Letter: Working Together For Our Schools And Our Community

MEDFORD, MA — The following letter was submitted by first-time City Council candidate Zac Bears and School Committee member and candidate for re-election Mea Quinn Mustone.

We know that great public schools are the foundation of a strong community, and as candidates we commit to bring the Medford School Committee and Medford City Council together to talk about the big issues facing our kids and our schools if we are elected.

We met a few years ago while I (Mea) was campaigning for school committee. Over time, we have had many conversations about our love for Medford, and I was thrilled when Zac told me he was running for city council. During my four years on school committee, there has been no formal partnership between the school committee and city council. Zac and I have discussed how we could work together and build partnerships if we are both elected.

The Medford City Council should create a Subcommittee on Education to build the strong connection we need between the council and School Committee and allow for more regular communication. The City Council and the School Committee should provide regular updates at each other’s meetings. There was no representative of the city council on the last superintendent search committee, and we think it is imperative that a city councilor serve on the Vision Committee for Medford High School. We also commit to hold regular joint office hours if Mea is re-elected as a school committee member and if Zac is elected as a city councilor.

Medford needs to create new city and school websites in order for residents and families to find the information they need. It can be difficult to find basic information online, and many of our city departments have created their own separate websites, making it even more difficult. We need new, user-friendly websites that have live search functions and are translated into multiple languages.

We need to improve maintenance of Medford’s city and school buildings and create policies to make our buildings green and mitigate climate change. Many of our city and school buildings are crying out for better maintenance, and we need to do a better job maintaining our newer elementary and middle schools as they approach their 20th year of use. Medford needs to do its part to address climate change by moving all city and school buildings towards net-zero carbon emissions, especially new buildings. We should also explore expanding the zero waste assessment for school buildings to city buildings too.

We can build a better Medford if the city council and school committee work together. Please vote Mea Quinn Mustone for School Committee and Zac Bears for City Council on November 5th.