Watertown school subcommittee votes to bar outside high school rentals for a year

School Committee · Meeting of July 31, 2026

Watertown schools bar all outside high school rentals for the first year. The Building and Grounds Subcommittee voted 3-0 Friday to send a rewritten facility rental agreement to the Budget and Finance Subcommittee, closing the district's newly built high school entirely to outside renters through the 2026-2027 school year. Proposed rates include $75 for custodial coverage, $27 for food service, and $100 for an audio-visual technician per event, with a new three-hour custodial minimum required under the district's union contract.

Members cited the high school's geothermal and heat-pump systems and the district's net-zero energy goals; one member said, "it's a very complicated building," while the superintendent called the restriction something that "would help us out a lot." Member Jessica Middlebrook flagged cost concerns from a Scout troop facing a $40 minimum charge per session. Chair Sheila Christian, Amy Donahue and Middlebrook voted 3-0, with parking and running-track access deferred to a future meeting.

In the full story:

• Rental Agreement Overhaul and Custodial Staffing
• Priority Booking System and Seasonal Windows
• Rental Fee Classes and the Under-25 Group Debate
• New High School: No Outside Use for the First Year
• Parking and Track Questions Deferred
• Procedural Steps and Outcome
• Implications and What Is Next
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,270 words

Source: the School Committee meeting of July 31, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.