Denair Unified School District Board of Trustees President Billy Myers summed it rather nicely.
“I’m beginning to think that no one actually had a summer break,” he quipped during the first board meeting of the new school year.
Sandwiched between the usual rest and relaxation of summer were a bevy of activities throughout the district, which were highlighted during Thursday night’s meeting. The most notable, of course, was the Denair Elementary Charter Academy cafeteria project, one of several improvement projects funded by Measure Z – the $34.3 million bond measure approved by voters in 2024 – that will take place across the campuses over the coming months.
The DECA cafeteria was operational on Day 1 of the 2026-27 school term, as was the new playground equipment at the elementary campus.
“We hit the ground running on Day One,” said Food Services Manager Kim Fuentez. “Our upgraded kitchen is fully fired up and serving. Staff loves the new space, and students love what we’re cooking. It says a lot about what’s possible when you have the right equipment.”
Another summer highlight was the Denair FFA program’s successful run at the Stanislaus County Fair.
“We’re growing in numbers, and we had a very successful fair season,” said FFA advisor Roger Christianson. “To think that when I started here, we had five sheep exhibitors and two swine exhibitors. To see our growth in the last seven years has been amazing.”
Other summer endeavors included the Rising Stars Robotics and Lego Building class, in which students learned to wire a working robot car from start to finish and were allowed to race their vehicles at the conclusion of the class. Additionally, a summer Multi-Sports Class fostered teamwork and sportsmanship while teaching students the rules and intricacies of several sports.
Finally, Denair Charter Academy Principal Jamie Pecot pointed out that 95 percent of students re-enrolled at DCA for the 2026-27 school. year and 80 percent of the students completed that process during the summer. DCA first-day enrollment was 97 students.
Pecot also mentioned that summer school enrollment numbers declined in 2026.
“And that’s a good thing,” she said. “Students are getting the necessary work completed during the year and are not having to do it over the summer.”
The board also heard from Chief Business Official Daisy Swearingen on Tuesday, who informed the trustees that nearly $69,000 of additional spending is required to complete the new kitchen and HVAC improvement project at existing Gym Building M at DECA after adjustments to the scope of work were discovered during ongoing construction. The contractor submitted Possible
Change Orders (PCOs), which were reviewed by the district, district’s owner’s representative, Valley Construction Services, the project architect, and the inspector of record.
The $68,799.84 in additional funding will come from contingency fund – of about $217,000 – set aside for such instances.
“Most of the things that have come up have been due to unforeseen circumstances – things we couldn’t’ have known about until actually cutting into the building,” said Swearingen. “It’s hard to predict what’s going to happen under the ground.”
The board unanimously approved the Prime Contract Change Orders.
The next board of trustees meeting is slated for Sept. 10.
