Senator Mike Doherty (R-23) praised the decision by Governor Chris Christie to include the long-planned construction of a new Phillipsburg High School as one of twenty capital school construction projects that will move forward as part of the 2012 project portfolio of the Schools Development Authority (SDA).
“The announcement by Governor Christie today is recognition that the children of Phillipsburg are not being served by current school facilities that are overcrowded and in need of major repair,” said Doherty. “The people of Phillipsburg have worked extremely hard on their plan for a new high school, so I’m pleased by the Governor’s decision, especially considering the many other deserving school districts that did not have projects chosen.”
Long burdened by excessive overcrowding, the current high school has resorted to holding classes in more than 30 trailers. Many of the trailers have been in service for more than a decade, despite being designed for only two or three years of use.
“Half of the students at the current high school have classes in trailers that have been kept in use well beyond their expected lifespan,” Doherty stated. “Rather than enhancing our children’s education, it’s clear that our current facilities are a major detraction. It’s about time that we get our kids out of ramshackle trailers and into proper classrooms.”
Doherty noted that the process of getting SDA approval for the new high school has been difficult due to prior mismanagement in the state’s school construction program, but praised Governor Christie for reforming the SDA to ensure that vital projects are completed at an acceptable cost.
“We were certainly disappointed when the school wasn’t selected in previous years, but we understood that the Governor didn’t want to repeat the mistakes of his predecessors who lost billions of dollars in school construction money to fraud and mismanagement,” added Doherty. “Today’s approval, which came after a very thorough review, shows that the plan for a new Phillipsburg High School is well thought out and in the best interest of both students and taxpayers.”
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March 1, 2012
