Seema M. Singh Joins SCC & Elizabeth Educators
At Groundbreakings for 3 New Elementary Schools

State Fully Funds and Manages Projects Totaling $94 Million

Newark, NJ: With $94 million in state funding, construction work is getting under way on three new elementary schools in Elizabeth that will provide 21st century educational opportunities for more than 2,200 students in pre-Kindergarten through 8th grades in this New Jersey city.

The state-of-the-art school projects are being fully funded and managed by New Jersey Schools Construction Corporation (SCC), which was initiated by Governor James E. McGreevey in 2002 to implement New Jersey's unprecedented $8.6 billion school construction program.

Seema M. Singh, New Jersey’s Ratepayer Advocate and a member of Governor McGreevey’s cabinet joined SCC representatives and Elizabeth School District officials, students, teachers and community supporters at groundbreaking ceremonies on Wednesday July 28, 2004 to mark the start of construction for Elizabeth School #30 and Elizabeth School #31. Ms. Singh represented Governor McGreevey.

"While I am honored to be here on behalf of Governor McGreevey, it is the students * the children of this city * who are the real guests of honor because they are this city's future and our state's hope," stated Ms. Singh.

Ms. Singh noted "Whether we're building roads, or keeping our utility bills affordable, every single one of us in Governor McGreevey's Cabinet knows that we need an educated workforce to keep New Jersey strong. 21st Century school buildings and a first class educational system have everything to do with our work * and our future. No administration has done more for improving the quality of education than Governor McGreevey's."

The three new construction projects include:

· Elizabeth School #30, $28.3 million project, a 119,660-square-foot located on a 3-acre parcel at 1200 North Avenue;

· Elizabeth School #31, a $34 million project, a 121,000-square-foot facility on a 5.5-acre parcel at 1000 South Elmora Avenue;

· Elizabeth School #29, a $31.6 million project, a 118,452-square-foot facility on a 2-acre parcel on North Broad Street;

· Each of these three new schools will accommodate 750 students in pre-kindergarten through 8th grades. Each facility will include general classrooms and small-group instruction rooms, a media center, art and music rooms, science labs, computer labs, a cafetorium with stage, a practice kitchen, a main and auxiliary gym, playgrounds and parking. The schools are scheduled for completion in early 2006.

School Superintendent Thomas G. Dunn, Jr. stated, "This is an important time in the history of the Elizabeth school district. We are marking the beginning of construction on three new buildings that will welcome over 2,250 students into their classrooms. Along with the two early childhood education centers that are set to open their doors to 600 new pre-schoolers during this coming school year, we have created space for almost 3,000 pupils.

"Under the SCC initiative, 17 additional schools are planned for construction to properly meet the academic needs of the children of Elizabeth," he continued.

"Each of these new state-of-the-art facilities has been carefully designed to provide student-friendly environments that will enrich the learning process and inspire our talented youngsters to reach even greater levels of achievements. As a district that prides itself on providing high quality education to over 21,000 students, we are excited to be moving forward in a direction which will be able to support many new and innovative teaching methods. This is just another way we will continue to inspire our children and promote success in the classroom. This has always been our district's primary goal and each step we take in that direction is another victory for the Elizabeth community," Dunn said.

SCC has hundreds of projects under way and is making tremendous progress in fulfilling the visionary goal of Governor McGreevey to streamline the building of much-needed quality schools statewide. It is the largest public construction program ever undertaken by the State of New Jersey, and one of the largest programs of its type ever undertaken in the nation.

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The Division of the Ratepayer Advocate is an independent state agency that represents the interests of utility consumers and serves as an active participant in every case where New Jersey utilities seek changes in their rates or services. The Ratepayer Advocate also gives consumers a voice in setting long-range energy, water, and telecommunications policy that will affect the delivery of utility services well into the future.

Additional information on this and other matters can be found at the Division of Ratepayer Advocate’s website at http://www.rpa.state.nj.us

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