Manteca High by 2029 will for all practical purposes be a new campus.

And so will East Union High.

The bottom line of the $159 Measure G bond measure passed in 2014 and the $260 million Measure A bond measure passed in 2020 was simple: The district would maximize the tax dollars to rebuild aging schools and create facilities conducive for 21st century education experiences.

Somewhere around 30 percent of the work isn’t really visible nor does it jump out at you.

That’s because its nuts and bolts stuff.

Replacing aging failing sewer, water, and drain lines.

Updating electrical wiring.

Replacing roofs and A/C units.

Grading to eliminate flooding issues.

Ripping out and replacing failing playground asphalt and sidewalks.

Energy efficiency upgrades.

Enhanced security and safety measures.

There was also a promise made.

The district would be creative in employing designs that not only would modernize a number of aging campuses — as an example, Manteca High is 104 years old and East Union is 58 years old — but would do so in a manner that wasn’t hodge podge and would instill school and community pride.

Superintendent Clark Burke, who was a deputy superintendent at the time, said it was important that older schools have the same type of facilities and the ability to offer similar education programs and experiences as newer campuses.

The “feel and look” of the campuses needed to promote a sense of pride and reflect value for the property owners investing their hard-earned dollars to retire bonds.

That meant any new construction that replaced portables or permanent classrooms too old or ineffective to simply remodel or was built using redevelopment agency funds, growth fees, and community factices district funds to accommodate growth had to blend in seamlessly.

                 Neighborhood elementary schools touched by Measure G such as Lincoln School and Golden West School are two high profile examples of taking campuses rooted in the early 1950s and early 1960s and making them look like they were new schools.

In doing so, an effort was made to blend them in with their surroundings as well as any new construction.

The result is the glass entry way and color scheme at Golden West that reflected the architectural sensibilities of nearby commercial buildings.

Reorientating the front of Lincoln School to Powers Avenue with a multipurpose room and office ditched the 1950s feel that the old campus entry had that was squeezed between a used car lot and an auto parts store.

It also eased traffic congestion and student safety issues that were major concerns when the campus faced Yosemite Avenue.

That said, the piece de resistance will be Manteca High and East Union High.

Their respective transformations will  not only check all of the promised boxes but it will instill what district leaders referred to as a “college feel.”

At the same time, the non-bond money blended with growth fees and CFD taxes enabled the addition of classrooms and new support facilities such as a large gym and swimming pool at Manteca High is creating campuses that can accommodate education programming designed for 2,250 students.

Perhaps nothing will illustrate that more than the “main” 2-story classroom building under construction at East Union High along Union Road and a similar one breaking ground next year on the Manteca High along Sherman Avenue.

They will include learning stairs, media centers, and quads designed for student activities right down to the ability to recharging learning devices and smartphones.

On Friday, Manteca High christened its $13 million stadium upgrade by defeating Oakdale High to win the Valley Oak League football championship outright.

And just like East Union High’s upgrade completed a year ago, the boosters group added a finishing touch.

In Manteca’s case, it was a large media screen built into the scoreboard that provided live views of the action from above the field streamed from press box cameras to graphics and such for halftime shows.

The screen and the accompanying hardware and equipment was donated by the Manteca High boosters.

The school district paid for the bottom half of the scoreboard.

The community invested in the schools.

And the school district is delivering on what it promised.

Modern campuses to meet the educational challenges of today in a manner that instills both student and school pride.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletim.com