LAKEVILLE — Lakeville residents will not be faced with an override vote to accommodate the Lakeville-Freetown Regional school budget, Superintendent of Schools Alan Strauss has assured the community.

An override “would not be fair to this community,’’ Strauss said at the March 13 meeting of the Lakeville-Freetown Regional School Community. “It just divides.’’

Lakeville officials have asked that the school budget increase to be reduced by $380,000 from the current request of about $1.1 million for Lakeville’s share.

“We will get there,’’ Strauss said. “The last thing any of us want is an override. The last thing any of us want is a fight.’’

An override would have to be approved by voters and would allow the town to raise taxes beyond the mandated amount set by Proposition 2 ½.

Earlier in the March 13 meeting the superintendent presented an overall budget for next year of just under $45 million. This represents an increase of $1.6 million from current spending, for a percentage hike of 3.79 percent.

He noted that, excluding charter schools, the district has the ninth lowest per pupil expenditure in the state.

Needs of the schools, he noted, include updated science labs, specific special education programming which would reduce the cost of out-of-area placements, full-fledged STEM and digital literacy programs.

“If we are not moving forward, we are moving backward,’’ he said.

But at the same time, he told the committee, “we are very aware of our fiscal responsibility to provide education that is affordable for everyone.’’

Strauss said he had very “collaborative’’ and “extremely positive’’ meeting with Interim Lakeville Town Administrator Robert Nunes, who presented “what he felt was a fair number’’ for town voters.

Nunes did not request level-funding, or spending no more than the current budget, which Strauss said he appreciated.

If that had been the request, staffing cuts would have to be considered, he said.

But with the requested reduction numbers, Strauss said, “we’re in a pretty good place.’’