Burlington Town Meeting Backs $333M High School Project in 77-29 Vote

BURLINGTON -- September 29, 2025, Burlington Town Meeting voted 77-29 Monday to approve a $333,269,880 appropriation for a renovation and addition to Burlington High School, sending the project to a November 15 special election debt-exclusion vote. The plan, known as AR8, calls for a four-story academic wing, auditorium and gymnasium renovations, and a new Center for Education housing the Burlington Early Childhood Center, district offices, and Burlington Community Access Television. Ways and Means backed the article 14-0, the Select Board 5-0, and the School Committee 5-0. School Committee member and building committee chair Catherine Bond warned that without approval, the town still faces an estimated $330 million code-compliance overhaul with no educational improvements. Ways and Means representative Doug Davison called the $333 million figure a not-to-exceed guaranteed maximum price, telling members, "For $5 million more, this is what we get" compared to a straight renovation. At the project's peak, the estimated additional tax burden on a home assessed at Burlington's average of $780,000 is not more than $1,183 per year.