Billerica Select Board Clears Path for Middle School State Funding Bid

BILLERICA — April 9, 2026 — Billerica Select Board unanimously authorizes two middle school state funding applications and ratifies a new clerical union contract. The board voted Thursday to allow Superintendent Carrie Cleary to submit statements of interest to the Massachusetts School Building Authority for the Locke Middle School at 110 Allen Road, built in 1968, as a priority site, and the Marshall Middle School as a non-priority site, ahead of an April 17 deadline. Secretary Darius O'Connor called the Locke "in rough shape" and said the submissions are "the first step" toward possible MSBA pipeline entry in December 2026, which could unlock substantial state construction funding. The board also ratified a three-year AFSCME collective bargaining agreement covering 37 town clerical workers at an estimated year-one cost of $125,000, subject to town meeting approval, and approved a $22,400-per-year intermunicipal agreement with the Northern Middlesex Regional Housing Services Office beginning in fiscal year 2027. The fire department was separately awarded a $24,996 grant to replace approximately 20 SCBA air cylinders.