At the Los Banos Unified School District (LBUSD) board meeting on Feb. 13, trustees approved 13 interim mobile classrooms for the Los Banos High School modernization project.
The Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) report also showed the district is in the 99th percentile in math. The bid to modernize Volta Elementary School was sent to rebid after the NorCal Carpenters Union brought up the previous bidder’s past.
The 13 mobile classrooms will be placed in a row in the field just north of the student parking lot at LBHS. They will provide interim classrooms during the LBHS modernization project, which will start soon.
It will cost $170,568 to set up. With the planned 24 months of leasing and monthly payments, the sum will reach $211,770. The removal fee will be $122,256. The vendor is Mobile Modular.
The board also approved an amendment to the TETER Architects and Engineers’s contract to design the LBHS modernization project. Facilities and Special Projects Manager Sherry Munday clarified that the amendment specifically covers interim housing.
Additionally, the district piggybacked off another district’s bid to purchase a new restroom building for Miano Elementary School from Silver Creek Modular, LLC. According to Munday’s report, the total cost to the district will be $276,236.
Chief Academic Officer Sean Ritchey’s LCAP report revealed that LBUSD students are performing in the 99th percentile in math compared to the rest of the nation. “It’s nothing short of extraordinary,” Ritchey said. The data only covers 2023 and 2024.
The Volta Elementary modernization project was set to have its bid awarded to Bobo Construction for $3,883,083. Before the meeting, the NorCal Carpenters Union brought the company’s past to the board’s attention.
During the meeting, a field representative for the union said the company has had problems that raise doubts about its eligibility to be awarded the modernization project.
Board President Anthony Parreira announced the bid award has been pulled from the agenda. “We are in the process of working with legal counsel on this for our next steps,” he said.
Parreira informed the public that there will likely be a special board meeting in the future on this and that there will be a new bidding process. He thanked the union for bringing the issues to the board’s attention.
During her report, Munday highlighted that Volta Elementary needs the modernization project: HVAC systems must be installed, decades of water damage must be fixed, and the whole parking lot needs paving. “This area needs a lot of attention. We need to get this fixed,” Munday said.
Munday also discussed the effects of the weather on the Transitional Kindergarten (TK) center’s construction. Much of the utilities and site prep is complete, but multiple key approvals are currently delayed.
Nov. 6 is the new completion date. Munday also mentioned that the Los Banos Junior High School walk-in freezer needs approval from the electrical and health departments.
Toward the meeting’s end, the board unanimously voted to elect Mary Worthington from Delhi Unified School District as its California School Boards Association Delegate Assembly representative. Worthington ran unopposed to represent Merced County’s subregion 8-D.
During the closed session, the board approved a litigation settlement and unanimously denied a liability claim. Community Schools Program Coordinator Dr. Heather Wheeler also updated the board.
According to Wheeler, over 50 applicants applied to be on the advisory council. The goal is to have 15 diverse members from multiple backgrounds on the council.
The Community Schools Program is still getting a physical location for the Family Resource Center. Applicants for new Community School Program positions will have their interviews at the end of February.
At the end of the meeting, Trustee Gene Lieb requested that the next meeting have an update on Measure X.
