Medford High School Selected by Mass. School Building Authority for Possible Renovation or Full Rebuild of Facility

MSBA Core Program Provides State Reimbursement for the Renovation or Rebuilding of Public Schools

Medford High School opened in 1970

BOSTON – The possibility of a new or reimagined Medford High School took a major step forward today when the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) voted to invite the school district into the funding Eligibility Period of the state school building program. The invitation comes in response to a Statement of Interest (SOI) submitted by Medford earlier this year.

“This is a significant step towards our goal of transforming Medford High School and delivering an exceptional learning environment for our students, faculty and staff, for generations to come,” Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn said. “I’m thrilled that through the work of our school committee, school district staff, community partners and our team at City Hall, we now have the opportunity to collaborate with the state to make this project a reality for our community. This would not be possible without the advocacy and support from so many in our community as well as the City Council who approved moving forward with the application.”

“Our school community is extremely grateful for the MSBA’s invitation today and the opportunity to collaborate with the state government to develop plans for a new or improved Medford High School,” said Dr. Marice Edouard-Vincent, Superintendent of Schools. “As the home to a student body excelling in academic and extracurricular pursuits, a highly successful Career Technical Education program, and several of Medford’s early education and child care offerings, Medford High is a particularly critical piece of our district's programming across grade levels and disciplines.”

“Today’s vote is the result of many years of tireless advocacy and planning by local supporters, the school and City administration, and the community,” Medford’s State Legislative Delegation said. “We are proud to have worked with the team at the district as well as the Mayor and City Hall to deliver on this transformative project that will propel Medford High School into a leading educational facility for other cities to emulate.”

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.

The Eligibility Period is intended to prepare school districts to manage and fund school building projects in collaboration with the state. The vote today by the MSBA Board of Directors initiates a 270-day period for the District to complete preliminary requirements for participation in the school building program, including forming a municipal School Building Committee, conducting a school enrollment analysis, and securing community authorization and funding for the project. Districts that are able to successfully complete the preliminary requirements are then invited to conduct a comprehensive Feasibility Study with some state reimbursement.

More information on the MSBA Core Program Eligibility Period can be found here.