TRENTON | Gov. Jon S. Corzine said
Tuesday politics won't play a part in deciding where schools are
built with $3.9 billion in funding approved by the Legislature.
The funding bill Monday passed
the Assembly 42-36, one vote above the 41-vote threshold for passage;
it cleared the Senate by the slimmest of margins, 21-18.
"There were not schools picked
to get votes to allow for this to pass," Corzine said Tuesday
when asked about the vote.
The school construction funding
was initially proposed at $2.5 billion but grew to $3.9 billion
leading up to the vote. Of the funding, $2.9 billion is designated
for the 31 former Abbott districts, including the Phillipsburg
School District, and $1 billion is for construction projects in
suburban districts.
Lawmakers have said the funding
bill would not have passed without money for suburban schools.
But in discussing the bill Tuesday, Corzine said he believed the
original proposal did not go far enough to meet construction needs.
"I feel very strongly that at-risk
children aren't all located in what were formerly labeled Abbotts,"
Corzine said.
The $3.9 billion will allow construction
of 27 projects previously approved by the state and 20 to 25 new
projects in former Abbott districts, according to Kevin McElroy,
spokesman for the Schools Development Authority. The authority
replaced the embattled Schools Construction Corp.
The Phillipsburg School District
has been waiting for completion of a new high school since the
Schools Construction Corp. ran out of money in 2005 amid waste
and mismanagement. The district's project will be considered by
the Department of Education in creating the new list of schools
to be built, of 371 projects needed in poor districts.
Schools Development Authority Executive
Director Scott Weiner said Tuesday the list will be based on criteria
such as overcrowding and the extent trailers are being used as
temporary classrooms. The authority will then assess the projects
on a different set of criteria, including the investment the state
already made in those districts.
Assemblywoman Marcia Karrow spoke
Tuesday with Weiner. Based on the conversation, she said, she
is optimistic Phillipsburg's high school, now estimated at $105
million, will be on the list. The state has already put $16 million
into site costs and acquiring 126 acres for the school, and students
at the high school attend classes in 31 trailers on the grounds.
Karrow, Assemblyman Michael Doherty
and Sen. Leonard Lance, all R-Warren/Hunterdon, voted against
the school construction funding bill, saying they believed it
should have gone to voters for approval.
Karrow said despite her vote she
believes Phillipsburg deserves a new school.
Phillipsburg acting Superintendent
George Chando said the district is playing the "waiting game,"
still hoping to be on the list.
Weiner said he expects the list
of projects to be released in the coming weeks.