Egg Harbor City, NJ (August 27, 2009) - New Jersey Schools Development Authority (SDA) CEO Kris Kolluri and Egg Harbor City Board of Education officials today marked the opening of the expanded, modernized Charles L. Spragg Elementary School, celebrating efforts to enhance the teaching of literacy through a new technology-enhanced library/media center.

"The Spragg School project is an excellent example of our goal to invigorate the economy while furthering academic achievement for students throughout New Jersey.," Governor Jon S. Corzine said. "This enhanced facility will provide these children with the 21st century resources they need to succeed in school and life."

Spragg Elementary School is one of 12 new or renovated schools the SDA is opening this fall, increasing the capacity of student seats across the state to 8,974, investing $584 million to stimulate the economy and creating or saving 5,059 jobs for New Jersey.

Students, parents, teachers and area officials joined the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the expanded Spragg facility, which will provide 21st century educational opportunities for 338 students in pre-kindergarten through 3rd grade. The library/media center will replace an old book room, providing modern resources including up-to-date books and reference materials, 24 laptop computers, six personal computers and an interactive whiteboard. The 8,063-square-foot addition also includes three new classrooms; an additional classroom was renovated The Spragg Elementary School project invested approximately $2.6 million into the local economy.

Kolluri stated, "The SDA is proud to have worked collaboratively with the district to deliver this facility, furthering academic opportunities for the children of Egg Harbor City. This school, along with the 11 others we are opening this fall, further illustrates Governor Corzine’s commitment to building safe, efficient, affordable schools for our children."

Schools Superintendent John Gilly III said, “Today marks the culmination of a great amount of hard work by many people to complete an addition/renovation project to better serve the public school students of Egg Harbor City. The community overwhelmingly voted to renovate and build onto the Spragg Elementary School in the December 2007 referendum, illustrating a continued value of education for the city's public school students. We are here today to celebrate the completion of the project, on time, which I am thankful for due to the efforts of many people. I would like to publicly thank the SDA, Greyhawk North America, The Vaughn Collaborative, and R. Wilkinson & Sons Construction for the dedicated effort they exhibited throughout the project. The children will benefit from a 21st century library/media center that has been sorely needed for years to promote literacy. The additional classrooms will enhance the district’s vision to continue to develop a cutting-edge early childhood education program.”

The Spragg School project was designed by Vaughn Collaborative and built by R. Wilkinson & Sons Construction, Inc. Greyhawk was the project management firm.

Other projects under way in Egg Harbor City include the construction of a middle school. The new 61,954-square-foot facility, which will house 364 students in 4th through 8th grades, is scheduled to open in September 2010. In addition, Cedar Creek High School, the Greater Egg Harbor Regional School District’s third high school, is under construction and also is scheduled for a September 2010 opening.

The SDA will pay two-thirds of the cost for the school projects, with the district responsible for the remainder as its local share. The projects are eligible for funding and State management because they were approved before amendments to the Educational Facilities Construction and Financing Act of 2000. Under the 2007 amendments, which established the SDA, such future projects will be managed and funded by the local districts.

As of Labor Day, the SDA will have completed 613 projects in SDA Districts: 50 new schools; 44 extensive additions, renovations and/or rehabilitations; five demonstration projects and more than 500 other projects. In addition, it will have completed 22 projects in Regular Operating Districts: five new schools and 17 extensive additions, renovations and/or rehabilitations.

The school construction program is central to the state’s effort to mitigate the effects of the national recession. For 2009, the SDA has accelerated projects to advance Governor Corzine’s Economic Assistance and Recovery Plan to spur the economy and generate jobs. The SDA is on track to begin preliminary or full construction of 27 Capital Plan projects in 2009. Overall, the SDA will invest $1.3 billion in these projects. Over the life of the projects, the SDA expects to create or save approximately 11,000 jobs.