Burlington School Committee suspends student survey, approves $67.6 million budget

BURLINGTON — April 8, 2025 — Burlington School Committee suspends its Youth Risk Behavior Survey and votes a $67.6 million operating budget in a charged reorganization meeting. The committee, newly led by Chair Melissa Massardo — elected unanimously to succeed former Chair Katherine Bond, who moved to vice chair on a 3-2 vote — passed a 5-0 motion introduced by member Christine Monaco to suspend the survey at both the middle and high school until a formal parent-notification and consent policy is written and approved; a second 5-0 vote removed consulting firm JSI and its funding from the budget entirely. Superintendent Eric Conti, who acknowledged no committee member or district administrator had reviewed the survey questions before they were distributed to students, said a frequently-asked-questions document would be posted by May 1 and a draft policy would follow after the spring break. The $67,601,202 operating budget, a 4.5 percent increase over fiscal 2025, and a $16,266,011 accommodated account budget, a 7 percent increase, were each approved 5-0; the operating figure includes a new recurring device-replacement cost previously covered by federal pandemic relief funds.