Medfield School Committee Approves Solar Roof Deal, New Literacy Program at Budget-Crisis Meeting

MEDFIELD -- January 15, 2026, Medfield School Committee votes to pursue no-cost solar roof deal while warning of 16 teaching-position cuts. The committee voted unanimously Thursday to authorize a letter of intent for an 850-kilowatt solar installation on the Blake Middle School roof that would fund a full $1.1 million roof replacement at no direct cost to the town, through a private financing structure leveraging federal solar tax credits set to expire in July 2026. Separately, Superintendent Jeffrey Marsden presented an FY27 budget update showing a $1.7 million gap between the district's level-service request of $46,831,916 and the Warrant Committee's 1.26 percent increase offer, with proposed eliminations of roughly 16 FTE teaching positions across all five school buildings. "These are rainy day funds and it's pouring," Marsden said of an estimated $498,000 in Chapter 70 state aid sitting in town free cash. The committee also voted unanimously to adopt the Bookworms open-source literacy curriculum for grades K-5 after a two-year pilot, with full implementation planned for September 2026. A public budget hearing is scheduled for January 29 at 6 p.m.