Fox Hill Timeline Presented; School Committee Votes on Budget

The Elementary (Fox Hill) School Building Committee met this week to review the Fox Hill timeline and some design ideas. The project team is currently in the schematic design phase, which will be completed over the next two months and submitted to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) on June 27 ahead of an August 28 vote by the MSBA board. The final design will then be developed between October of this year and March of next year, assuming MSBA accepts the plan and Burlington's Town Meeting votes in September to approve the borrowing for the project. The project will need to go through the Conservation Commission and the Planning Board, and then construction documents will be developed for a Spring 2026 start date. If all goes according to plan, the building will be ready for occupancy in the fall of 2028.

There will be a community meeting on the evening of June 12 to inform the community on the progress of the Fox Hill project. The format will be virtual, and the meeting will be recorded.

And, at School Committee this week:

• The Committee was reorganized; Christine Monaco was named Chair by a 3-2 vote, with opposition from previous Vice-Chair Melissa Massardo and Member Jeremy Brooks. Massardo will remain Vice-Chair for another year. The precedent, said Ms. Massardo, is to move Vice-Chair to Chair, and she expressed her disappointment at this break from recent tradition.
• BPS National History Day competitors too home 3 1st places, a 2nd place, and 6 honorable mentions; the high school had a 2nd place and an honorable mention. The 2nd place project, a paper on how College Board has changed the college application process, will go to nationals.
• The district is reviewing student achievement under the Student Opportunity Act, which adjusts how the state provides a small portion of funding to schools; this review found the greatest need for focus on Burlington's English Learner, students with disabilities, and low socioeconomic status subgroups. The ongoing work of the district to review the curriculum and the levels of support provided to students aligns with the Student Opportunity Act.
• A hiring committee is being assembled for the recently posted Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion-Focused Instructional Coach at the high school.
• Marshall Simonds Middle School principal, Dr. Cari Perchase, will be moving on from Burlington Public Schools, and the district will be conducting a full hiring process to fill this role.
• Some used music instruments will be listed as surplus property so the district can sell them and clear out some space.
• The Burlington High School Building Committee will be hosting three, two-hour sessions for community members to participate in the conceptualization of what the community wants from a new or renovated high school; these sessions will build upon one another. Be on the lookout for an invitation to these meetings.
• As discussed at the Select Board meeting on Monday evening, the district will be submitting its thirteenth annual Statement of Interest to the MSBA for replacement or renovation of the high school. Superintendent Conti and the Committee acknowledge there is a very low likelihood the MSBA would accept the high school into their program, but that there is nothing to lose by applying.
• The special education operating budget increased by only 2% this year, far below the 4.5% recommended guideline; this is in response to the increase in tutoring for students who have been hospitalized and the increase in legal representatives' fees.
• The special education department is requesting an increase in the accommodated account from which out-of-district placements are funded; this increase would account for an additional Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and several instructional assistants. The program is expanding to account for students with different needs moving up from the elementary school through the middle school and for the possibility of students moving into Burlington.
• The Burlington Early Childhood Center budget will not increase.
• The proposed Burlington Public Schools budgets were approved by the School Committee. The initial proposals from all departments came in at $69,500,000, which would have been a 9% increase—double the 4.5% guideline established by the town. In the end, Superintendent Conti removed all new staff requests, aside from one position at Francis Wyman Elementary School, and not backfilling some retirements. He noted that several contracts haven't been settled and some of the budgeting numbers are variable for that reason. Other big changes were a reduction in federal funding and a 16% increase in the transportation contract. He also noted that due to enrollment there might need to be some reorganizations at the elementary school level but didn't want to go into detail before discussing it with the staff on the ground. The top-line operating budget ended up at $64,690,145.

The Ways & Means Committee will meet tonight to vote on these and other budgets, including the capital articles proposed by the school department, following a meeting of their Education Subcommittee today.