School committee approves revised facilities director and assistant job descriptions after amendments

The Medford School Committee on Feb. 26 approved updated job descriptions for the facilities director and a newly created assistant facilities director position, voting 7-0 after committee amendments clarified on-call expectations, special-project responsibilities and contract-related duties.

Assistant Superintendent Peter Cushing presented both descriptions and said the updates reflect modern facilities management practice across districts and prepare the district for a growing capital portfolio, including potential MSBA-related projects. The descriptions were drafted after benchmarking about a dozen peer districts and were tied to recent override-funded staffing changes.

For the facilities director, the committee amended the on-call language to avoid a “24 hours a day” formulation. Vice Chair Graham proposed language to require the director to “be available for on-call support and to promptly address planned and unplanned needs,” and the committee agreed. Members also asked that special-project responsibilities and a general “other job-related responsibilities” clause be added so the job description covers future, evolving duties tied to MSBA and capital projects.

On the assistant facilities director description, the committee requested clearer language that the assistant would “assist with” collective bargaining and contract administration rather than be solely responsible for administering all contracts. Member Graham and others suggested changing wording about weather mitigation to emphasize both development and enactment of plans (snow, ice, heat protocols). Committee members also asked that the facilities director retain liaison duties with outside project managers (OPMs) and MSBA, with discretion to delegate to the assistant where appropriate.

Member Graham moved to approve the facilities director job description as amended; the motion was seconded and passed by roll call, 7-0. The committee later moved to approve the assistant facilities director job description as amended; that motion also passed 7-0.

Cushing said the facilities director position is currently filled but the job description had not been updated for several years. He told the committee the revised descriptions respond to increased facilities square footage (about 1.2 million square feet across district buildings) and a need to align responsibilities with academic and extracurricular uses of district spaces.

The approved descriptions list qualifications including a bachelor’s degree in facilities management or a related field (master’s preferred for complex building systems), a minimum of five years’ related experience with supervisory experience, familiarity with OSHA/EPA and Massachusetts building codes, and the ability to lift up to 50 pounds and work flexible hours.

The committee asked staff to finalize the text for posting and to return any final, clean copies for personnel and posting processes. The actions do not themselves create a new funded position beyond the assistant director approved previously in the district override; they update and clarify the duties and expectations for hiring and supervision.

The motion to approve the facilities director job description as amended was made by Member Graham; the motion to approve the assistant facilities director description as amended was made by Member Graham. Both motions passed by roll call vote, 7-0.

The committee also directed staff to produce a short administrative policy that records job description approval dates and subsequent amendments to maintain clearer records going forward.