The 2022/2023 BSD calendar has been approved by the Burlington Board of School Commissioners! Our first student day will be Wednesday, August 31st, in alignment with the other districts in our region. Barring changes from Snow Days, our anticipated final day will Wednesday, June 14, 2023.
BSD Announces BHS/BTC 2025 Design Options and Feedback Survey
Members of the BHS/BTC 2025 Design Team presented five conceptual design options to the Burlington Board of School Commissioners on April 5th before hosting a community forum on April 12.
Below you will find a recording of the community forum, more details on all of these options, and a feedback survey.
As you read through the options below, you may find our Options Evaluation Document helpful in pointing out some of the pros and cons of each design, and our recent presentation to the Design Steering Committee includes even more detail, like possible floor plans. It is also important to remember that the concept options all share the following potential benefits to the district:
- Include approximately 300,000 SF of space in alignment with the District program
- Include the same Educational Program elements as listed on the Space Needs Summary
- Include potential for a 3 station gym, larger cafeteria commons, and larger auditorium
- Have discrete vehicular circulation for bus drop-off, car drop-off, and service access to BTC
- Have dedicated building entrances for visitors, bus drop-off, car drop-off, Horizons / On-Top, and BTC
- High School entrances lead to a shared multi-level student commons for monitoring, access, and security
- Excellent opportunity for sustainable design, good solar orientation, and indoor/outdoor relationships
- Show a potential location for future district offices, but this building is not planned in this project
- Existing Bike parking at the old site is 40 Bikes, all of these designes plan for 243 Bikes.
- Overall the existing site has 350 parking spots. All of these designs have incorporated about 375 parking spots
- All will feature opportunities to make courtyard space usable
Once you review the options below, please take a few minutes to provide feedback through this short survey, or send an email to superintendent@bsdvt.org. Please let us know your thoughts!
Option A: $191.4 M
- Allows for continued use of existing Building A during the two years of construction
- Places BTC to north side of building
- Parking garage is optional, and would provide drop-off at main level and parking in close proximity to building
Option B: $182.3 M
- Compact scheme based on building over existing high school location
- BTC located behind BHS on north side, closely connected to BHS near the student commons
- Again a reminder that courtyards are inherent in all designs. So if we do pick this, its not like we are picking the ‘small courtyard’ option, that is something that will be discussed in more detail during the schematic design process.
Option C: $181.3 M
- Linear arrangement based on building over existing high school location parallel to Institute Road
- BTC facing Institute Road on west side, connected to BHS on multiple levels
Option C.1: $186.5 M
- Variation created by shifting Option C east in order to allow phased construction
- Allows for continued use of existing Building A during the construction of new gym, auditorium, and kitchen; BTC programs would continue in their temporary locations
- BTC would open 12-18 months after BHS
Option D: $196.9 M
- Replaces Institute Road with a new south route to create a consolidated campus
- Aligns new building facing North Avenue with BTC entry and bus entry to rear
- Compact, L-shaped footprint with BHS and BTC on separate wings around central core spaces
- City support to coordinate new road and likely longer project duration
Thank you for taking the time to look through these options. Ready to provide your feedback? Take the survey today!
Check out the board meeting presentation below, beginning at 22:38.
BSD Releases Conceptual Design Options for BHS/BTC 2025
On April 5th, members of the BHS/BTC 2025 Design Team presented five conceptual design options to the Burlington Board of School Commissioners. Below you will find these options with some additional information.
To learn more about these options or provide feedback, please join us for a Community Forum on Tuesday, April 12 at 6 PM. We will hold a hybrid meeting; attendees can join us on Zoom or in-person option at DtBHS. We will give a presentation similar to the one you can see below and take questions, and those who join us in person will have a chance to break into small groups to connect with members of the design team and provide feedback. Childcare and interpretation services will be provided!
We will also be accepting feedback through a survey (coming soon) and via email at superintendent@bsdvt.org. Please let us know your thoughts!
