Be.tech Charter High is moving.

The Manteca Unified board Tuesday awarded a $1.8 million bid to place portable classrooms that meet Department of State Architecture standards from other school sites to Lathrop High. The bid covers foundation work, moving the portables, updating American with Disabilities requirements, electrical, fire alarms, paging system and such.

The board also authorized spending $1.6 million on building resource centers at Lathrop Elementary and Mossdale schools to house “pullout programs” to free up standard 960 square foot classrooms that can be used to increase student enrollment capacity.  The money for the resource centers and the charter high school work are from money paid by growth for school facilities and Measure M bond receipts.

Be.tech Charter High opened eight years ago at the Manteca Unified School District office complex site to provide vocational education career paths.

The board at the time, following the advice of then Superintendent Jason Messer who assured them that existing buildings at the district site could be refurbished for student use based on legal communications he had received, signed off on the plan.

Several years ago the state architect — that is required by law to make sure all public school structures that house students meet the much more rigorous earthquake standards under the Field Act —  told the district the a number of the Be.tech buildings that students used were out of compliance with the Field Act.

Six portables are being moved from New Haven to Lathrop High and one from Manteca High for the Be.tech campus use. Lathrop High was selected not just because it has space but it has a modern and spacious industrial arts building that is employed by Manteca Adult School classes.

Be.tech programs will still be able to utilize structures at the Manteca Unified site such as the simulated town for first responders training and part of the main original district office where students operate a café that serves as a worksite.

The district will be able to use buildings Be.tech is now using at the district office complex for other uses.

The current Be.tech academies that are blended with general state high school requirements includes first responders for those pursing law enforcement, firefighter, emergency medical technician, and military careers, video gaming programming and design, cuisine and hospitality and industrial applications such as welding, drafting, fabrication, designing by computer and wood working.

The campus transfer is expected to be completed by December.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com