Long-range cost savings, streamlined operations, and ample room for growth is on the menu for the Manteca Unified School District Nutritional Services.

And it is all being made possible due to a mantra at the school board and district levels to spend money wisely and to squeeze the most benefits for students out of every tax dollar spent.

It is what led the district to buy a 58,000-square-foot building in the heart of the Manteca Industrial Park at 550 Carnegie Street for $6.4 million and then move forward with a $9.9 million remodeling project starting in October.

The drive for a new central warehouse that would also encompass offices started with two major needs.

*The district lacked adequate warehouse space for nutritional services and is paying $500,000 annually to rent space.

*What warehousing they do have at the district office site was in need of repairs with expensive refrigeration storage essentially be operational only because of the proverbial “baling wire” effort.

*The needed new space pegged at 19,000 square feet would cost $14 million to build assuming land wasn’t needed.

By buying the former home to Ecologic, the district has a space three times of what they currently need.

Not only does that mean roughly triple the space allowing plenty of room for growth, but the district can also house all of the Nutritional Education Services in one location.

It also will have elements such as a test/training kitchen as well as existing office space that is being remodeled.

Down the road, there is room for an additional central kitchen.

The district is currently moving forward with two new elementary schools south of the 120 Bypass and one in Lathrop.

Typically, a central kitchen can handle four to six schools.

Each high school has a central kitchen as do two elementary school sites.

The test kitchen/training kitchen could possibly be used one day to program career technical education programs such as the culinary arts to help educate high school students.

Manteca Unified Chief Financial Officer Victoria Brunn said training kitchens are rare for school districts.

What it would allow MUSD is more efficiently train cafeteria workers.

By having all operations in one location, it will allow for streamlining  which will reduce time and ultimately costs.

The district is planning to use non-general fund money for the remodel that includes new walk-in freezers and refrigeration as well as racking for dry goods.

By eliminating leasing and getting three times the space for $2.3 million more than the $14 million to build a new 19,000 square-foot structure, Brunn noted it will help avoid future costs and bolster the long-term financial sustainability of nutritional services.

MUSD Director of Facilities and Operations Aaron Bowers notes a districtwide energy study will determine if it is cost effective to install solar on the roof of the new MUSD nutritional services distribution center to help reduce future PG&E expenses.

The goal is to have the new location up and running before the start of the 2026-2027 school year.

Nutritional services provides lunch and breakfast to the district.s 25,000 plus students.

Long-range cost savings, streamlined operations, and ample room for growth is on the menu for the Manteca Unified School District Nutritional Services.

And it is all being made possible due to a mantra at the school board and district levels to spend money wisely and to squeeze the most benefits for students out of every tax dollar spent.

It is what led the district to buy a 58,000-square-foot building in the heart of the Manteca Industrial Park at 550 Carnegie Street for $6.4 million and then move forward with a $9.9 million remodeling project starting in October.

The drive for a new central warehouse that would also encompass offices started with two major needs.

*The district lacked adequate warehouse space for nutritional services and is paying $500,000 annually to rent space.

*What warehousing they do have at the district office site was in need of repairs with expensive refrigeration storage essentially be operational only because of the proverbial “baling wire” effort.

*The needed new space pegged at 19,000 square feet would cost $14 million to build assuming land wasn’t needed.

By buying the former home to Ecologic, the district has a space three times of what they currently need.

Not only does that mean roughly triple the space allowing plenty of room for growth, but the district can also house all of the Nutritional Education Services in one location.

It also will have elements such as a test/training kitchen as well as existing office space that is being remodeled.

Down the road, there is room for an additional central kitchen.

The district is currently moving forward with two new elementary schools south of the 120 Bypass and one in Lathrop.

Typically, a central kitchen can handle four to six schools.

Each high school has a central kitchen as do two elementary school sites.

The test kitchen/training kitchen could possibly be used one day to program career technical education programs such as the culinary arts to help educate high school students.

Manteca Unified Chief Financial Officer Victoria Brunn said training kitchens are rare for school districts.

What it would allow MUSD is more efficiently train cafeteria workers.

By having all operations in one location, it will allow for streamlining  which will reduce time and ultimately costs.

The district is planning to use non-general fund money for the remodel that includes new walk-in freezers and refrigeration as well as racking for dry goods.

By eliminating leasing and getting three times the space for $2.3 million more than the $14 million to build a new 19,000 square-foot structure, Brunn noted it will help avoid future costs and bolster the long-term financial sustainability of nutritional services.

MUSD Director of Facilities and Operations Aaron Bowers notes a districtwide energy study will determine if it is cost effective to install solar on the roof of the new MUSD nutritional services distribution center to help reduce future PG&E expenses.

The goal is to have the new location up and running before the start of the 2026-2027 school year.

Nutritional services provides lunch and breakfast to the district.s 25,000 plus students.