As you read through the options below, you may find our Options Evaluation Document helpful in pointing out some of the pros and cons of each design. It is also important to remember that the concept options all share the following potential benefits to the district:
- Include approximately 300,000 SF of space in alignment with the District program
- Include the same Educational Program elements as listed on the Space Needs Summary
- Include potential for a 3 station gym, larger cafeteria commons, and larger auditorium
- Have discrete vehicular circulation for bus drop-off, car drop-off, and service access to BTC
- Have dedicated building entrances for visitors, bus drop-off, car drop-off, Horizons / On-Top, and BTC
- High School entrances lead to a shared multi-level student commons for monitoring, access, and security
- Excellent opportunity for sustainable design, good solar orientation, and indoor/outdoor relationships
- Show a potential location for future district offices, but this building is not planned in this project
- Existing Bike parking at the old site is 40 Bikes, all of these designes plan for 243 Bikes.
- Overall the existing site has 350 parking spots. All of these designs have incorporated about 375 parking spots
- All will feature opportunities to make courtyard space usable
Option A: $191.4 M
- Allows for continued use of existing Building A during the two years of construction
- Places BTC to north side of building
- Parking garage is optional, and would provide drop-off at main level and parking in close proximity to building
Option B: $182.3 M
- Compact scheme based on building over existing high school location
- BTC located behind BHS on north side, closely connected to BHS near the student commons
- Again a reminder that courtyards are inherent in all designs. So if we do pick this, its not like we are picking the ‘small courtyard’ option, that is something that will be discussed in more detail during the schematic design process.
Option C: $181.3 M
- Linear arrangement based on building over existing high school location parallel to Institute Road
- BTC facing Institute Road on west side, connected to BHS on multiple levels
Option C.1: $186.5 M
- Variation created by shifting Option C east in order to allow phased construction
- Allows for continued use of existing Building A during the construction of new gym, auditorium, and kitchen; BTC programs would continue in their temporary locations
- BTC would open 12-18 months after BHS
Option D: $196.9 M
- Replaces Institute Road with a new south route to create a consolidated campus
- Aligns new building facing North Avenue with BTC entry and bus entry to rear
- Compact, L-shaped footprint with BHS and BTC on separate wings around central core spaces
- City support to coordinate new road and likely longer project duration
Thank you for taking the time to look through these options. Ready to provide your feedback? Take the survey today! (Coming Soon)
Check out the board meeting presentation below, beginning at 22:38.
BSD Releases Conceptual Design Options for BHS/BTC 2025
On April 5th, members of the BHS/BTC 2025 Design Team presented five conceptual design options to the Burlington Board of School Commissioners. Below you will find these options with some additional information.
To learn more about these options or provide feedback, please join us for a Community Forum on Tuesday, April 12 at 6 PM. We will hold a hybrid meeting; attendees can join us on Zoom or in-person option at DtBHS. We will give a presentation similar to the one you can see below and take questions, and those who join us in person will have a chance to break into small groups to connect with members of the design team and provide feedback. Childcare and interpretation services will be provided!
We will also be accepting feedback through a survey (coming soon) and via email at superintendent@bsdvt.org. Please let us know your thoughts!
As you read through the options below, you may find our Options Evaluation Document helpful in pointing out some of the pros and cons of each design. It is also important to remember that the concept options all share the following potential benefits to the district:
- Include approximately 300,000 SF of space in alignment with the District program
- Include the same Educational Program elements as listed on the Space Needs Summary
- Include potential for a 3 station gym, larger cafeteria commons, and larger auditorium
- Have discrete vehicular circulation for bus drop-off, car drop-off, and service access to BTC
- Have dedicated building entrances for visitors, bus drop-off, car drop-off, Horizons / On-Top, and BTC
- High School entrances lead to a shared multi-level student commons for monitoring, access, and security
- Excellent opportunity for sustainable design, good solar orientation, and indoor/outdoor relationships
- Show a potential location for future district offices, but this building is not planned in this project
- Existing Bike parking at the old site is 40 Bikes, all of these designes plan for 243 Bikes.
