The $419 million in bonds approved by Manteca voters could end up doing $618.4 million in modernization work at Manteca Unified School District.
That’s because the district intentionally lined up Measure G (the $159 million bond passed in 2014) and Measure A (the $260 million bond passed in 2020) endeavors to go first in order to align with priority funding.
To date, the district has received $30,502,955 from the state’s local match program for rehabilitating school facilities.
Another $88,331,824 in state funding is in the approval queue.
That is in addition to $80,603,335 in Measure A projects that the district believes will meet state matching criteria that have not gotten to the point they can be submitted to the state.
The odds of Manteca Unified will eventually receive $199.4 million in state school modernization funds was enhanced greatly when voters statewide in 2024 approved a $10 billion bond schools.
There are potential pitfalls.
The Los Angeles wildfire that destroyed a number of schools could — especially if insurance doesn’t cover rebuilding costs — go to the front of the line for state funding given it created an emergency situation.
Also, to realize the full $199.4 million, all of Manteca’s submissions would have to be high enough on the waiting list for matching funds for school repairs.
Proposition 2’s $10 billion commits $1.5 billion for community college and $8.5 billion for TK-12 districts.
The TK-12 funds are earmarked as follows:
*$4 billion for repairs, replacement of portables at least 20 years old, and other modernization work
*$3.3 billion for new construction
*$600 million for facilities for career and technical education programs
*$600 million for facilities for charter schools
*$115 million to remove lead from school drinking water
The bottom line, it should be noted, is the state doesn’t provide funds for school facility construction or modernization unless there is a local match which requires local bonds to be passed.
The money the district does receive will be plowed right back into the nearly $700 million in school modernization needs that were identified in a district wide facility masterplan more than five years ago.
The matching funds, as an example, would all but assure all future phases of the East Union and Manteca high school modernizations would be funded.
In Manteca’s case, the projects include expansion of the cafeteria.
The state bond, with $3.3 billion for new construction, also means MUSD could also receive matching funds for the three new elementary campus they are moving forward including two south of the 120 Bypass in Manteca as well as one in Lathrop.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
