The Legislature and Governor’s Office may have agreed on the amount of money to put toward the state’s neediest schools but the real work is just beginning — deciding which school construction projects will get approved and which of the districts deemed as being underserved will get priority. Despite a record amount of spending, most advocates say it’s not nearly enough to cover the estimated costs of construction and repairs.
Garfield is the second-most overcrowded school district in the state. As a Schools Development Authority district, formerly known as an Abbott district, it’s slated for construction of a new elementary school as part of Gov. Phil Murphy’s $1.9 billion budget for school construction. And it can’t come soon enough, says Anna Sciacca, superintendent of Garfield Public Schools. “There are no extra classrooms whatsoever. There are no extra rooms. They are overcrowded so at the current time we are using basement area as classrooms, as well as trailers,” Sciacca said.
