Medford School Committee Bars New Storage for Building Renters

Medford School Committee · Meeting of July 20, 2026

Medford School Committee votes to bar new storage space for building renters at the new high school. The 6-0 vote came after members debated the district's 50-year, $142,000-a-year relationship with the Japanese Language School, which serves about 800 students on 38 Saturdays annually. "I do not support taking storage space away from staff and giving it to community rental partners — that's non-negotiable for me," said Member Reinfeld.

Member Rousseau called unbuilt storage sheds "junk that always accumulates around old structures." The committee also voted 5-1 to keep a teen health center, estimated at $2.4 million in total project cost, in the building's plans, and voted 5-1 to pursue LEED version 4 rather than version 5 certification. Separately, members thanked the state delegation for securing $632,000 in additional school funding and adopted, as amended, a resolution supporting students and families affected by federal TPS terminations for Haiti and Syria.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
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• The complete report — 4,614 words

Source: the Medford School Committee meeting of July 20, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.