State funds to support 5th new school in city

Afifth new public school building will be constructed in the city after state officials approved funding for the $32 million Elberon Elementary School project.

The N.J. Schools Development Authority (SDA) Board approved the 2008 New Funding Allocation and Capital Plan for SDA districts last week, which identified 53 schools in the state to be funded for construction.

Three years ago, the Elberon School on Park Avenue was closed as preparation started for construction on a new school. When the funding from the state ran out, the project was placed on hold and the students were relocated to other schools within the district.

With the approval of the state funding plan, the city will be able to carry out its construction plans, Long Branch Superintendent of Schools Joseph M. Ferraina said.

"This is wonderful news for the residents and students of Long Branch," Ferraina said. "We have an overcrowding issue with our schools, and substandard preschool classrooms in some of those facilities.

"The new Amerigo A. Anastasia School and the new Gregory Elementary School are exceeding the amount of students the schools were designed to hold.

"Morris Avenue, Audrey W. Clark, West End and the Lenna W. Conrow Schools are also feeling the effects of overcrowding," he said, adding, "With a new Elberon School open, it will reduce those issues."

Gov. Jon S. Corzine signed legislation July 9 that provides $3.9 billion in state financing to replace or rebuild dozens of substandard schools across the state.

The legislation calls for $2.9 billion to be used for projects in SDA districts, formerly known as Abbott districts, and the remaining $1 billion to be used for grants toward Regular Operating District projects.

"Today, we fulfill an important obligation to our children by making a down payment on the future of their education," Corzine said in a press release from his office after signing the legislation.

"Every student deserves to attend school in a safe and healthy building," he said, adding, "This legislation recognizes that there are needs in both the SDA districts and in the suburban and rural districts."

The Long Branch School District, which is a designated Abbott or SDA district, is expected to break ground on the Elberon School project this summer, according to Ferraina.

"I expect that we will break ground within two months," Ferraina said. "The project should take 24 months to complete.

"Once Elberon is on its way, I think Long Branch is in a good scenario for many years to come," he added.

The new school will sit on the same footprint as the old school and will be a two-story educational center with 41 classrooms, 10 of which will be for preschool children and seven for kindergarten, according to Ferraina.

The new 109,171-square-foot school will consist of a media center, auditeria, technology discovery center, computer lab, science exploration center, and music and art rooms.

The structure will house grades pre-K though fifth and will be built to hold 780 students, according to Ferraina.

The completion of the Elberon School will mark the fifth new school to be constructed in the city. The state has previously approved funding for the newly constructed Amerigo A. Anastasia Elementary School, Gregory Elementary School, Long Branch Middle School and Long Branch High School.

The SDA approved the funding plan for the school construction project, in consultation with the N.J. Department of Education (DEP), on July 8, with Corzine signing legislation the following day.

"While much needs to be done in what truly will be a multigenerational program, this program is an important step forward in addressing the critical needs faced by students throughout New Jersey's special-needs districts," Weiner said.

"I appreciate the hard work and collaboration of DOE in developing a priority plan that identifies the schools most desperately needing replacement or repair," he said, adding, "We will now work to develop a logical plan for sequencing these 53 projects and move expeditiously to get them under way."

A presentation of the New Funding Allocation and Capital Plan, including the full list of the 53 schools to be constructed or repaired, is available at www.njsda.gov.

The process of identifying the highest priority schools began after the DOE approved the Long Range Facilities Plans (LRFP) for the 31 designated SDA districts in the state. The districts listed a total of 351 potential projects, according to the SDA press release.

In June 2007, DOE began a process to identify the most critically needed projects from the LRFPs. In collaboration with the districts and the DOE, a list of 112 projects was developed earlier this year. In April, DOE narrowed the list even further to the highest priority needs, applying detailed criteria based upon educational adequacy, according to the release.