East Union High is seeking input from students, staff, parents and the community in advance of $13 million worth of modernization projects at the 50-year-old campus.
The school district’s growth steering committee is conducting an online survey at http://bit.ly/EUthink on the Thought Exchange platform where respondents are being asked to share their thoughts on three questions:
uWhat are some things that you like about East Union High School’s current facilities?
uWhat are the most important health, safety, or maintenance changes you want to see East Union High School’s facilities?
uWhat are your thoughts on which buildings or facilities most urgently need modernization at East Union High School?
The East Union High School is part of the second wave of Measure G modernization projects. Some $13 million has been budgeted for modernization at the campus. At the same time construction at East Union High related to a $1.1 million Career and Technical Education grant secured by the school district will take place.
The 98-year-old Manteca High campus will have $15 million worth of modernization done in the second wave as well.
The school board could decide to invest developer fees or possibly Mello-Roos taxes for the Manteca High attendance area south of the 120 Bypass to do growth capacity work at the  campus at the same time Measure G work is conducted.
The bond work at the two high schools will go toward health and safety issues and pressing maintenance needs. The list includes concrete and asphalt issues, restroom upgrades fire alarm systems, wiring heating and air conditioning, and similar needs.
Also in the second phase are five elementary schools Manteca Unified that will be modernized based on maximizing the potential for partial state reimbursement. It includes  Neil Hafley, French Camp, George McParland, New Haven and Nile Garden schools.
The reason the first five schools — Lincoln, Lathrop, Shasta, Golden West, and Sequoia — were picked for the first round of work that has been completed had as much as to do with the pressing safety and modernization needs as it did being eligible for partial state reimbursement. The initial five schools represent $56.4 million worth of Measure G projects.
School structures being modernized have to be a certain age to qualify for a shot at $3.3 billion set aside for that purpose in the $10.4 billion statewide Proposition 1D bond money approved in 2014.
The first five Manteca Unified modernization projects have been approved by the state for placement on the list. Now it is a matter of waiting to see whether they will be high enough on the list that includes similar projects from throughout the state including Los Angeles that has an inordinate amount of schools that need modernization.
If all goes well the district ultimately could leverage the $159 billion local bond with $30 million plus in reimbursements from the state bond. That assumes there is money left when the future phases of the Measure G projects that have eligible components for funding are to a point they can qualify to be submitted to the state.
There is roughly $104 million in bonds left to sell.
Ultimately every school in the district will have some Measure G work conducted although not on the scale as the first five schools and the modernization effort at East Union and Manteca High.
The district identified $600 million worth of modernization needs throughout Manteca Unified campuses when they were moving forward with the 2014 bond election.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com