Board approves addition at Modesto City Schools headquarters

Modesto City Schools’ historic administrative building on Locust Street will get a permanent addition, replacing the hodgepodge of aging trailers and portable buildings stacked in the adjacent parking lot.

The board voted 6-0 on Monday, with Jordan Dickson absent, to move ahead with building a 15,000-square-foot addition beside the 1923 brick building that once housed Franklin Elementary. The vote green-lights negotiating an agreement with J.L. Bray and Son Inc. to oversee construction, estimated at $4.3 million.

The trailers, many more than 30 years old, were sold for $14,000 – not much, but a big improvement over the $10,000 apiece it would have cost for demolition and removal, said Chief Business Official Julie Betschart.

A detailed report on technology upgrades suggests the district is positioning itself for a shift to computers for every student soon, with online textbooks becoming the norm districtwide. Davis High piloted schoolwide computing this year.

“This is a paradigm shift, with the focus of one-to-one and project-based learning,” said Jim Gain, supervisor of instructional technology.

Trustees voted to replace the district’s early hardware to support a tenfold increase in bandwidth. The system as it stands could not handle thousands of new devices, said Cindy Minter, senior director of information and technology services.

The board also approved an addition to the support staff contract, putting elementary yard duty supervisors under the California School Employees Association union umbrella for the first time. Associate Superintendent of Human Resources Craig Rydquist said these are primarily part-day positions, but a full-day position to enhance elementary school security will be coming forward for board consideration.

Trustee Steve Grenbeaux praised an agenda report on sleep-deprived high school students that concludes adolescents do better with later start times, but there was no further discussion. The informational report recommends a multiyear transition to work through busing hurdles and negotiating a change in teacher work hours.

This story was originally published March 24, 2015 at 7:11 PM with the headline "Board approves addition at Modesto City Schools headquarters."