East Orange, NJ (September 24, 2009) - Cicely Tyson, the Emmy Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated actress, was a guest speaker at a ribbon-cutting ceremony today to formally open the new Cicely Tyson School of Fine and Performing Arts in East Orange. The community magnet school provides a 21st century educational core curriculum, along with studies in the arts, for 1,300 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. The facility also is designed to offer cultural, theatrical, musical and community events for students and residents.

"The school construction program is building a better future for students throughout New Jersey and for our state’s economy," Governor Jon S. Corzine said. "I am pleased this new facility will provide a quality education, as well as opportunities to grow and excel in the performing arts, for children of East Orange from preschool through high school and give them the 21st century resources they need to succeed in school and life."

Ms. Tyson was joined by East Orange Board of Education and city officials and Kris Kolluri, CEO of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority (SDA), which provided funding and oversight for the project. The facility combines the Cicely Tyson School of Fine and Performing Arts and the acclaimed Washington Academy of Music.

The Cicely Tyson School of Fine and Performing Arts is among 12 new or renovated schools opened by the SDA this fall. The SDA has increased the capacity of student seats at these facilities to 9,000, representing an investment of $575 million to stimulate the economy and creating or saving 5,000 jobs for New Jersey.

"This facility exemplifies the culmination of close collaboration with city and educational leaders in designing a project that meshes East Orange's redevelopment plans with the needs of the school district," Kolluri said. “The SDA will continue to support Governor Corzine's efforts to spur the economy by creating and saving jobs while delivering the 21st century educational opportunities that New Jersey’s students need and deserve."

The 280,095-square-foot school project encompasses separate buildings on a 12-acre campus for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten, grades 1-4, grades 5-8 and grades 9-12. The school is a cornerstone of revitalization efforts in the Main Street area of the Essex County city.

Due to its specialized programming, the school will include music rooms, a performing arts media center, individual performance practice rooms, costume design and drafting rooms and a set design room/workshop. A state-of-the-art television production studio/laboratory will be fitted out to permit students to learn TV production and community members to use the facilities during non-school hours.

There are two auditorium facilities – an 800-seat auditorium for use by grades 6-12 and a smaller one for grades preK-8 – and an outdoor amphitheater. All are accessible to the community during non-school hours.

The project includes 6 pre-kindergarten classrooms and 6 self-contained special education classrooms. It also has daycare for infants and toddlers to permit students to attend high school who otherwise might be unable to do so. The project includes a wellness center and dental clinic available to all students in the East Orange school district that offers comprehensive medical services such as immunizations, check-ups and dental care. The library and media center facilities, gymnasium space, cafeteria, music and art rooms are available for community use.

The project recently earned an Award of Merit as the 2009 Construction Project of the Year (K-12 category) from New York Construction magazine.

The project was co-developed by the city and school district of East Orange, Triad Associates and Joseph Jingoli & Son, Inc.

Mayor Robert L. Bowser stated, "The official ribbon cutting ceremony for the completed construction of the Cicely Tyson Community School of Fine and Performing Arts is a proud achievement for our city. This development is a critical element in our efforts to revitalize our city through strategic redevelopment, specifically of Lower Main and Walnut Streets, into a new vibrant neighborhood and commercial corridor."

Other completed SDA projects in East Orange include the new Langston Hughes Elementary School, which opened to students in 2006; additions and renovations to Mildred B. Garvin MicroSociety School (2008) and East Orange High School (2005); and rehabilitation and modernization of East Orange Campus 9 (formerly Clifford J. Scott High School) completed in 2005 and Wahlstrom Early Childhood Center (2004). East Orange’s Elementary School No. 5, a new 83,561-square-foot facility for pre-kindergarten through 5th grade students, is scheduled to open in January 2010.

Overall the SDA has completed 613 projects in SDA Districts. In addition to the 50 new schools; it has opened 44 extensive additions, renovations and/or rehabilitations; five demonstration projects and more than 500 other projects. Also, it has 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 $143 million Cicely Tyson School of Fine and Performing Arts project created/saved approximately 1,240 jobs over the duration of construction. The school is considered an SDA “demonstration project” – one of six designated by the Legislature to provide community features accessible to students and residents and spur redevelopment.