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The following was submitted by the City of Medford:
Medford’s elected officials in the Mayor’s Office, City Council, and School Committee support the Medford Comprehensive High School Building Project.
The city will release the final tax impact estimate for the debt exclusion in February, once Schematic Design is complete and the city’s chosen construction manager, Suffolk Construction, has developed accurate final cost estimates.
The Medford Comprehensive High School Building Committee approved the Project Scope and Space Summary on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, which advances the project to the Schematic Design phase of the MSBA (Massachusetts School Building Authority) process.
Why do we need a new Medford High School?
• The Medford High School building is more than 50 years old and is
deteriorating, with failing systems that frequently disrupt student learning and create significant stress for students, parents, and staff.
• Plumbing issues have forced the school to close several weeks ago, causing
stress and hassle for students, teachers, and parents.
• Ongoing and recurring issues include burst heating pipes that force sections of
the school to close temporarily; insufficient insulation and HVAC systems that
require students to wear winter hats, gloves, and coats in their classrooms while
trying to learn; and a leaking roof that requires continuous maintenance even
during school hours.
• Vocational and special education programming require more space.
• More than half of MHS students are enrolled in vocational programming, and
annually 6-7 programs have a wait list.
• Special education spaces constrain how we support specialized learning
needs.
• State educational safety standards require larger, updated facilities to meet the
significant demand from our Medford students.
• The cost to renovate in Medford may end up higher than the cost to rebuild.
• The MHS Building Committee, architect, and project manager investigated
more than 29 options for renovating the current building.
• Renovating and upgrading the existing High School Building to current building
codes, simply “fixing” what exists today and meeting modern safety, building
code, and accessibility standards, would cost approximately $478 million.
• The city would pay the entire cost, without any MSBA state fund
reimbursement, because a code-update project would not meet our educational
needs, such as expanded vocational and special education programming. Any
significant investment in repairs to the building would make a full code upgrade
legally required.
What will the cost impact be to Medford residents?
• The city is proposing a debt exclusion for voter approval to pay for this project by
repaying construction bonds over 30 years.
• Based on the most recent estimate for the selected design for the new High School, the total project cost is estimated to be just below $700 million, with the state paying an estimated $226 million and the city paying an estimated $474 million.
• The project team will continue looking for design efficiencies during the design phase, selecting cost-effective materials, and carefully evaluating phasing options so the community rallies behind this much-needed project.
• Final construction cost estimates, the city’s share of this project, and the cost impact of the debt exclusion on taxpayers will be available in early February 2027.
• While the MHS Building Committee has already reduced the project’s total cost by over $150 million since March, the city can also mitigate cost impacts in multiple ways, including allocating new property tax growth from new development projects, reserving resources now to pay for debt service later, and maximizing all local property tax exemptions available to residents under state law.
• Medford Public Schools staff and MHS project team members have also applied for other state, federal, and private grants and started private fundraising efforts to help fund portions of the project.
• Please visit the MHS Project page to learn more about the design process, the significant impacts of cost escalations on high school construction projects, and the existing programs at MHS that must be incorporated into the new building.
When can I engage and learn more about the costs and debt exclusion process?
• City Council and School Committee Joint Hearings on Nov. 30, Jan. 20, 2027 and Feb. 2, 2027
• School Committee meeting on Jan. 25, 2027
• City Council meeting on March 9, 2027
• SBC Community Forums on Nov. 19, March 4, 2027, May 13, 2027 and June 2, 2027
• Upcoming SBC meetings on Nov. 16, Dec. 14, Jan. 7, 2027, Feb. 1, 2027, Feb. 10 2027, Feb. 22, 2027, March 22, 2027, April 14, 2027 and May 31, 2027
• New MHS Project Website
The City of Medford Financial Task Force members are: Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn, Mayor’s Chief of Staff Nina Nazarian, City Council President Zac Bears, City Council Vice President Emily Lazzaro, School Committee Vice Chair and MHS Building Committee Chair Jenny Graham, and School Committee Member Mike Mastrobuoni.
The Financial Task Force is supported by members of the Medford Public Schools staff, members of the City finance staff, and the Owner’s Project Manager and Architect from the MHS Building Project Team.
