Election 2025: Melissa Massardo for School Committee

This article is a part of the Burlington Buzz Election 2025 Series, in which we profile each candidate for election. This year's election is on April 5, 2025, and our mission is to make it easy for all registered voters to vote by ensuring the community has access to information about the candidates and issues on the ballot. FULL LIST OF CANDIDATES AND POSITIONS UP FOR ELECTION

Three years ago when Melissa Massardo ran for her first term on School Committee, the race looked much different than it does now. She and fellow newcomer, Jeremy Brooks, were running against long-time incumbent, Christine Monaco, for two seats on the Committee. This time around, Melissa will run unopposed alongside Christine to retain her seat for another three years.

We talked with Melissa to learn about her contributions over the last three years and her hopes for the next three.

Massardo has lived in Burlington for 11 years, and her two children attend Fox Hill Elementary School. She also hosted an exchange student last year, which she said gives her insight into the experiences of high school parents. She became involved in the School Committee after experiencing challenges at the beginning of her kids' elementary school experience, and joined with the goal of representing parents and ensuring the best educational opportunities for all students. Massardo said she is committed to evaluating long-standing practices and improving them to benefit the school community.

The school transportation contract is one area where Melissa said she's effectively advocated. She played a part in renegotiating the bus contract and introducing a bus tracking app to help parents monitor schedules and delays. While she acknowledged there is still work to be done to stabilize the system and that routes need to be optimized so students are spending less time on the bus, this insistence on modernizing the way BPS transportation works has significantly enhanced communication and efficiency.

She has also played a role in securing a new school meal vendor to improve meal quality and cost efficiency, ensuring students receive nutritious meals that they'll actually eat. The vendor has incentive to remain competitive, she said, since the contract is renegotiated every year.

In the next three years, Massardo said one big priority for the School Committee is to continue the curriculum review in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics, a multi-year process which will require financial support in the form of consultancy fees and curriculum costs and operational support to ensure staff are trained and aligned.

Another major task is to continue bringing along the school building projects for Fox Hill and Burlington High School. While the Fox Hill project (whose committee Massardo chairs) is approved by Town Meeting and will be proceeding over the next three years until the school's anticipated open date in 2028, the High School building project is still in early phases and Massardo is committed to working with the community to find a solution voters can get behind. "I think a real huge place that we can provide for the future of our students is in modern buildings," she said.

These building projects come with a cost to the taxpayer. "We have unfortunately underinvested for a little too long," said Massardo, and now the time has come to reconcile things. On the bright side, she said, we can expect property values to go up with the new high school. The building committees are also doing their best to maximize incentives and decrease the ultimate cost to the town for these projects. She also is interested in learning more about programs that might mitigate tax burdens for those on fixed incomes.

Massardo said she is dedicated to ensuring that parents have a strong voice in the education system and encourages parents to be involved. She invites residents to reach out with their concerns and ideas, emphasizing that there are many ways to get involved, from attending public meetings to joining town committees. Her goal is to represent the interests of Burlington’s families and ensure that every child has access to a top-quality education. She is eager to continue her work on the School Committee and asks for the community’s support in the upcoming election.

Melissa Massardo's Campaign Website | Christine Moncao's Candidate Profile

Melissa Massardo and Christine Monaco are running unopposed to retain their seats on the School Committee. Learn more about the School Committee, and visit our Election Corner for more information about the April 5, 2025, Burlington Town Election.