- Overall the existing site has 350 parking spots. All of these designs have incorporated about 375 parking spots
- All will feature opportunities to make courtyard space usable
Option A: $191.4 M
- Allows for continued use of existing Building A during the two years of construction
- Places BTC to north side of building
- Parking garage is optional, and would provide drop-off at main level and parking in close proximity to building
Option B: $182.3 M
- Compact scheme based on building over existing high school location
- BTC located behind BHS on north side, closely connected to BHS near the student commons
- Again a reminder that courtyards are inherent in all designs. So if we do pick this, its not like we are picking the ‘small courtyard’ option, that is something that will be discussed in more detail during the schematic design process.
Option C: $181.3 M
- Linear arrangement based on building over existing high school location parallel to Institute Road
- BTC facing Institute Road on west side, connected to BHS on multiple levels
Option C.1: $186.5 M
- Variation created by shifting Option C east in order to allow phased construction
- Allows for continued use of existing Building A during the construction of new gym, auditorium, and kitchen; BTC programs would continue in their temporary locations
- BTC would open 12-18 months after BHS
Option D: $196.9 M
- Replaces Institute Road with a new south route to create a consolidated campus
- Aligns new building facing North Avenue with BTC entry and bus entry to rear
- Compact, L-shaped footprint with BHS and BTC on separate wings around central core spaces
- City support to coordinate new road and likely longer project duration
Thank you for taking the time to look through these options. Ready to provide your feedback? Take the survey today! (Coming Soon)
Check out the board meeting presentation below, beginning at 22:38.
BSD Seeks BHS/BTC 2025 Capital Fundraising Consultant
Burlington School District is seeking a dynamic, experienced, successful fundraising professional to work closely with the District to develop and implement a fundraising strategy to secure private and public funding for the construction of a new Burlington High School and Burlington Technical Center.
View/print the full Request for Qualifications, or scroll down to read the Scope of Services and Preferred Qualifications.
This role can be filled as a contractor or through a half-time, temporary employment position. Please send a resume or CV and letter of interest with proposed services, including an indication of whether you prefer contractor status or part-time employment to Barry Gruessner, BSD Grants Director, at bgruessn@bsdvt.org. (Those interested in contracting should also provide a proposed fee structure.)
Scope of Services
- Overall project coordination with BSD staff
- Develop list of potential funding sources and relevant contacts
- Make initial contacts with potential funders and support additional contacts by BSD staff, board members, and parent volunteers
- Assemble relevant data and information and develop appropriate materials for presentation to donors and funders
- Coordinate application process for identified funding sources
Preferred Qualifications
- Successful experience in and knowledge of fundraising, specifically capital campaigns in education
- Experience with Vermont and New England charitable foundations
- Experience with state and federal legislative appropriations process
- Capacity to work collaboratively with all levels of staff, volunteers, board members, donors, and prospective donors
- Exceptional documentation, verbal, visual, and written communication skills
This role can be filled as a contractor or through a half-time, temporary employment position. Please send a resume or CV and letter of interest with proposed services, including an indication of whether you prefer contractor status or part-time employment to Barry Gruessner, BSD Grants Director, at bgruessn@bsdvt.org. (Those interested in contracting should also provide a proposed fee structure.)
BHS/BTC 2025 Update: Initial Cost Estimates
March 1, 2022
Good afternoon Burlington families and staff,
First, thank you to everyone who voted today. On behalf of the board and our team here at BSD, we appreciate your support and engagement. As you may remember, we made a deliberate decision not to make significant adds to our budget due to the pandemic’s impact on our community, the recent reappraisal, and the fact we will be placing a bond on the November ballot to support the construction of a new high school and technical center.
I’m writing today because I am excited to let you know that BHS/BTC 2025 Design Team is now prepared to present a first range of cost estimates for this project at tomorrow night’s board meeting. This is slightly ahead of schedule and so I want to make sure that you are aware that preliminary figures are available on BoardDocs and will be presented.
This project cost range represents a first general estimate based on typical construction-per-square-foot cost data and other standard development-related fees and costs such as architectural, site, engineering, and consultant fees. The next phase of the project will be to take these preliminary estimates and use them to develop design options for the building. (See below for our Proposed Next Steps Timeline.)
That said, our first, best estimate is that a new high school and technical center will cost between $161 and $207 million, with $161 million based on a building size of 273,040 square feet, and $207 million based on a building size of 315,850 square feet. It is important to know that the cost range above does not include costs associated with demolition or abatement of the contaminated buildings, materials, and soils currently on the property, which is estimated to be in the range of $26,046,000 to $29,264,000.
