Officials describe Merced’s big-dollar schools modernization program

“Modernization” is the operative word now in the Merced City School District.

The 17-school district is in the initial stages of a comprehensive upgrading program enhanced by voter passage last June of the $60 million Measure M general obligation bond.

Local money coupled with about an equal amount of state funds will address a variety of needs in the district, which has about 10,000 kindergarten pupils through eighth-grade students.

Modernization will cover many areas, from surveillance and security to upgrading aging electrical, heating-cooling and plumbing systems. Upgrading technology to accommodate 21st century computer-driven learning practices, shifting attendance boundaries and modern classroom configurations also figure into the mix.

Many of the district’s schools are between 40 and 70 years old and basic infrastructure is just plain worn out, said Ken Testa, director of facilities.

“We are doing this thoughtfully,” Testa said. “This is the only opportunity to make some major improvements with precious community resources. Our students deserve the best facilities we can provide them.”

Testa said there are many needs that aren’t dramatic or even noticeable. But those the lie “behind the wall and under the ground,” such as upgrading electrical and natural gas lines, require immediate attention.

Greg Spicer, the district’s associate superintendent for administrative services, said it’s important that a districtwide standard be established. As part of the district’s long-range facilities master plan, rolled out about a year ago, about $294 million in improvements were identified. This list was pared down to the most essential at a cost of $119 million.

“There is stuff behind the scenes that needs to work every day,” Spicer said. Electrical systems are maxed out and parking lot configurations have to be changed or expanded.

Some $1.7 million in state Proposition 39 funds administered through the California Energy Commission will be spent over five years for energy conservation measures, including efficient lighting, timers and heating-cooling systems, particularly at Chenoweth, Fremont, Hoover and Wright schools.

“Another issue facing the district is boundary shifts,” Testa said. “We plan to stretch the money as far as we can. We will have to make tough decisions. We are looking toward future 21st century environments that need to be flexible and agile. Learning is more dynamic than ever.”

In some cases, newer and more durable modular facilities will replace old portable classrooms. New classroom furnishings will include mobile desks and chairs that can be reconfigured to get students into small or large group settings as the need arises.

“The notion how we use classroom furnishings has to change,” Testa said. Every bit of wall space in a classroom is now considered instructional, not just rows of desks in the middle of the room.

Testa said every school will have modernization money budgeted to improve technology. This could include installing new conduits to eventually accommodate technologies not even known at this point.

Superintendent RoseMary Parga Duran said the public believes in local students and puts them first. Administrators and trustees have to go methodically across the district and provide what is needed for each school.

“We’ve been very careful on how we use the money and deliver on the promise to renovate the schools,” Duran said. “It’s critical we bring the schools into the 21st century.”

Addressing safety issues comes early in modernization, Duran said. “We can no longer leave the front door unlocked,” she said.

Spicer said the Board of Education selected four preferred architects and construction management firms to divide up the necessary work and get more done quickly. The shift of sixth-graders from middle schools to the elementary schools this fall adds to the modernization, he added.

Testa explained security upgrades, some to be done as early as next summer, will give each campus a main access point with security and surveillance systems in place and all tied in to a districtwide system. A consultant has completed an assessment of the district’s security needs.

“Our designs may not be the fanciest, but they will be effective places for learning,” Testa said. “We will build functional, inviting and safe spaces for students to learn. We want to make sure our ‘recipe’ is appealing to every student and every family.”

This story was originally published January 24, 2015 at 4:47 AM with the headline "Officials describe Merced’s big-dollar schools modernization program."