Quality Public Education for All New Jersey Students

 

 
     9-27-09 Education News of Note
     8-22-08 School Construction Guidelines Released
     6-25-08 'State to borrow 3.9B for school construction'
     6-24-08 State Budget passed yesterday, as did the School Construction, Pension Reform, and Affordable Housing bills
     6-23-08 A2873-S1457 School Construction bills up for vote today, along with State Budget FY09
     6-20-08 State Budget stalls, school construction is one obstacle
     6-18-08 School Construction bill is before Senate Budget & Approps Comm tomorrow - GSCS is tracking the issue
     8-8-07 Editorial 'School [construction] program needs more than a facelift'
     8-7-07 'State rebuilds school construction program'
     School Construction: Third Report to Governor by Interagency Working Group
     9-15-06 Star Ledger & AP - 3.25B suggested for school construction
     9-15-06 Star Ledger - 3.25B suggested for school construction
     August 2006 District Resolution for School Construction Aid
     School Construction Symposium July 27, 2006 for Regular Operating Districs [Non Abbotts]
     10-14-05 EMAILNET Parent question for Gubernatorial Candidates aired on 101.5 debate, SCC funds, Next Board meeting, press briefing notes
     9-29-05 EMAILNET School Construction Issues
     7-29-05 EMAILNET
     3-15-06 Report to Gov re school construction Interagency WorkingGroup
     3-15-06 NY Times 'Crisis at School Agency Reflects Missteps'
     3-10-06 New Management at School Construction Corp
     3-8-06 Gannet Press on Buildling Our Children's Future coalition
     3-4-06 Star Ledger SCC Agency chief puts burden on districts
     3-4-06 Gannett - SCC chief says Abbott districts may have to 'ante up'
     List - Regular Operating Districts waiting State Share Payments confirmation for school construction
     GSCS 10-3-05 School Construction Testimony before the Joint Comm. on Public Schools
     Legislators Assail School Building Agency at Hearing
     Dept Ed Directive 7-6-05: School Construction Sec 15 Grant Funding for more than 450 districts questionable
     2-14-06 TrentonTimes Letter to the Editor on school construction
     2-9-06 Star Ledger School agency reformers discuss goals, problems
     1-15-06 The Record 2 Sunday Articles anticipating top issues confronting the Corzine administration
     12-21-05 Inspector General's Report on the School Construction Corporation
     12-20-05 Star Ledger on NJ Supreme Court decision on stalled school construction
     12-20-05 The Record 'Where Will the Bills End?' NJ Supreme Court releases its opinion on stalled school construction program.
     12-15-05 Star Ledger School bond plans get resounding 'no'
     11-13-05 Star Ledger Sunday front page 'Blueprint for 6 Billion Dollar Boondagle
     9-29-05 Star Ledger 'NJ in hole for 53M after vote on school funds promised for construction
     EMAILNET 6-10-05 School Construction Funding Heads Up!
     Tuesday's School Construction Bond Referenda: Some facts
     School Construction aid entitlements Abbott (pdf)
     School Construction aid entitlements 55% and over Districts (pdf)
     School construction aid entitlement districts 40% to 55% (pdf)
     Debt Service v State Share 0 to 40 Districts, before and after Ch. 72 PL2000 law(pdf)
     School Construction Sec 15 Grant Funding in Question - DOE Directive 7-6-05
     school Construction DOE Directive 7-6-05
3-8-06 Gannet Press on Buildling Our Children's Future coalition
"We come together for a common need in terms of economic growth, what's good for kids and education and what's good for local taxpayers," added Lynne Strickland, director of the Garden State Coalition of Schools, which advocates for mostly suburban districts.

Group wants state to restart spending on building schools

Corzine opts to wait for School Construction Corp. reforms

Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 03/8/06

BY GREGORY J. VOLPE
GANNETT STATE BUREAU

TRENTON — A new coalition of school construction advocates began its push Tuesday for Gov. Corzine and state lawmakers to promptly resume the state's embattled school building program.

The effort has been halted for a year after the state School Construction Corp. was cited for waste, inefficiency and possible criminal activity while spending or committing all of its $8.6 billion budget since its 2002 inception.

Corzine, who has said he will not resume school building until the agency is reformed, awaits a report next week from a group tasked with reviewing the program and recommending changes in order to proceed.

The new coalition, called Building Our Children's Future, would not give lawmakers a deadline to act.

"There's a need for prompt action," said David Sciarra, a co-chairman of the coalition and director of the Education Law Center, which represents children in the 31 districts covered by the Abbott vs. Burke funding-equity case. "We're not here to set a time line or time frame, but the action has got to be prompt."

The coalition stressed the educational and economic need for school construction, saying children need appropriate schools to learn, construction stimulates the economy and the state-funded program has provided relief to local property taxpayers.

It's also required by the state Supreme Court, at least in Abbott districts.

"One of the quickest ways for the governor to raise new revenue for the state is to jump-start this program and keep it going because it will have a direct, fast and immediate impact in a positive way on the state's overall economic situation," said Philip Beachem, a coalition co-chairman and president of the Alliance for Action, a nonprofit group focused on the state's economy and infrastructure.

"We come together for a common need in terms of economic growth, what's good for kids and education and what's good for local taxpayers," added Lynne Strickland, director of the Garden State Coalition of Schools, which advocates for mostly suburban districts.

A bill that would provide $2 billion for construction in Abbott districts and $1 billion for other districts has not yet moved through any committee.

That funding is a short-term fix as officials estimate it would cost $12 billion to complete Abbott construction in today's dollars. That doesn't factor that voters in 35 non-Abbott districts have approved projects eligible for $163.9 million in state grants since September. Sciarra said those districts that passed referendums and Abbott projects closest to construction should get top priority when construction resumes.

A couple of mothers from Newark said it's not fair that children still have old, overcrowded schools that are falling apart.

"It's a robbery from the kids because kids don't control the money, the state does," said Shanda Muhammad of Newark.

Gregory J. Volpe: gvolpe@gannett.com