Freetown-Lakeville School Committee Budget Votes Fail, Agenda Tabled

School Committee · Meeting of July 29, 2026

LAKEVILLE — Freetown-Lakeville School Committee fails twice on a Lakeville-matching budget, tables the rest of its agenda. Members voted 5-2-1 and then 3-3-1 on a $27,813,004 salary portion of a $47,164,370 budget meant to match Lakeville's town meeting assessment, short of the two-thirds needed to avoid a joint town meeting; a $19,351,366 operational portion also failed, 5-3. Member Jen Blum argued for accepting the town's number, saying Freetown's 1,100 students had no voice in Monday's Lakeville vote: "Your people have spoken." Member Bob Clark countered that a joint town meeting, even if doomed, would let Freetown residents "have their say." Legal counsel Kelly Gonzalez said any warrant for a joint town meeting needs a majority of the eight-member committee and 14 days' notice.

The committee voted 6-1 to table its remaining agenda, including a long-pending financial-audit RFP, and reconvene.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 2,737 words

Source: the School Committee meeting of July 29, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.