Why is Manteca Unified spending over $250,000 to send all fifth graders in the district to science camp and Fresno Unified has yanked funding for all first through sixth grade field trips?

It’s the same reason the City of Manteca is able to spend over 10 cents on the dollar for local matching funds to snag $5.7 million to upgrade portions of Yosemite Avenue in the next 12 months after other cities in San Joaquin County passed on.

The reason?

Sound fiscal stewardship that is based on the reality the long-term pinching of pennies per se and/or spending money like a drunken sailor on shore leave after a year at sea do not constitute conservative financial moxie.

Perennial penny pinching with pinching pennies being the basic directive simply delays the inevitable — either massive breakdown of equipment and facilities or budget woes making it difficult to retain or hire solid and qualified workers to do jobs.

Spending money because you have it without regard to long-term impacts or the fact you have other obligations than securing some shiny bauble is why typical mega-million lottery winners end up being beyond flat broke often within several years of hitting it big.

There is a sweet spot.

Manteca Unified has found it as has the City of Manteca.

And you can make the same arguments with regards to Ripon Unified as well as the cities of Ripon and Lathrop along with their associated fire districts based on the cards they have been dealt.

The City of Manteca’s situation was strengthened with the adding of the three-quarter cent Measure Q sales tax card just as Lathrop strengthened their hand with the one-cent Measure C sales tax in 2012.

Take a look around California. There are cities in serious economic and financial troubles.

School districts more so, with many of them getting there thanks to employing the strategy that Los Angeles Unified did to use the boat lands of one-time pandemic funds from Uncle Sam to add reoccurring expenses such as new positions.

It is something that did not happen locally.

LA Unified went on a COVID hiring binge financed by federal pandemic largeness and California’s notorious boom/bust tax revenue cycles powered by capital gain taxes.

And it’s not just a California malady.

The US Labor Department’s monthly jobs report for July noted a loss of 49,600 in the local government/local school sector jobs.

When combined with other job losses in other sectors countered with job gains, the loss of local government/local school jobs was the reason this country had 23,000 less employed workers in July.

You likely could care less about Los Angeles Unified or even Fresno Unified or cities elsewhere that are in precarious situations based on how they are being managed.

So why project their maladies on either Manteca Unified or the City of Manteca?

It’s not by chance MUSD is not pondering layoffs and it is able to cover the $250 per student tab to send fourth graders to science camp.

It’s not by chance Manteca seems to have cornered the market on road work ahead signs and is getting ready to break ground on a $92 million police station.

Yes, Measure Q is a big factor in Manteca’s case.

But guess what, the current elected leaders said it would be and advanced the 20-year sales tax as the game changer it is turning out to be.

Past elected leaders talked the talk in advancing a general sales tax measure but then ran for cover to avoid the verbal and online volleys of anti-tax warriors during the subsequent campaign leading up to an election.

Everyone should feel free to slam any elected Manteca leader they want.

But to do so when their actions that included aggressively advocating Measure Q’s passage that is now allowing the city to deliver on things the very same critics have demanded for years — more street work, more police, more firefighters, more recreational amenities — reeks.

Either that, or they can’t handle the truth.

And what is the truth?

Manteca is not going to hell in a hand basket.

Manteca is not a crime ridden dump.

Manteca is making significant inroads dealing with the homeless.

Manteca is taking a measured, holistic, responsible approach to raises.

Manteca is not ignoring its streets.

Manteca is securing new dining and retail options.

If Manteca is not doing all of those things and it as bad to live here, shop, and work here as some make it out to be, they need to remember there are options.

No one can force them to stay here.

And If they say they’d move but can’t sell their house, rest assured there are dozens of eager beaver real estate agents trolling for folks to unload their homes with text messages that will be more than happy to solve their Manteca problems for good in exchange for a commission.