WEST NEW YORK, NJ (August 28, 2009) - Kris Kolluri, CEO of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority (SDA), and West New York Board of Education officials today opened the expanded, modernized and environmentally sustainable Public School No. 2 and celebrated teachers’ excellence in this school and across the district. The school was honored by former President Bill Clinton this month, receiving the Healthy Schools Program National Recognition Bronze Award for 2008-09 for improving the learning and working environments of students and staff.

Parents and area officials were on hand as Kolluri, board members, students and award-winning teachers cut a ribbon to ceremoniously open the expanded and renovated Public School No. 2, which will help ease district overcrowding and provide much-needed early childhood educational programs for 3- and 4-year-old children in West New York.

The school offers up-to-date academic and technological resources to 705 students in pre-kindergarten through 6th grade. It is among 12 new or renovated schools the SDA is opening this fall, increasing the capacity of student seats statewide to 8,974, investing $584 million to stimulate the economy and creating or saving 5,059 jobs for New Jersey.

SDA CEO Kolluri said: “We are proud that together with the West New York School District we have produced another facility to enhance the academic opportunities for the children of this city. P.S. No. 2, along with the 11 other SDA schools opening statewide, are symbols of our efforts to fulfill Governor Jon S. Corzine’s commitment to provide schools that are safe, healthy, green, affordable and provide 21st century educational opportunities.”

"These teachers are truly deserving of the honor bestowed by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and I am confident they will deliver an even better learning experience in this updated facility," Governor Corzine said. "Nothing is more important than providing new and modernized schools for the teachers and students of New Jersey."

The American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation are co-sponsors of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, which presents the Healthy Schools Program National Recognition Award to support creating environments where physical activity and healthy eating are accessible and encouraged. At the Fourth Annual Healthy Schools Program Forum earlier this month in New York, Clinton announced awards to 114 schools nationwide, including West New York School No. 2. During construction, School No. 2 staff used the available space in a small blacktop area and the auditorium to create a before-school program to get students up and moving. The school, which also set up a school wellness council and conducted a staff wellness interest survey, is looking to put its program to use in the new facility.

This is the second year in a row that a West New York school has been honored. West New York School No. 4 was recognized by the Alliance for the 2007-2008 school year with the Silver Award and School No. 5 received Bronze recognition.

The 15,600-square-foot addition to Public School No. 2 includes 10 new classrooms and seven new small-group instruction rooms. Renovations and space conversions in the existing 115,300-square-foot, two-story school will add six pre-kindergarten classrooms, two general classrooms, two special education rooms, a technology lab, kitchen and cafeteria, two science labs, two computer labs and a library/media center. Overall, the expanded and renovated school, located on a 2.65-acre parcel, now has 130,900 square feet of space that includes 40 general classrooms, special instruction rooms, a gym, an auditorium, a cafeteria, library/media center and music rooms.

West New York PS No. 2 was designed and constructed to be meet LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) standards. Green features of the school include: Water Efficiencies, High Efficiency HAVAC equipment, Reduced Light Pollution and certified responsible building materials used in construction.

Dr. Robert C. Van Zanten, Superintendent of Schools, stated, "The upgrade of the No. 2 School takes West New York one more step closer to ensuring we will provide all of our students with a world-class education. The building is well-equipped with the latest state-of-the-art technology, and each teacher has this technology available to them, from smart boards to the most up-to-date software, in each classroom."

The school project was designed by Earthtec Tams and built by D&K Construction Company, Inc. Turner Construction Company was the project management firm.

The SDA already has opened two new schools in the district – West New York Middle School and Public School No. 4 – and has another under construction – the new Public School No. 3, which is scheduled to open in January 2010.

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.

The West New York Public School No. 2 project created/saved approximately 259 jobs over the duration of construction.