Burlington School Committee Clears Path for Marshall Simons Turf Field Complex

BURLINGTON -- October 14, 2025, Burlington School Committee votes 5-0 to advance Marshall Simons Field complex to conservation review. The committee approved submitting a Notice of Intent to the Conservation Commission for a redesigned turf field complex at Marshall Simonds Middle School, clearing the path to bid the project, which the administration estimates is currently more than $500,000 under budget and could open by late summer 2026. The committee also voted 4-0 to accept a roughly $60,000 DESE grant for physical education and health curriculum work through a vendor called Lighthouse, with Superintendent Lisa Chen stressing no curriculum changes will begin until a committee-led advisory process is complete. A clean fiscal year 2024 audit from CBIZ, the district's auditor following a series of firm mergers, contained no findings. Two residents raised school safety concerns during public comment, including photographic evidence of a propped exterior door at Marshall Simonds Middle School; Chair Katherine Bond said the incident had been investigated and all principals had issued reminders.