School Construction Must Remain a Priority

School Construction Must Remain a Priority

As lawmakers continue budget deliberations, they need to focus on meeting the state’s obligation to fund school construction, according to NJSBA’s president.

The comments by Kevin E. Ciak followed last week’s decision by the New Jersey Schools Construction Corporation to shelve 27 of 59 pending school construction projects in special needs districts. The SCC manages school construction in the state’s 31 Abbott districts.

Burden on Children “The burden of this decision will fall on the children to whom the courts promised safe and modern schools,” said Ciak. “It’s a decision that wasn’t forced by the children or by the adults in these communities. Instead, it resulted from actions at the state level, which depleted New Jersey’s school construction fund.”

Under the state Supreme Court’s Abbott v. Burke decision, the state must fully fund school construction and renovation in 31 poor school districts.

Only a fraction of the projects originally planned have been completed due to exhaustion of a $6-billion state fund, created in 2000 to finance Abbott school construction. In 2005, the SCC severely reduced, to 59, the number of projects to be funded. Its latest decision further cuts the list to 32.

Move Forward The depletion of the construction fund is largely attributed to management decisions at the SCC, according to reports by the state’s inspector general. Over the past two years, however, the SCC’s procedures have undergone extensive review, and fiscal accountability measures are in place.

“With the new controls at the SCC, New Jersey needs to move forward on its promise,” said Ciak. “NJSBA continues to urge the governor and the Legislature to make state school construction funding for Abbott and non-Abbott districts a priority.”