The Freetown-Lakeville Regional School Committee voted to authorize the chair to negotiate a contract with Dr. Barbara Starkey to serve as interim superintendent after interviewing two finalists, Dr. Starkey and Rick Medeiros. The committee approved the motion by roll call with seven votes in favor and one abstention.

The vote moves the committee into contract talks with Dr. Starkey, who currently serves as an assistant superintendent in Bourne and presented herself to the committee as a candidate with both building-level and central-office experience. Dr. Barbara Starkey told the committee she has “an established relationship here in the district” and said she believes her mix of local knowledge and recent central-office work would allow her to “pretty expeditiously start to address” the district’s immediate needs.

Committee members and the search committee said stability and the ability to manage a complex budget process were central to the decision. At the meeting members repeatedly raised the district’s upcoming budget cycle as a key item the interim must help shepherd: Dr. Starkey reviewed the draft budget figure she saw of about $49,000,000 and noted it represented roughly a 5.5% increase over last year’s request.

The other finalist, Rick Medeiros, a retired superintendent who led Freetown-Lakeville for eight years, argued the district needed an experienced, steady hand that could step in immediately. "I think I am the ideal transitional candidate," he told the committee, stressing an interim should be able to reduce uncertainty quickly and help negotiate with the two towns on assessments and the budget.

Search committee members reported they vetted roughly a dozen applicants and recommended a short list of three; one withdrew before the public interviews. After hearing both candidates, the full committee discussed priorities including trust-building, administration turnover, and the budget gap town officials have signaled they expect to contest.

In the motion authorizing contract negotiations the committee directed the chair to begin bargaining with Dr. Starkey and return any proposed agreement for committee approval. During the meeting Dr. Starkey said her current contract contains a 90-day exit clause and that, if offered the post, she could potentially begin as early as April 1; she also said she would make herself available to consult on the budget process while her contract situation is addressed. Medeiros outlined options for short-term, per‑diem or six‑month arrangements and said retirees can often be arranged to serve without immediate pension conflicts if paperwork or DESE waivers are secured.

Roll call on the motion produced seven votes in favor and one abstention (Carolina Hernandez). The committee did not adopt contract terms at the meeting; the chair was authorized to negotiate and report back with a proposed agreement for committee approval.

The committee will proceed with negotiations; any final employment contract must be approved in a future public meeting. The interim role is expected to focus on closing out this school year, advancing the budget through the town processes, and stabilizing district operations while the committee considers whether the interim will transition to a longer-term appointment.