Doherty fighting for school money Thursday, August 09, 2007 • By ANDREA EILENBERGER • The Express-Times PHILLIPSBURG | Assemblyman Michael Doherty recently lent his support to local leaders fighting for a new Phillipsburg High School, which was stalled when the state agency overseeing the project ran out of money. In a letter to Phillipsburg Councilman Jim Shelly dated Aug. 3, Doherty wrote his staff has been searching for a way to rectify the "deplorable conditions at Phillipsburg High School" since an April rally was staged where the new school is to sit. Doherty said he contacted the Office of Legislative Services for suggestions. In a letter from the office to Doherty, which the assemblyman copied to Shelly and other officials, a number of options were presented. They include terminating the receiving relationship Phillipsburg has with other districts and allowing Phillipsburg to issue bonds for the project. Phillipsburg school board President Paul Rummerfield said the board already knows those options but he is pleased to see Doherty stepping up to the plate. "We've got the site, we've got the plans," Rummerfield said. "All we need is money to get us moving; that's where we need help." Phillipsburg has been waiting on $88 million to finish the new high school for close to two years. Meanwhile overcrowding remains a frustrating reality for the existing high school campus. The grounds now include 31 trailers where classes are held. Shelly said he is encouraged by Doherty's support, even if he doesn't think the options presented are viable. He wants local officials ready to go after state funding as soon as it is available and he believes Doherty's help can bolster those efforts. Phillipsburg is one of the state's 31 poorest districts, known as Abbott schools. In a series of court decisions, the state Supreme Court ruled the Legislature needed to funnel extra money into these schools to ensure they are funded on par with richer schools. Doherty said Wednesday he isn't "a big fan of the Abbott funding formula" and wants to see students given equal state funding. Nevertheless he wants Phillipsburg to see all the money it's entitled to under the existing system. "I'm going to fight for my constituents to make sure they get their fair share under the current formula," he said. Reporter Andrea Eilenberger can be reached at 610-258-7171 or by e-mail at aeilenberger@express-times.com.