Fresno Unified schools undergo construction as classes begin

FRESNO, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – Thousands of Fresno Unified School District students had their very first classes Monday -while several schools across Fresno are under construction.

According to the school district’s website , at least five construction projects are underway.

Del Mar Elementary School is one of the schools being worked on. Crews are replacing the school’s cafeteria, building new administrative offices, and working on new early-learning classrooms.

Principal Nicole Woods says construction affects where parents can drop their kids off.

“We have a pickup area in the back of the school where it’s quieter, not as Busy area for pick up and drop offs,” Woods said. “It was moved because of construction to Hampton [Way].”

According to Principal Woods, the construction didn’t stop the kids from enjoying their first day back, with staff and students enjoying a back-to-school rally.

“We love the first day of school. It’s a fresh start every year,” she said.

Woods says crews will be working diligently so that students’ learning isn’t interrupted.

“The construction company really works hard to do those louder procedures before students start learning, which we appreciate,” she said.

A few blocks southeast, work is also being done at Scandinavian Middle School, causing several parts of the parking lot to be blocked off. Alex Belanger with Fresno Unified says crews are building a new portable office space.

“Obviously, the first day of school is always a unique challenge because a lot of people like to drop your students off the first day. And so, the [construction] sites are impacted with lots and lots of students, school buses, things that nature. But the whole thing is kind of a dance, and our goal is to get better every day.”

He says a large part of the funding for the creation of new programs is due to Measure M, passed in March 2020.

“We’re currently finishing up a $325 million bond, which is Measure M. In addition to that, we were very aggressive in going after state and federal dollars. So, we’re doing an additional $210 million worth of federal stimulus funds,” he said.

Right now, Belanger says several Fresno Unified schools are under construction in order to make sure they meet growing student populations.

“We’re expanding past the existing design capacity for most of our campuses. So, a lot of these were constructed many years ago, and at that time, schools are much smaller.”

Although blocked roads within school zones can be frustrating, Belanger asks parents to remain patient.

“All across the state, all across this nation, the market was flooded with stimulus money. And with that stimulus money became a lot of work. And we only have so many architects, so many contractors, so many subcontractors, so many suppliers. And then the addition to that, there’s only there’s only few plant workers at the city. There are only a few plant figures at the state of California. And so, everything took time. [So], the construction processes that normally would take ten months to a year became a year and a half,” he explained. “Please be patient.”

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to YourCentralValley.com | KSEE24 and CBS47.