Manteca Unified — by repurposing existing classrooms and building resource centers for various student pullout programs such as for Read 180, Speech, Bi-lingual Aides, Intervention, Give Every Child a Chance, Kids Zone, DST and Program Coordinator Space — could create the equivalent space equal to almost an additional elementary school in South Manteca at a fraction of the cost.

Such a strategy in Lathrop would generate roughly the equivalent of a half an elementary school of capacity.

The Manteca Unified Facilities & Operations Department analyzed schools throughout the district based on programming needs in a bid to deal with skyrocketing construction costs and follow through on a commitment to taxpayers and developers to maximize what money is available to construct facilities needed to handle growth.

The end result is by building resource centers and shifting support programs such as Read 180 out of traditional classroom space, the district can create space for 806 more students between Veritas, Nile Garden, Woodward, Lincoln, and Sequoia elementary schools to serve the high growth South Manteca area.

By building a 2,500-quare-foot resource center for $1.3 million the can create program space that’s equivalent of building 10 classrooms at a fraction of the cost. The strategy provides “right-size “space for specific programs instead of consuming of using a classroom that has just over 900 square feet. Programs such as bi-lingual, intervention, and counseling services that can function well in a smaller space will have 150 square feet apiece set aside in the school resource center.

Other areas for programs such as speech and Read 180 would be larger than that so they could serve multi-purposes such as are utilized by Give Every Child a Chance’s after school program. The resource centers would also have their own restrooms.

Modernization and growth related plans for Nile Garden School already include a resource center. The board will consider adding school resource centers at Veritas, Woodward, Lincoln, and Sequoia schools.

Adding a resource center at Nile Garden takes the program capacity up 136 to 1,012 students to 1,148.

At the other elementary schools by adding a resource center:

*Veritas would increase 102 to 1,182 students.

*Woodward would increase 136 to 1,222 students.

*Lincoln would increase 238 to 1,124 students.

*Sequoia would increase 204 to 1,124 students.

Using the resource center strategy in Lathrop areas schools means:

*Widmer would increase 136 to 1,182 students.

*Lathrop would increase 102 to 1,176 students.

*Mossdale would increase 102 to 1,158 students.

The classroom analysis overall for the district chows based on current program capacity Manteca Unified theoretically could accommodate 21,578 elementary students, 10,668 high school students or 32,246 students overall. That presents a current program utilization rate of 85 percent. That is before the resource center strategy for elementary schools is applied.

Given Manteca Unified has more than 24,000 students on its campuses not including those in county schools programs, at first glance it looks as if the equivalent space of an existing high school (1,800 students) and five elementary schools at 800 students apiece exists.

“(The space) isn’t necessarily at the right place or grade level,” noted Deputy Superintendent Roger Goatcher.

By that he means there may be space at specific grade levels in Weston Ranch but that isn’t the case where it may be in the biggest demand such as South Manteca and Lathrop.

Program capacity is especially problematic at the high school level. A program such as an advanced college placement course or a specific career tech education class may accommodate 30 students in a specific period but there might only be 20 students enrolled. There may be a period during the day, as an example, where a science lab is not utilized. For a variety of reasons it may not make sense to put an English class for one period in that space.

Then there is a difference between maximum capacity — the number of students the state will allow within a given space of a classroom — and the program capacity.

Program capacity takes into account class size reduction, the fact maximum ratios at certain grade levels or lower and other capacity restrictions directly related to the subject matter and available facilities such as in a career tech education class.

It is also highly unlikely students generated from a specific attendance area would ever fill an elementary school evenly in terms of student numbers at each grade level from kindergarten through eighth grade.

Keeping that in mind, the resource center strategy essentially creates space where it is needed at anywhere from a third to the fourth the cost. It also would allow the school district to effectively work toward keeping the idea that students should attend neighborhood schools intact.

 By maximizing space where it is the easiest to do at elementary schools, the district is freeing up limited dollars available to accommodate student growth in the coming years.

The likelihood of the state floating a school bond to generate enough funds to address school growth given the bulk of it is now happening in interior California and not on the populated coastal areas where the population controls more than two thirds of the legislature is not considered great. Then there is the issue of deferred maintenance and modernization needs for existing schools.

State voters in 2016 approved the $9 billion Proposition 51 school bond for K-12 schools and community colleges. At the time it was passed, the state noted the maintenance and modernization needs of Los Angeles Unified alone could consume all of the $9 billion.

Manteca Unified has a modernization and upgrade need for existing facilities approaching $1 billion.

Most of the state’s school districts are in similar situations.

As it stands now for new construction to accommodate growth, Mello-Roos taxes and developer fees paid on new growth require bond money to cover the cost. Given the state has capped development fees charged per square foot on new homes while constriction costs are soaring, there is a big squeeze on funding for new school construction to accommodate growth.

That increases the likelihood in the future a school bond to help build new schools instead of just modernization existing ones may be needed in the Manteca Unified School District.

 The school resource center strategy delays such a possibility by maximizing available school space.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com