A few readers have suggested that they will vote No on the BHS renovation bond this November because the school district has not kept up with preventative maintenance of school infrastructure. The truth is that BSD has always continued to invest in all our aging buildings to the extent we can through annual budgeting and bonding. BHS was built in the early 1960s and much of the $30M associated with necessary BHS maintenance over the next 10 years is required to replace aging building systems that have been used beyond their normal life expectancy, and some of the maintenance costs are actually upgrades to address deficiencies in the infrastructure to meet current standards (e.g. wiring in class rooms, safety systems).

Communities like ours with aging school buildings and stable school populations have few options for funding construction projects, especially given the moratorium on state aid for school construction, cost containment pressures on education spending in the state, and restrictions on use of local non-tax revenue sources.

The good news is that we have a way forward for BHS with a community-led proposal for a partial renovation blended with new construction that will result in a high school that will serve our community for at least another 50 years. There is a cost to taxpayers but the School Board, City Council, and Mayor believe that the community-led ReEnvisioning process resulted in a sensible plan that meets all proposed objectives in the most cost effective way possible.

If you want to see and hear about the plan and get your questions answered, please attend the BHS Town Hall meeting on Tuesday October 23 at 7:30PM in the BHS Cafeteria. A tour of the building will also be available at 5:30PM before the meeting. Find out more about the tour and meeting here: http://www.bsdvt.org/alert/join-us-october-23rd-for-a-bhs-reenvisioning-town-hall/

Feb 22, 2025, 10 AM to 1 PM

Feb 23, 2025, 12 to 6 PM

Feb 25, 2025, 5:30 to 7 PM