As we move forward with the BHS/BTC 2025 building project, I want to reiterate that I am committed to providing our students, staff, and community with an accessible, sustainable building that supports deep learning, and we will be working hard to ensure Burlingtonians do not have to bear the full cost of this project. We have already set aside more than $11 million to support this project, I will be reaching out for State and Federal support, and we have begun formalizing partnerships that will allow us to pursue fundraising efforts like grants and donations.
I invite you to join tomorrow evening’s board meeting to learn more. The meeting starts at 6 PM and you can join us in person at Hunt Middle School or virtually via Zoom or our Facebook page. You can also visit the BHS/BTC 2025 webpage to learn more about the project, sign up for updates, provide feedback, and offer fundraising support.
Thank you again for your continued engagement and support.
Tom
Proposed Next Steps Timeline
March 2: Present program options and high-level cost estimates to School Board
March 18: Draft conceptual design options completed
March 28: Final conceptual design options and project cost estimates completed
April 5: Present conceptual design options and project cost estimates to School Board
April 12: Public forum – Present conceptual design options
April 21: School Board choose a conceptual design for next phase of design
Summer 2023: Construction Begins
Summer 2025: Grand Opening
BHS/BTC 2025 Kickoff February 17!
Join us at 6:30 PM on Thursday, February 17, as we kick-off plans for BHS/BTC 2025! Teams have been working hard to move forward with a new high school and technical center in Vermont’s Queen City. Attendees of the virtual event will meet the design team, hear from principals, and learn about the design process. The design team will also share the work that has been done to solidify the project’s vision, an update on the program needs, and the most up-to-date timeline for the project as we gear up for a November bond vote!
Attendees will also participate in facilitated breakout sessions where they can give feedback to the team.
The meeting will be hosted on Zoom (information below) and steamed to our YouTube channel. Can’t make it? The recording will stay on YouTube and can you provide feedback on the new BHS/BTC 2025 webpage.
BSD is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: BHS/BTC 2025 Kickoff
Time: Feb 17, 2022 06:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
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Meeting ID: 875 2408 6907
Passcode: B5r2hN
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Future BHS/BTC Campus to be Located on Institute Road
Burlington School Board Votes Unanimously to Move Forward Planning for New Building!
Burlington High School (BHS) and Burlington Technical Center (BTC) are one step closer to having a permanent home! On Tuesday, November 2nd, the Burlington Board of School Commissioners voted unanimously to approve Superintendent Tom Flanagan’s recommendation “to select 52 Institute Road – North as the location of a newly designed Burlington High School and Burlington Technical Center and to direct the Superintendent to focus all design efforts on this location.”
“This is great news for our students, staff, and Burlington community,” said Superintendent Tom Flanagan. “While we are grateful for the spaces we currently have, we know they are not long-term solutions. Burlington deserves a building designed to support 21st-century learning from the ground up, and I am excited to have a clear path forward so that we can work together with the community to create a building that fosters equity, engagement, and deep learning.”
52 Institute Road is the current location of the old BHS and BTC campus. The new structure would likely be built east of the current buildings, closer to North Avenue, which could mean the District may not need to demolish the existing buildings before beginning construction on the new site.
On behalf of the Board of School Commissioners, Chair Clare Wool noted, “It is our obligation as a school board to advocate for our schools and to adhere to sound fiscal stewardship and responsibility. Not having a permanent high school and technical center puts our city in a state of emergency and needs to be our top priority when making financial decisions. Following last night’s decision to move forward with the site on the north side of Institute Road, our goal is to put a bond for the new high school on the ballot in November 2022. At this point in the process, we do not yet know the amount of that bond but we hope that knowledge of this plan is helpful to voters as they prioritize their options.”
BSD plans to issue an RFP for architectural and engineering services this week, with the goal of presenting conceptual design and cost estimating to the school board in the Spring of 2022. The final schematic design and cost estimate is likely to be approved by August of 2022 to allow a bond to be placed on the November 2022 ballot. Superintendent Flannagan has committed to working to keep as much burden off taxpayers as possible. “We’ve committed $10 million of our ESSER funds to this project, we are looking into philanthropic opportunities, and we are meeting with State and Federal representatives and pushing for school construction aid. I want to make sure we can support Burlington taxpayers as much as possible throughout this process.”
