Good Morning, Burlington!

As I might have mentioned yesterday, School Committee met right after Select Board on Monday evening. The meeting was very long, but there was a lot of great information shared and I’ll be summarizing it in different installments this week.

Since the Elementary School Building Committee meets tonight to hear cost estimates for each of the different options the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA, the state agency that subsidizes the building project) requires the Committee to look into, I’ll focus on the portion of Monday’s meeting that relates to the Fox Hill/Pine Glen building project.

There were a few public commenters at the beginning, and most of them were present to speak against combining the Fox Hill and Pine Glen schools into one large building. Commenters mentioned the familiar concerns of traffic and school climate before the Committee got on with the business of approving the Educational Plan and Space Summary. These two components of the plan for the future elementary school building project are necessary parts of the preliminary design process and identify the building components and space requirements that must be met in order to continue providing our students with the level of education we do now. These components must be considered for both enrollment options: A single 325-student school and a 640-student building containing two separate schools that would ostensibly maintain their individual climates and identities.

[In-the-weeds background: The MSBA initially only wanted us to consider a single 640-student school on the Fox Hill campus, but Dr. Conti convinced them to let us investigate that option AND the 325-student option because the School Committee was committed to maintaining a model with four small schools; they took a nonbinding vote to that effect in 2021. After that vote, MSBA said it was not an option to go forward with their process while only considering a four-school model. In agreeing to work with them, we agreed to also investigate the three-school model with 640 students in a combined Fox Hill-Pine Glen school. The School Building Committee is exploring this as two separate schools on the same campus as an attempt to maximize the MSBA subsidy while maintaining four distinct schools.]

The approval on Monday was essentially to say, “Yes, these documents accurately outline our educational program and the facilities described will adequately meet the educational and space needs of this number of students and their support staff.”

Though a vote wasn’t necessary, and both enrollment options are required to be studied in order to qualify for funding from MSBA, School Committee Member Monaco moved that the committee vote on each educational program and space summary separately to better “understand the position of the members of [the] Committee.”

After the Committee unanimously voted to approve the educational program and space summary for the 325-student option, Ms. Monaco read from the minutes of the meeting on May 25, 2021 where the Committee (comprised of three current Committee members and two previous members) voted that they wanted to maintain a four-school model. She stated that, according to the School Committee’s attorney, a vote to continue looking into the 640-student option would effectively rescind the vote to support a 4-school model.

In response, Chair Martha Simon stated that she supports a four-school model but that she has learned a lot going through this process that alleviates some of her previous concerns. She, along with Members Massardo and Brooks, stated she doesn’t have enough information to disqualify the three-school model entirely, and she thinks it’s important “to consider options that would earn us financial support from the MSBA.” Mr. Brooks reminded Ms. Monaco that not entertaining the 640-student school would effectively be refusing MSBA money.

In the end, the School Committee voted 3-2 to approve the educational plan and space summary for the 640-student school, with Members Bond and Monaco voting against it.

The School Committee, as the rest of us, is awaiting the cost information that will be presented at tonight’s Elementary School Building Committee meeting and to the general public at the July 11 virtual community forum. Having these figures will help the community get a handle on how much each option would impact the town financially.

Today in Burlington

Meetings and Events

• 1:00 PM - Fox Hill Building - Executive Working Group will meet to review the upcoming School Building Committee meeting. (Virtual)
• 4:00 PM - Board of Assessors will meet to review and act on the motor vehicle and tax abatements and exemptions. (Town Hall)
• 5:30 PM - Community Dinner at the Presbyterian Church in Burlington; free and open to all
• 6:00 PM - Fox Hill School Building Committee Joint School Committee will receive cost estimates for each of the project options. They’ll also discuss the future format for public participation. (BHS and Virtual)
• 6:30 PM - Burlington Parks & Recreation Children’s Shows: Ben Rudnick & Friends
• 6:30 PM - Democratic Town Committee hosts featured speaker, state senator, Cindy Friedman (Town Hall Annex)
• 7:00 PM - Teen Tie Dye (Library event; Register)

I’ll be back tomorrow with more Burlington info! See you then,

Nicci