Ceremony celebrates new administrative building on Merced elementary school campus

Merced City School District officials, city leaders and members of the public gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of a new administrative services building on the campus of Franklin Elementary School in Merced on Wednesday.

Following the ceremony, attendees were invited to tour the roughly 3,500-square-foot facility which will house all office personnel and administrative staff as well as the school’s nurse. The new administration building is part of a three-phase project to upgrade multiple areas on campus.

The upgrades will cost about $2.6 million with the district utilizing funds from Measure M, the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP), and Elementary Secondary School Emergency Relief one or ESSER, according to the district. Construction of the new building was completed over the course of roughly 18 months.

According to Merced City School District Director of Facilities, Bryan Behn, the first phase of the school’s renovation project began in December of 2020 and included remodeling of 14 classrooms, upgraded mechanical equipment, interior and exterior finishes and fire alarm upgrades.

Of the remodeled classrooms, six of them also received upgrades to the lighting. Educational technology was approved for 17 classrooms and restrooms throughout the campus received new fixtures and equipment, according to Behn.

Construction of the new Administrative Services building was included in the district’s second phase of the project. The new building’s location near the school’s parking lot will allow parents to more easily access school administration and staff while providing additional space for student support services.

Classrooms added during the second phase of the project include white boards with overhead projectors, modern HVAC units, a premium sound system, significant storage space for educational materials and Wi-Fi in every room.

“The classrooms added during this phase are a reflection of the district’s new standard for premium educational experiences,” said Behn.

According to the district, the three-phase project also includes school-wide technology upgrades, landscape beautification and outdoor learning environment and three new modular classrooms. The district is currently in the preliminary stages of phase three which will include nine new modular classrooms which will serve preschool and transitional kindergarten students.

Franklin Elementary School Principal Cesar Hernandez said the new building will have a positive impact on everyone including school staff the students and their parents. The building’s location next to the parking lot will prevent parents having to walk across campus while looking for the school’s office.

‘It’s going to be an easier access for students to just walk in, parents and our staff when they come in the morning to come to the office straight ahead and get their things that they need to do or meetings that we have to make instead of finding a room, finding a place, so we’re all excited,” said Hernandez.