What happened with Modesto City Schools during the 2023-24 school year? A year in review

In one year, parents, students and school staff have seen Modesto City Schools campuses improved through construction. Fences erected along campus perimeters and solar panels shading parking lots are among the almost $175 million in projects funded through bond measures.

Construction wasn’t the only notable thing that happened in education, though. This school year, Modesto City Schools saw other notable events such as labor disputes involving layoffs and salary raises and debates about curriculum.

Here’s some of what happened.

Construction and Bond Measure

Since bond Measures D and E passed in 2018 and bond Measure L in 2022, the elementary and high school districts set their sights on addressing facility issues on campuses. This year, about $175 million has been used for current and future projects at school sites. The projects include solar panels in parking lots, upgraded cafeterias, science classrooms, restrooms, and new pick-up and drop-off areas.

Modesto High School will benefit from major construction as the district plans to restructure the campus to keep most students from having to cross H Street. Construction will begin at the school next school year and will last two to three years to update the oldest high school building in the city. The estimated cost of these upgrades is $100 million, funded through Measure L.

In addition, Davis, Beyer and Modesto high schools may get new athletic stadiums , allowing their teams to play on campus.

Last month, the district’s Board of Education also voted to put a new bond measure on the November ballot to address other facilities needs at its elementary and middle school sites. Bond measures D and E addressed only nine of the 22 schools identified as needing facility upgrades.

Recovering from COVID-19 Pandemic

The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 pandemic over in May 2023, but many school districts across the country still are recovering from the impacts of student isolation and remote instruction. Much of the federal funding provided to Modesto City Schools during the pandemic is coming to an end, causing the district to reevaluate its budget and programs.

The district announced in March that around 30 classified staff positions will be eliminated because of funds sunsetting.

In addition, graduation rates dropped nearly 10% for Black students in the district. Around 83% of African American students graduated during the 2022-23 school year.

Hispanic, white and students with disabilities saw a slight drop in their graduation rates, while English learners saw an increase.

Dropout rates also increased among all reported student groups in the 2022-23 school year. The district’s overall rate was around 4%, an increase of 2% from the previous year.

Despite graduation rates slightly decreasing and dropout rates slightly increasing, chronic absenteeism rates have fallen.

Chronic absenteeism describes students who are absent 10%, or a minimum of 18 days, of the school year, according to the California Department of Education. These students are at a risk of falling behind, leading to higher chances of dropout rates and lower chances of graduation.

In October, Modesto City Schools’ rate of chronic absenteeism was 17%. The state Department of Education reported the chronic absentee rate at Modesto City high schools and elementary schools was around 30% during the 2022-23 school year. Across Stanislaus County, the rate hovered at 25% that school year.

Teachers fight for increased salary

Modesto teachers had been working without a labor contract since the end of the 2022-23 school year. In May, Modesto City Schools officials and the Modesto Teachers Association reached a tentative agreement on a new contract after more than a year of negotiations.

With the new contract, teachers received a 7.25% raise in salary . In addition, starting in January 2025, teachers will receive an extra $150 a month for health insurance.

In March, around 400 Modesto Teachers Association members picketed outside a school board meeting, calling for the increase. At the time, the district offered only a 6.25% salary increase. Teachers said this wasn’t enough and sought an 11% pay increase. Because the union and district reached an impasse in negotiations, a representative from the state came to assist.

One reason teachers said they needed the pay increase was to help address health insurance costs. Before the $100 increase in the district’s contributions to health insurance premiums earlier this year, teachers had to spend between $12,355.68 and $22,552.80 a year to cover themselves and their partners, depending on the plan they chose.

To cover themselves and their families, including children, teachers would need to pay between $18,942.36 and $32,198.64 per year.

Curriculum changes

In April, the school district received a copy of a letter addressed to the Modesto Pregnancy Center from California Attorney General Rob Bonta saying the curriculum provided to the district had inaccurate and biased sex education material in violation of the California Healthy Youth Act.

As a result, Modesto City Schools changed its eighth-grade sex ed curriculum. In June, the school board narrowly passed the new material titled “Teen Talk Middle School: A Comprehensive Sexuality Education Curriculum” in a 4-3 vote. There was a stipulation in the vote that excluded parts of the curriculum with demonstrations of how to put on a condom and the use of a dental dam.

The materials will be taught in the 2024-25 school year.

Sign Up for Local Breaking News