Agreement to construct or renovate 10 schools is far fewer than the 51 projects that had been approved before Christie took office and shelved by the governor last year
Windows are being installed at Memorial School in Woodland Park.TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie today will announce approval of $584 million for the construction or renovation of 10 schools through the Schools Development Authority, according to an administration official.
The list of schools to receive the funding will be released today.
The projects in the state’s poorest districts will range from new schools to site improvements and will include an additional $100 million for emergencies, like broken ceilings or heating systems, according to the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the plan and requested anonymity.
The Newark School District alone has identified 54 emergency projects that would cost $250 million.
The agreement to construct or renovate 10 schools is far fewer than the 51 projects that had been approved before Christie took office and shelved by the governor last year.
The SDA includes 31 districts, including Newark, Phillipsburg and Elizabeth. The proposed list must be approved by the authority board at its next meeting in March. .
Christie administration spokesman Kevin Roberts had no comment about the plan late Monday.
Ongoing and new construction through the schools authority was halted when Christie took office. The administration last spring launched a review of the list, developed under former Gov. Jon Corzine. The review was completed in October and school advocates have since anticipated the final list.
The new list will change the way schools are approved for construction, according to the administration official. Each year the entire list of eligible projects will be reviewed to select the next year’s batch of schools. Previously, the authority would identify a number of recommended schools that could be funded in the near future.
New projects will also use a standardized design, described by critics as "cookie cutter" schools, that will save an estimated $4 million for each site. The savings will be realized by eliminating the need for architects and project engineers.
Last week, Assembly Education Committee Chairman Patrick Diegnan (D-Middlesex) held a hearing on the delay of the list, but SDA Chief Executive Officer Marc Larkins refused to testify, saying in a letter that he was unavailable.
Diegnan said he has been frustrated by the process to revamp the list, but is hopeful that once it’s announced it will allow construction to begin.
"Its good news," Diegnan said. "It appears as though it’s a Band-Aid on what is really a major wound, but let’s wait and see."
In reviewing the 51 schools on the previous list and any other projects that might have qualified for construction dollars in the interim, the administration used three criteria in addition to identifying the need: the total cost, the cost per pupil and the efficiency of the project.
The development authority’s origins trace back to a 1998 Abbott v. Burke decision by the state Supreme Court that ordered the state to provide 100 percent funding for school renovation and construction projects in special-needs districts, formerly known as "Abbotts."
In 2000, the state launched the School Construction Program, which later became the Schools Construction Corp. A 2005 report by the state inspector general found the agency rife with "waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars," and the state overhauled it again, creating the School Development Authority in 2007.
The authority most recently had 310 employees and a $52 million budget, not including the funds for school construction. Last month, SDA officials began sending layoff notices to nearly two dozen employees, about 10 percent of the staff.
Christie has railed against the authority, saying at town hall meeting that it became a dumping ground for patronage jobs of connected lawmakers and politicians. Christie said before reviewing the construction list, Larkins was tasked with cleaning out the agency.