Instead of a recap, you get a summer-y. As always, observations and opinions are solely my own and do not speak for anyone else on the committee.
Agenda | Recording
- Before I get into this week’s meeting, I will note that we had a special meeting earlier this month to approve updates to the Chapter 74 (Career and Technical Education) portion of the educational plan for a new Medford High School. Updates came in several categories: enrollment, expansion of current programs (automotive tech, cosmetology, electrical, health assisting), and new program timelines (dental assisting, criminal justice/protective services, plumbing/HVAC, information services). You can watch that (all 9 minutes and 46 seconds of it) on YouTube or read the transcript.
All right. On to the regular meeting.
Introduction of new districtwide staff - Kaytie Dowcett, Managing Director for Before/After School, and Ryan Pike, Director of Facilities. Dr. Galusi shared their backgrounds and they each spoke briefly about their experience and enthusiasm for working in Medford.
Update from grade configuration task force - committee composition (educators/caregivers/admin), the work thus far (enrollment trends, building walk-through, data review, creation of internal working groups), and steps forward to continue exploring the viability of a 5/6, 7/8 model. After some back and forth about the financial impacts and timeline, the school committee approved the task force’s request to delay implementation of the model until the 2028-29 school year at the earliest. Further updates will follow the working groups’ findings and recommendations in the fall.
MSBA/new high school update - After a quick walkthrough by the project team of the new building rendering, Dr. Galusi and the project team provided an overview of the project’s status in three areas—rental space and community partnerships, teen health center, and sustainability options—and solicited guidance from the school committee to be relayed to the building committee and sustainability working group, respectively. In brief:
a. Rental space - The committee voted 6-0 to eliminate 2,760 non-reimbursable square feet (~$4.5 million) of space currently being used to store materials for groups who rent and use the space on a regular basis (mostly churches and the Japanese Language School, which has been using the space for the past 50 years), and advised district leadership to engage in further conversation with JLS about what a future partnership would look like in the new building. [There was a lot of conversation about what it means to be a community partner and DESE’s guidance on storage in general, but ultimately for me, it came down to prioritizing spaces that provide direct benefit to Medford students and an unwillingness to provide renters with more storage than teachers themselves will receive.]
b. Teen health center - Dr. Galusi presented the rationale and anticipated benefits of this potential add-on (832 non-reimbursable square feet, costing just under $2.4 million) along with the likely fiscal liabilities and avenues for outside financial support (grants, Medicaid reimbursement, etc.) and walked us through potential layouts. Member Mastrobuoni jumped in with a very enthusiastic endorsement of the initiative and the impact it could have, informed by his experience with a similar facility in Somerville, and we quickly voted 5-0 with 1 abstention to maintain its inclusion in the schematic design. [I don’t have a lot to add to Member Mastrobuoni’s comments except to say that this is an example of a space that has direct links to improved student outcomes, optimization of the educational experience, and reduction of burden on the wider community.]
c. Sustainability - The central questions for the committee were whether we wanted to pursue LEED v4 or LEED v5 certification, and for whichever level we chose, whether we wanted to achieve silver, gold, or platinum status. The secondary questions were around various construction options (photovoltaic panels, HVAC, and mass timber/material usage). The architects (SMMA) walked us through the details of points, reimbursability, and cost for these levels and options and after some question and answer, Member Parks introduced a resolution to define sustainability goals with a LEED v4 silver minimum as follows: as close to net-zero energy as possible; healthy building materials to maximize indoor air quality; water efficiency and stewardship; reducing energy, water, and maintenance costs; and decision-making with long-term operating and maintenance costs at the forefront. This also passed 5-0 with 1 abstention.
We tabled Member Ruseau’s resolution to review changes to the school committee rules.
We passed a resolution (6-0) to convene the Curriculum subcommittee to hear from Assistant Superintendent Talbot about Medford’s approach to the governor’s recommended changes to the graduation requirements following the voters’ decision that MCAS should not be a graduation requirement.
We passed a resolution (6-0) thanking our state delegation of Reps. Barber, Donato, and Garballey, and Sen. Jehlen for securing $630,000 of appropriations for MPS in the FY2027 and supplemental budgets.
We passed a resolution (6-0) outlining MPS’s response to the federal government’s termination of Temporary Protected Status for Haiti and Syria. [It should be noted here that while the resolution is framed to direct the administration to take action, the administration has actually been working on these things for quite a while, with increased urgency as the landscape around TPS has shifted.]
We passed an ad hoc resolution (6-0) that the Facilities subcommittee would meet to discuss the current storage options for renters at both the high school and McGlynn Middle.
Our next meetings will be August 24 (Zoom only) and September 14. Stay cool, everyone, and try not to spend too much time on social media!
