It's almost time to head back to school for kids in Modesto. And as Modesto City School students return on Monday, they'll be seeing some major upgrades to schools across the district.
"I can't wait to see the look in our students eyes when they see our new cafeteria," Jim Mendonca, Principal of Burbank Elementary School said.
Burbank Elementary School in Modesto was built 75 years ago.
"They won't be able to wait to come through the doors to see what we have ready," Mendonca said.
Mendonca told ABC10 their former cafeteria used to be just three portable buildings put together.
"It was very difficult. Students were really close together. It was very difficult for supervision and food service. There wasn't a lot of room for kids to pick up their meals and actually walk and sit down," he said.
Now, $10.5 million later, that's no longer the case.
"Initially, we had to remove some classrooms that were in the footpath of these new buildings. So ,we have our new cafeteria here, we also have seven new classrooms, brand new classrooms and two portables that were added," he said.
The new cafeteria is expected to cut down the time it will take to serve the students and increase their time in the classroom instead.
"Greatly needed. This campus has never received this kind of funding or a project anywhere close to this," Roger Orth, Senior Director of Maintenance and Operations for Modesto City Schools said.
And it didn't end there. Thomas Downey High School is one of three high schools in the district getting a brand new air conditioning system, being put into their main gym.
"The school was built in 1951 and this gym has only had heat and exhaust up to this point. So this is a big shot in the arm for this whole community," Orth said.
The gym is ready to use again after being closed for the summer and the air conditioning should be ready to go by about the middle of October. These are only a few of the 16 improvement projects the district has been working on all summer, worth more than $23 million from both grant funding and special reserves.
"It's akin to when you do a home improvement project. It's always nice to have a newer, better physical space and to be able to provide it for kids, is just an added bonus because that's what it's all about is, the kids," he said.
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