Roundup: Members and Residents Prepare to Discuss BHS at Town Meeting
The question of whether or not to approve funding for a new high school is among the biggest circulating in Burlington right now, and your Town Meeting representatives will be debating and voting on this question starting next Monday, September 29, at Town Meeting.
Whether or not you're a Town Meeting Member, this project will certainly impact you: property taxes, as well as the facilities Burlington students will enjoy for decades to come, are among the considerations Town Meeting members must make as they debate. These are also considerations you as a voter will have to make at a special election this November if the project passes Town Meeting.
Burlington Buzz has covered this project from the beginning, and we've assembled some of our major coverage so you can follow the project from the beginning, even if you're just coming into the conversation.
Video
Burlington at Work, Episode 1 (September 15, 2025) - During the Roundtable segment, Buzz Founder & Editor-in-Chief Nicci Kadilak discusses the project with members of the project team.
Articles and Newsletters
Updated August 2024 - Buzz In-Depth: School Buildings Across Burlington - a history and capital summary
May 2023 - Burlington High School Feasibility Study approved by Town Meeting (Warrant Article Summary)
February 2, 2024 - Building Committee interviews architects for the project - They ultimately chose Tappé Architects, who has proposed and talked the building committee through a large number of possibilities for the project. Subsequently, the committee set their priorities and systematically removed options that didn't meet those priorities until there was one.
July 22, 2024 - Burlington High School Feasibility Study Reaches Midpoint
October 25, 2024 - High School Building Options Shared, Pared Down
March 14, 2025 - High School Building Committee Narrows Options
April 14, 2025 - High School Committee Narrows to One Option
August 18, 2025 - Burlington High School Building Committee Caps New School Budget at $340 Million
September 15, 2025 - High School Project Leads Burlington's September 2025 Town Meeting Warrant
September 19, 2025 - This week, former School Committee member Martha Simon shared her thoughts via a Letter to the Editor.
In order to get the building project underway, the School Committee will need an affirmative vote from Town Meeting to borrow the new not-to-exceed number of just under $335,000,000. If that vote passes, residents will need to vote in a special election, which is expected to happen on November 15, 2025, to see whether or not to approve a debt exclusion. Learn more about debt exclusions from the state Division of Local Services.
Now that you've reviewed this info, what do you think? Vote your choice on our TownVote question, powered by Votelight, and be sure to reach out to your Town Meeting representatives and advocate for your choice.
