Committee votes to raise substitute teacher pay

School Committee · Meeting of October 14, 2026

LAKEVILLE — The Freetown-Lakeville Regional School Committee approved its first substitute teacher pay increase since 2019. Director of Finance and Operations Jack Higgins said the new rates, effective November 1, split daily substitute pay into $125 for certified teachers and $110 for non-certified teachers, while paraprofessional subs stay at $90. Higgins said recruiting has suffered, noting "it is challenging to find substitute teachers in general," though he stopped short of blaming pay alone.

The committee also accepted $13,000 from Amanda and Jason Cook of Lakeville for cafeteria sound panels and bathroom upgrades, $1,500 from the Apponequet football golf tournament for scholarships, and a Paul Kudo Scholarship Fund gift for auditorium curtains. Higgins said the high school pool, delayed by a failed 1972 surge tank, is targeted to reopen by November 20 with no added project cost.

In the full story:

• Executive Session and Negotiating Team
• Chair's Report and Housekeeping
• Student Representative Report
• Campus Programs Report
• Extended Day Programs Report
• Athletics Report
• Enrollment and District Data
• Strategic Planning Update
• Policy Update: Teen Dating Violence Policy
• Curriculum and Assessment Data
• Substitute Teacher Pay Rate Increase
• Donations and Capital Gifts
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,498 words

Source: the School Committee meeting of October 14, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.