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High-school building project enters design phase; committee schedules community primer and public sessions

Medford School Committee · January 6, 2026

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Summary

The Medford Comprehensive High School Building Committee selected SMMA as architect and is completing existing‑condition surveys and educational‑plan work; the committee scheduled a Zoom primer and in-person/Zoom design sessions with translation services and aims to submit the Preliminary Design Program (PDP) in late February.

The Medford Comprehensive High School Building Committee (MCHSBC) reported Jan. 12 that architects SMMA have been retained and are conducting surveys, programming meetings and an educational plan to support a Preliminary Design Program (PDP) submission to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA).

Member Graham, chair of the MCHSBC, said SMMA and an educational planning consultant have completed extensive programming meetings and shadow days to document how students use space. That work has informed the drafting of an educational plan the committee must approve before it can be submitted to the MSBA as part of an early design package (PDP). The committee scheduled education-plan review on Jan. 26 and a vote to approve the educational plan on Feb. 2, with the target PDP submission in late February.

Graham said the process will include public engagement: a Zoom primer to explain the schedule and process (Jan. 7), a building-committee meeting to show early concepts (Jan. 14), and additional public meetings in February and March to refine options and collect feedback. Translation services and community-liaison outreach will be available to increase participation.

The chair emphasized student participation in visioning sessions and described topics under consideration including site flow, transportation, emergency access and the balance between preserving existing specialized spaces and creating new, code‑compliant learning areas. He also addressed common questions about MSBA funding rules, noting that some program spaces are currently undersized by DESE standards and that MSBA will share—but not fully fund—certain types of renovations such as pools in some cases.

The committee will narrow multiple concepts to a preferred schematic over the coming months and expects cost-estimating and public review to guide which options advance to the MSBA.