BSD’s Equitable Budgeting Kickoff Oct. 4!
School districts across Vermont are entering into “Budget Season” and Burlington School District (BSD) is pleased to announce a new budgeting model that will place more control of school budgets in the hands of principals and school communities. The District’s new “Equitable Budgeting and Staffing Model” strives to allocate resources based on student enrollment and need, seeks to build school-based engagement, and creates a new equity allocation for schools to use in efforts to close the opportunity gap. Leaders will share how budgeting will look different this year at a virtual “Equitable Budgeting Kickoff” event on October 4th at 6 PM over Zoom. Changes have also been laid out in a new BSD Budget Development Guide.
“I’m really pleased to be embarking on this new way of thinking about funding schools,” said BSD Superintendent Tom Flanagan. “We’ve spent the last year working with district leaders, teachers, students, and stakeholders on a model that is fair, predictable, equity-focused, and empowering for principals who know their buildings and student needs better than anyone.”
New to the budget process will be the Recognizing Injustice and Seeking Equity (or RISE) Allocation that each school will receive. After determining baseline staff models and resource needs, each school will receive an additional sum of money designed to help schools implement ideas and strategies designed to close the opportunity gap that exists in BSD. RISE Allocations will be based on a weighted pupil formula based, in part, on the Pupil Weighting Factors Report prepared by the Vermont Agency of Education in partnership with the University of Vermont, Rutgers University, and American Institutes for Research. Once funds for schools are determined, school leaders will work with School Advisory Groups to identify focus areas of needs and create proposals to address those needs.
“This is a great step towards our school district and our community living our values around equity,” said Kevin Robinson, Principal of Integrated Art Academy and a member of the Equitable Budget and Staffing Work Group. “I am excited about the possibilities this will offer principals and community members to have more say in how schools are funded, and how those funds may create more equitable outcomes for students.”
The public is invited to learn more about this new Equitable Budgeting and Staffing Model at a kickoff event on October 4th at 6 PM virtually over Zoom; the meeting will also be streamed and recorded on the District YouTube channel.
Visit our Facebook page to RSVP and invite your friends and colleagues. See you there!
BHS/BTC Site Search Update – September 13
September 13, 2021
Hello Burlington community,
At tomorrow night’s regular board meeting (Tuesday, September 14) the Burlington Board of School Commissioners will take the next step to determine the future of our BHS/BTC campus. The meeting will be hosted at Sustainability Academy beginning at 6 PM, with both in-person and virtual options (Zoom and Facebook) available; you can view the complete agenda on BoardDocs.
Based on the work done by our partners at White + Burke, at this time, Institute Road is the front runner as the location for our new campus because we own the land and this will likely allow us to complete the project within our projected timeline. Also, with our athletic fields on the campus, easy access to the site, and proximity to the city, the woods, and the lake, it offers great opportunities for deep learning that is embedded in the special environment that surrounds us.
However, throughout this process, we have also heard interest from both the community and the City in the possibility of a downtown location. I agree with the community that is asking us to look more closely at a downtown site, as the opportunity for partnerships and for learning that is connected to the city could be very exciting. My primary concern is the feasibility of a downtown project from a time and cost perspective and the separation of our school and fields, but I do think it is worth further investigation to learn more about the possibilities.
With all of this in mind, on Friday I recommended to the board that we move forward investigating both the locations at 52 Institute Road as well as the Gateway Block. It is my goal that we advance these sites for further review and that the board will be prepared to make a final decision by the first board meeting in November.
I want to thank all of you who have engaged with us in Phase I of this project and reached out to offer feedback. Your support and involvement is greatly appreciated and will continue to be important we work to get into a new building by August of 2025. I hope to see many of you Tuesday night, as a reminder if you want to participate in public comment virtually, please log into Zoom and you can always feel free to email feedback to me and/or your commissioners directly.
In partnership,
Tom
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