SUMMIT ¬– New Jersey Schools Development Authority CEO Marc Larkins and Department of Education officials visited the Summit School District today to highlight $1.2 million in grants that are ready for release to the district through the SDA’s Regular Operating Districts (ROD) grant program.

The visit to Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School followed yesterday’s announcement by Larkins and Education Commissioner Bret Schundler that 142 grants are set for release statewide. The state-funded grants represent at least 40 percent of eligible costs for projects in the RODs, addressing health-and-safety issues, student overcrowding and other critical needs.

Summit will receive funding for projects in six schools, allowing it to proceed with work estimated at $3.1 million.

Larkins said: “I am pleased to be here today in Summit to talk about the importance of these grants to the school district. These grants allow districts to perform necessary improvements to the learning environments for our children and create much-needed jobs during this difficult economic period. The SDA looks forward to continuing to provide assistance for these projects throughout the state.”

The district will receive a $959,000 grant for window replacement at Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School, which was built in 1922. Overall, the project is estimated at $2.4 million.

The district will also receive $288,000 in grants for partial window and door replacements at Washington, Lincoln-Hubbard, Franklin and Brayton elementary schools and for partial window replacement at Jefferson Elementary School.

"State grants will help assure that our students will have safe learning environments,” said Education Commissioner Bret Schundler. “Many children will benefit from this necessary investment in schools across New Jersey."

Summit’s grant funding is part of a $36.9 million State investment, leveraging $77.5 million in total capital investment. Funding for the program was made available from the sale of $500 million in bonds by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA), further advancing Governor Christie’s commitment to provide exemplary learning facilities for New Jersey students in a fiscally responsible manner.

The Department of Education determines the selection of school projects receiving grant funds from the SDA. The Authority currently has a portfolio of 1,004 ongoing grant projects in the RODs, 50 projects in SDA districts in various developmental phases, 12 projects already under construction and 134 emergent projects addressing health-and-safety issues across the state.

Since its 2001 inception, New Jersey's school construction program has completed 621 projects in SDA Districts. In addition to building 54 new schools, the program has provided funding for 45 extensive additions, renovations and/or rehabilitations, and more than 500 other projects.

The program also has provided more than 3,000 grants to RODs, totaling more than $2.3 billion. Including contributions from local school districts, these grants have leveraged projects estimated at $7.4 billion overall.