Bob Wallace is seeking one more term on the Manteca Unified school board.
He was elected in 2016 and was surprised back then of some of the resources.
"I first taught at MUSD in 1969 and we only had one tractor in the entire district," said Wallace, who was appointed to the Grounds Committee.
He added: "I noticed we didn't have many more when I first came to the board — now we have one (tractor) at each site."
Much has been accomplished district-wide in terms of repairing some of the playing fields and making those areas safe for students. Wallace noted that more work is needed.
He has his re-election campaign for Trustee Area 7 on Nov. 3. But his greater focus is getting the 55 percent votes necessary to pass Measure A.
"Manteca High and East Union High are in desperately need of help," said Wallace.
According to the district, Measure A, if approved, would update school facilities while supporting student health and safety.
MHS, EU and several elementary school sites are over 50 years old.
Wallace has a long history with the Manteca Unified.
He helped usher in the early years of East Union, serving as a coach in football and track.
At Lincoln Elementary School, Wallace was the school's first-ever girls basketball coach. "We had 53 girls and no gym — we played outside (on the courts)," he recalled.
Wallace's expansive educational career includes 12 years at MUSD and 25 at Escalon Unified, of which 19 of those years he served as superintendent.
He's also involved in the California Interscholastic Federation, where he once served as president. CIF oversees high school sports programs in the state. Wallace continues to be involved as the State CIF Appeals Coordinator.
He and his wife, Kathy, are usually in attendance at the various sporting events throughout the district.
Bob Wallace, in addition, would like to look at trustee area redistricting following the 2020 US Census.
"I think Lathrop needs more representation. The community has grown quite a bit in the last 10 years," he said.