Modesto City Schools board to prioritize $1 billion in campus needs

The state of Modesto school campuses and the $1 billion needed to bring them up to par will be the topic of a study session of the board Monday.

The Modesto City Schools board will meet at 4 p.m. to begin prioritizing needs and discussing solutions for the district’s nearly three dozen campuses and support facilities, from peeling paint to replacement of major utility systems.

The district commissioned a baseline survey of its properties, a 2-inch-thick inventory of problems that tells what is needed to bring existing buildings and sidewalks to like-new condition. By design, it did not go into the merit of spending so much to re-create what was.

For example, the report projects Modesto High School will require $56 million in fixes, but that does not address the bottleneck at its historic entrance each passing period, a problem discussed at last week’s meeting.

In discussion when the report was first unveiled in October, board members and administrators said trustees would have to lay out priorities to allocate limited funding across such a broad expanse. They also could consider changing older buildings to update layouts, incorporate technology or improve security.

Many school sites require extensive work to plumbing and utility systems. Even its newest campuses, Enochs and Gregori high schools, need millions in repairs and upgrades. Older campuses, especially its junior highs and west-side elementary schools, need major refurbishment.

There will be no board action taken at the study session. Any projects or repairs would have to be authorized at a future meeting.

This story was originally published January 23, 2016 at 3:28 PM with the headline "Modesto City Schools board to prioritize $1 billion in campus needs."