July 8, 2008
Contact: John Gorman / 609-292-5199A More Affordable NJ, Senator Christopher Bateman (R-16)
Senator Christopher “Kip” Bateman (R-16) said this after reading reports that 50 new school projects will be started, including a $127 million school in Trenton, because the Legislature passed a bill that authorizes $3.9 billion in borrowing without voter approval:
“School construction decisions should be based on one thing only: what’s best for the kids. Clearly, the governor and state’s school construction officials have far more ambitious goals that should be explained to the taxpayers who are footing the bill for this program.
“According to the Star-Ledger, the projects now in the works include a $127 million school to be built on an abandoned factory site in Trenton. Taxpayers should ask why a school is being built on a contaminated industrial site that will require millions of dollars in cleanup costs.
“Construction officials should give a detailed explanation of why this project will cost $127 million, two or three times as much as comparable schools built elsewhere in the state. The explanation should include a full account of whether the state considered cheaper sites and buildings, and the possibility of cost overruns from building on such a contaminated site.
“The state has had cost overruns because it built schools on other contaminated sites. It seems that priorities such as urban redevelopment and toxic waste cleanup are being giving precedence over the primary goal of improving educational quality.
“Every dollar that’s hijacked to finance goals other than providing educational opportunity is a dollar that will not be spent on other critical projects.
“The groups that insist on these ill-advised and outrageously expensive projects should realize they are rapidly eroding all taxpayer support for school construction. The ability of the Democrats to push forward one more multi-billion borrowing without voter approval has emboldened those who believe that they can get taxpayers to foot the bill any scheme they can envision, including putting schools on hazardous sites.
“Governor Corzine has gone back on his pledge to put all borrowing before the voters. I again urge the governor to let voters decide if this state government can be entrusted with $3.9 billion of their money.”
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