Council Refers $640 Million Burncoat Plan to Committee

Select Board · Meeting of September 29, 2026

Worcester council reviewed a $640 million cost estimate for new Burncoat Middle and High School buildings. Chief Financial Officer Timothy McGurthy told the council debt service could reach "about 30 million dollars a year" once fully borrowed, and proposed moving $15 million from unused tax levy capacity into a reserve fund, projected to generate $17.8 million in interest over time. Officials estimated the average residential tax impact at about $192 a year.

Councilor Kathleen Toomey said "Burncoat students should not have to wait for a better future," while Councilor Mitra urged the council to weigh affordability against other priorities. No vote was taken; the report went to the Education Committee ahead of Tuesday's Burncoat School Building Committee vote on design options for the state. The council also voted 9-1 to advance increased noise-violation fines and tabled a contested public-bathrooms siting order after a 5-6 vote on an amendment failed.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 2,586 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of September 29, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.