Modesto City Schools board to vote on free land

Last week, Modesto City Schools voted to give 640 acres to the Ceres Unified School District. Tonight, Ceres trustees will vote on taking it.

The property, mostly undeveloped now, is south of Whitmore Avenue and east of Crows Landing Road. The acreage rests within the Modesto district's school boundaries, but could be better served by Ceres, Modesto Director of Business Services Dennis Snelling said last week. The change would reduce bus travel, he said.

The hitch was that those property owners still pay taxes to Modesto City Schools on bond Measures S and T, passed in 2001. According to the agreement to be voted on, those homes would continue to pay the taxes until they are paid off.

Once the property is developed, new homes would not pay the bond tax to Modesto. The Ceres district would levy its own fees and essentially buy out their share. The agreement states that Ceres would pay the first $1,255,712 it collects from those homes to Modesto City Schools.

The contract also notes that Ceres plans to build a new school within the area.

In another agenda item, the Ceres board is expected to move to buy a 14-acre parcel at Grayson Road and Central Avenue for building school No. 15.

The Ceres Unified School District Board will meet at 7 p.m. in the district office boardroom, 2503 Lawrence St., Ceres. A reception for new employees will be held at 6:30 p.m.

Bee education reporter Nan Austin can be reached at naustin@modbee.com or 578-2339.