The long-awaited southwest Manteca elementary school at the Tara Park site will be under construction by early 2028 at the latest.

Manteca Unified Assistant Superintendent Victoria Brunn confirmed Wednesday that the district is on target to have physical site work underway by the start of 2028.

School plans will be completed for submission to the state’s architecture office by December.

There is then at least a six-month review process.

That means by mid-2027 the $53 million project to initially build a TK-8 campus for 1,000 students will be ready to go out to bid.

And, contrary to disinformation circulating regarding a land deal by MUSD that is making a two-acre City of Manteca Fire station site possible, the remaining school site is still large enough to accommodate an additional 300 students should the district opt to add 10 classrooms at a later date.

Brunn stresses the district’s goal is to not have to eventually accommodate more than 1,000 students on the future campus.

As for the storm drainage issues that surfaced a year ago when adopted plans for the area did not accommodate school storm water runoff, that is being addressed with two options.

The preferred option for all involved parties that includes the South San Joaquin Irrigation District, MUSD, and City of Manteca is for the runoff to be taken into the city system that will drain into a new outfall into the San Joaquin River.

The city has signed off on an agreement for such a plan that is now being reviewed by SSJID.

Once SSJID signs off, the agreement will be reviewed by the MUSD putting the ball in the school district’s court.

If for some reason that doesn’t pan out, MUSD facilities and maintenance director Aaron Bowers indicates the school district has an understanding with the SSJID that would allow the schools to tie directly into the French Camp canal that flows storm water into the San Joaquin River near French Camp.

That would require the school district to spend $1.4 million on extending a line to the outlet canal. It entails tearing up city streets to get it to that point.

If needed, the district would play its “ace” to allow the new school to proceed on schedule.

Staff noted they have a fiduciary responsibility before asking the board to approve a contract for $53 million that a solution for storm drainage is in place so the school can open when completed.

“SSJID has always walked hand in hand with the Manteca Unified School District in support of schools over the years,” Brunn said. “Our No. 1 priority is the removal of every and all barriers from students that prevent them from learning.”

Historically, the city has never required schools to provide for storm runoff besides connecting to the city’s system.

High water tables in parts of southwest Manteca were not taken into account by consultants working with developers and the city 20 years ago. There are spots in the area — including the school site — where there is a water table 5 feet below the surface.

Trustee Marie Freitas has asked that the school board be updated on the drainage issue at the Sept. 10 meeting.

Theoretically, once the agreement hammered out by the SSJID and city is sent to MUSD to allow them to run it by their own engineer to verify the storm drainage needs are met as mandated by the state, district leadership on Sept. 10 could announce everything is in place.

“I don’t think there is a single public entity that operates south of the 120 Bypass that does not want to make sure the school is built,” Brunn said.

The district had already sold community facilities district bonds to cover the cost of building the school.

Brunn noted the district originally was planning to move forward with the Tinnin Road site ahead of Tara as that location where a 1,200 student school is planned had less roadblocks to start construction.

MUSD shifted to the Tara site — which added a year’s delay to moving to the point of breaking ground — because that is where student growth and development occurred first.

Brunn said the school district may at one point weigh the option of possibly opening part of the new campus early while the rest of the school is being completed.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com