Manteca High could emerge from a pending $40 million upgrade and expansion project over the next few years as a community education hub.
District leaders as they plan to address health and safety issues such as outdated restrooms and closing Garfield Avenue that slices through the campus as well as spend money for possibly a new main gym and classroom buildings to grow the enrollment to 2,200 students are keeping in mind programs they can conduct on the campus.
“It makes no sense to have all of the buildings sit empty after school,” Manteca Unified Superintendent Jason Messer said earlier this year.
The district sees potential in playing off on Manteca High’s proximity to the Manteca Transit Center that is within two blocks of Sherman Avenue and Moffat Boulevard where the front of the Manteca High may be re-orientated to allow maximum development of the campus and improved traffic flow and security.
The Transit Center is the hub for the Manteca Transit system and interconnects with Regional Transit.
As such it would provide a way for potential Manteca Adult School students — often single parents trying to complete their education and develop basic job skills and other adults working to upgrade their employment skills — to access classes if they don’t have transportation.
The possibilities touched on during brainstorming sessions include tying things into Manteca High such as the ROP child care program that has been based at Lindbergh School. Not only could it be used as a teaching classroom for childcare job training but it would provide adult school students with childcare.
While that may or may not happen, it underscores how wide ranging the district is a taking discussions on the coming months to shape the plans to transform the 97-year-old campus near the heart of downtown — and the center of Manteca — into the most effective campus possible for education programs. That includes exploring joint ventures with the City of Manteca for everything from a swimming complex to the performing arts center on the theory that the two agencies working together not only can maximize financial resources but can also put in place more robust facilities to serve both students and the community.
Transportation beyond the school district’s own bus system is being taken into account elsewhere in the district. Manteca Unified has been working with Regional Transit for several years in a bid to advance service to connect the district office education complex — where adult school and vocational programs are offered — with Weston Ranch High and Delta College.
That not only would make it easier for Weston Ranch students to access the district’s vocational programs, but it could make it easier for the district high school students to possibly access classes at Delta College at the end of the regular school day.
Delta already works with Manteca Unified to offer classes with college credits on local high school campuses.
The Manteca High remake and expansion includes $15 million set aside in Measure G bonds and $25 million from development fees and redevelopment agency funds.
Among the concepts for Manteca High being looked at:
uBuilding a new large gym. Manteca High is the only campus where the entire student body can not fit into the gym at one time for assemblies. Instead they need to have two to three assemblies instead of just one.
uA new school office near Moffat Boulevard.
uBuilding two-story classroom wings.
uUpgrading the performing arts center.
uA new swimming pool.
uShared parking use with the city at times parking lots aren’t being utilized during school hours.
uSecuring the entire campus with appropriate fencing.