kara Lees.

Money from the state will reduce the towns’ contributions to the budget and help the district allocate funds to areas it prioritizes.

To deal with an increase in students requiring special education services, the district anticipates hiring a special education team leader for a $75,000 salary. Team leaders evaluate students potentially requiring special education services and meet with students and families.

A new team leader would allow Director of Student Services Ashley Bouley to move away from working on individual students’ cases and achieve her goal of becoming more visible district-wide and able to work on big-picture projects, she said.

The rise in special education students was attributed to factors including more early disability intervention for children from birth to age three who age into the district, students in foster care moving into the district, families moving into the district for the its special education services, and a rise in tuition prices for out-of-district students who attend schools better suited to their needs.

Lakeville Select Board Vice Chair Evagelia Fabian, who spoke from the audience, said these rising costs are one reason why the Select Board wants to shape the growth of the town to attract new residents who will not affect the school district, notably people ages 55 and older.

She also mentioned the Lakeville Hospital site, which could potentially be developed into dense housing under the state’s 40B regulations, which could add to the school population and further stretch the town’s finances.

Fabian also mentioned Lakeville’s decrease in building permits over the past two years because fewer building projects in town means fewer tax dollars for the town to potentially allocate toward the school district.

“It’s not that we don’t want to give [money to the district],” Fabian said. “It’s that we don’t have it.”