Camden, NJ (March 23, 2005) -Students, teachers and community supporters joined representatives of the Camden City School District, the City of Camden, New Jersey Schools Construction Corporation (SCC) and Don Todd Associates, for a ceremonial groundbreaking ceremony on the site of Camden’s New Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC). The event – dubbed “New Beginnings” – marked the initial phase of a proposed district-wide expansion of schools slated to be fully funded and managed by the SCC through the New Jersey’s unprecedented $8.6 billion school construction program.

New schools scheduled to be built in Camden over the next few years at an approximate cost of $255 million include new construction, additions and substantial renovations. The school projects are consistent with Camden City’s redevelopment efforts and embrace every section of the city. The first round of schools proposed include: the Early Childhood Development Center, Dudley Elementary School, Morgan Village Middle School, H.B. Wilson Elementary, Washington Elementary, Cooper’s Poynt Elementary School, Lanning Square Elementary School, Pyne Poynt Family School, Molina Elementary School and Catto Elementary, a SCC demonstration project.