AFFILIATED
WITH
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A
MEMBER OF
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"It
is undisputed that the school buildings in Abbott districts are
crumbling and obsolescent and that this grave state of disrepair
not only prevents children from receiving a thorough and efficient
education, but also threatens their health and safety."
Abbott v. Burke, 1998
The
NJ Supreme Court in Abbott
II found a wide gap in the condition of school buildings
in urban and suburban communities. In urban districts, students
attend school in buildings that are unsafe, overcrowded and "often
incapable of housing the very programs needed to educate them."
In Abbott V
the Court ordered the State to undertake and fund a school construction
program to eliminate deficiencies in all Abbott school buildings.
Full state funding for the construction program was reaffirmed in
Abbott VII.
Supreme
Court Mandate for Abbott School Construction
Well
Planned Program
- Long
Range Facilities Plans: district-wide, five-year management
plans for repair, renovation and replacement of all school buildings
- Enrollment
Projections: estimates of student population, including three
and four year olds, to determine needed classroom capacity
- Community
Participation: formation of a Facilities Advisory Committee
with broad representation to provide support to districts in setting
goals for improved school facilities
- Priority
Projects: classrooms to
expand Abbott preschool programs and to correct health and safety
defects
- Implementation
Plans: State and districts work together to set priorities
and minimize impact on educational programs during project construction
Safe
and Educationally Adequate
- Healthy
and Safe: facilities must be free of defects and code compliant
- Reasonable
Class Size: buildings with class sizes of 15 for preschool,
21 for kindergarten to grade 3, 23 for grades 4 and 5, and 24
for all other grades
- Specialized
Space: adequate space to implement State educational standards
in all curriculum areas
- Particularized
Need: additional areas and spaces such as art, music or special
education driven by student and district needs
- Preschool:
expanded classrooms in district or community providers to enroll
all eligible three and four year old children in full-day, year
round programs
State
Funded and Managed
- DOE
Approval: district initiated Long-Range Facilities Plans receive
approval from DOE paving the way for individual project development
- Project
Approval: DOE approves projects for educational adequacy and
cost, then transmits projects to NJ Schools Develpment Authority
(NJSDA) for design and construction
- Financing:
NJSDA funds 100 percent of approved costs
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Management and Construction: NJSDA lets contracts and supervises
construction projects to completion
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