Freetown Select Board Approves Apex Contracts, Flags Unsustainable School Budget Growth

FREETOWN — February 9, 2026 — Freetown Select Board approves routine measures and warns of unsustainable regional school cost growth. The board voted unanimously Monday on five items including a $116,848.50 ambulance write-off, two consulting agreements with Apex at roughly $10,000 each to update subdivision and stormwater regulations, a $50 Council on Aging donation, and the annual Bristol County Mosquito Control authorization. The most pointed discussion came on a preliminary fiscal year 2027 Freetown-Lakeville Regional School District budget showing a Freetown assessment of approximately $15.1 million — up from $13.4 million, a 13 percent increase driven by health insurance and salary costs. "At some point, no matter how much savings we have, the lines are going to cross and we can no longer afford the school budget," one member said, noting Lakeville has already moved toward a Proposition 2.5 override. The board also received a separate Bristol Plymouth Regional Technical High School assessment estimate of $2.14 million for FY2027, and members agreed to add regional school budget sustainability to the agenda for an upcoming joint meeting with Lakeville. The board's combined exposure to both assessments — more than $17 million in the current estimates — is expected to dominate Freetown's budget season.