Plainfield, NJ – The New Jersey Schools Development Authority (SDA) joined Plainfield School District students and officials, State and local officials, and the Booker family today at a ceremonial beam signing for the new Charles and Anna Booker School. Today's event highlights the construction progress of the new school, with the steel structure nearly complete.

"Today's event affords us an opportunity to celebrate the significant progress of this project with the Plainfield community, especially the students and Mr. and Mrs. Booker,” said SDA CEO Manuel Da Silva. “We know that access to quality learning environments makes a positive impact on students. This facility will serve as a guiding light for the education of generations of Plainfield students."

The new, three-story facility of approximately 120,000 square-feet is designed to educate a maximum of approximately 840 Kindergarten to fifth grade students. The new school will include 41 classrooms, an art room, a vocal/music room, an instrumental lesson room, a technology lab, a science demo room, a computer lab, a gymnasium, a cafeteria, a media center, a playground, and a basketball court.

"We are so happy to be one step closer to the opening of our new state-of-the-art facility to benefit the students and families of Plainfield," said Plainfield Superintendent Dr. Diana Mitchell.

With the steel structure nearly complete, work to enclose the building (exterior walls, masonry, roofing) will commence during the 4^th quarter of 2021. The project is anticipated to open to students in September 2022.

The School was named by the Plainfield BOE in honor of longtime civil rights activists Charles and Anna Booker. In 1965, the Bookers won a legal case, Booker v. Board of Education of City of Plainfield, to end segregation in Plainfield schools. Mr. and Mrs. Booker were born and raised in the City of Plainfield where they have been involved in community organizing and advocating their entire lives. Mrs. Booker was a teacher in Plainfield when the Plainfield Public School District began hiring African American teachers. Mrs. Booker retired after serving the District for 20 years.

The new school is being built using the design-build approach. This method differs from the traditional approach in that SDA contracts with one firm for both design and construction of a school facilities project. EPIC Management, Inc. was awarded a $45 million design-build contract for the design and construction of the new school. As part of the design-build contract, EPIC Management is working with DMR Architects on the design. Anser Advisory is managing the project. The total estimated project cost is $62 million.

Once completed, the school will be the third Capital Project built by the SDA in Plainfield. Since the inception of the school construction program, the SDA has invested more than $83 million in projects in the Plainfield School District. This includes the new Charles and Anna Booker School.