By Jenna Caldwell, The Boston Report
MEDFORD — The estimated cost of a new Medford High School has dropped to nearly $700 million, about $150 million less than earlier design estimates, and city leaders are weighing a debt exclusion vote to pay the city’s share, the Tufts Daily reported.
Voters are expected to decide on the debt exclusion in June 2027.
Where the project stands
The project began in December 2023 after the Massachusetts School Building Authority invited Medford into its grant program. It has been in the schematic design phase since August 2026.
Jenny Graham, vice chair of both the Medford School Committee and the Medford Comprehensive High School Building Committee, told the Tufts Daily that most of the savings came from changing the heating and cooling system. The plan shifted from geothermal to an all-electric air-source heat pump system, which Graham called the “most economical” choice. Cuts to the building’s planned space also lowered the cost.
“When you start talking about a building as big as Medford High is, and you start talking about the realities of school construction … all of the numbers are surprising,” Graham said.
Who pays
The cost will be split between the state school building authority and the city. The authority’s share depends on its funding formula and on per-square-foot caps it has already set. The rest is “what will be left for Medford,” Graham said.
The city does not plan to borrow a large sum all at once, because the money would not all be spent for several years, the Tufts Daily reported. Medford is also forming a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to raise donations for parts of the project the state will not fund.
The city’s finance team is working on the details of a debt exclusion. Under Massachusetts law, a debt exclusion lets a community raise property taxes above the normal Proposition 2½ limit to pay for a specific project. The extra tax ends when the debt is paid off.
“When you look across communities, most communities do a debt exclusion,” Graham said.
What it could mean for tax bills
Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn, who chairs the School Committee, said the current design is one of the more “reasonably priced options,” according to the Tufts Daily. She said the size of the tax increase will depend on how much the state reimburses. The increases would be phased in based on borrowing over the first five years.
School Committee member Mike Mastrobuoni raised the possibility that voters could reject the debt exclusion. “If Medford voters decide not to approve a debt exclusion, the City would not have the ability to pay for this project under the current financial outlook,” he wrote in an email to the paper. He added that renovating the existing building would likely cost about as much as building new.
The School Committee is expected to get a more detailed cost estimate in the winter. The current figure is not final.
Winter resources and parking permits
In other city news, Medford has published a winter resources guide and is hosting a Winter Preparedness Event at City Hall on Nov. 19, according to the city’s news page. Residential permit parking renewals for the coming year begin Nov. 1.
How to follow the school project
The building committee posts meeting materials, schedules and design updates on the project website. Residents can also follow School Committee and City Council meetings through the city.
For more Medford coverage, see our Medford local news and city guide and the Local Towns hub.
Sources
- Tufts Daily, “Medford attempts to reduce costs on High School Building Project,” Oct. 19, 2026
- Medford High School Building Project
- City of Medford news
Additional sources
- Massachusetts School Building Authority
- Massachusetts Division of Local Services, Proposition 2½ primer
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