First Meeting of the Medford Comprehensive High School Building Committee

Members of the Building Committee Will Lead Medford to Determine Eligibility, Develop Plans for New Medford High School

MEDFORD – The Medford Comprehensive High School Building Committee held its first meeting Tuesday, April 30 on the campus of Medford High School. The Building Committee members, appointed in March and April by the Medford School Committee, will lead the Medford community's partnership with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) during the Eligibility Period of the MSBA grant program.

The meeting last week included member introductions, an overview of the members’ obligations under the state Open Meeting and Public Records laws, and an outline of the Committee’s first action items. The full meeting agenda can be viewed here, and a video recording of the meeting is available here.

In the weeks and months ahead, the Building Committee will develop a comprehensive “Educational Profile” describing the academic, extracurricular, social-emotional, athletic, and community activities of the current high school and its forecasted needs. Additionally, the Committee will formulate its internal rules and initiate a robust public communications and feedback strategy to ensure meaningful participation from the Medford community.

The full membership of the Medford Comprehensive High School Building Committee includes voting and non-voting members. Special efforts were made during the selection process to recruit members of the community with architecture, engineering and/or construction experience; a diverse and representative array of parents, educators and other community members; and members with specific credentials or experience in accordance with state law. The initial term of the Building Committee's appointees will end on January 26, 2025 or the successful completion of the eligibility phase, whichever is sooner, with the option of reappointment.

The full list of Building Committee members is detailed below:

Voting Members

• Jenny Graham, Committee Chair and Member of the Medford School Committee
• Breanna Lungo-Koehn, Mayor
• Dr. Marice Edouard-Vincent, Superintendent of Schools
• Dr. Suzanne Galusi, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instructions
• Dr. Peter Cushing, Assistant Superintendent  Enrichment and Innovation
• Marta Cabral, Medford High School Principal
• Libby Brown, architect, LEED-certified practitioner, and parent
• Marissa Desmond, project manager, architect and parent
• Maria D’Orsi, MHS staff member and grandparent
• Brian Hilliard, architect with MSBA experience and parent
• Tracy Keene, member of the Arts Community with Building Experience and parent
• Emily Lazzaro, City Councilor and parent
• Nicole Morell, communications and sustainability expert and parent
• Aaron Olapade, School Committee member
• Luke Preisner, engineer, project manager, and parent

Non-voting Members

• Larry Brown, retired Medford Vocational teacher
• Bob Dickinson, City of Medford Finance Director
• Fiona Maxwell, City of Medford Chief Procurement Officer
• Joan Bowen, Director of Pupil Services
• Thomas Dalton, Director of Communications
• Chad Fallon, Director of Medford Vocational-Technical High School
• Dr. Laurie Hodgdon, Principal of Curtis Tufts High School
• John McLaughlin, Director of Buildings and Grounds
• Paul Ruseau, School Committee member
• Philippe Santos, Civil Engineer and parent

Background

Medford Public Schools was invited in December 2023 to participate in the first phase of the MSBA school building grant program. The grant program could potentially provide significant state funding for the rebuilding or new construction of a new Medford High School. This state funding program requires that all applicants establish a school building committee according to state guidelines.

Medford submitted a Statement of Interest to the MSBA because the current Medford High School’s aging facilities have posed increasing challenges to the school’s general education and career technical education programs. The current high school building, which opened in 1970, no longer meets the needs of a 21st century secondary education environment.