$1.7M In State Funds Earmarked For Chatham School Projects

CHATHAM, NJ — A new wave of state funding will enable hundreds of schools to make crucial infrastructure upgrades that can help keep kids in the classroom – and some of it is coming to Chatham.

On Thursday, the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) and the New Jersey Schools Development Authority (SDA) announced the approval of roughly $450 million in construction funds to address critical facility needs in 261 school districts throughout the state.

For the School District of the Chathams, the state will pay $1,749,288, which will be put towards a $4,373,220 estimated project cost, state officials said. See how much funding other schools in Morris County are slated to get below.

According to officials, the improvements were "identified by needs" and included major building renovations, boiler replacement, HVAC and electrical system replacement, and roof repairs. The cash will also assist some districts in resolving building code violations.

Recently, the School District of the Chathams made the decision to include a second question on the November election ballot to fund the construction of six security vestibules, with the final interpretive statement being submitted to the county clerk's office this summer.

Bradley Smith, chair of the board's finance committee, has stated that the second question for the general public to vote on in the November elections is due to Chatham's inability to use the surplus COVID-19 funds in the budget for the upcoming year.

According to Smith, security vestibules, roof construction, and other structure renovations and painting are among the most necessary capital improvements needed in the school district.

During the Aug. 21 board meeting, Board of Education President Jill Weber stated that the next meeting, scheduled for Sept. 18, will include a more in-depth presentation on the security features that the district intends to purchase with the money.

Funding for the school construction initiative was made possible through legislation signed in 2022 and grant funding from SDA allocations.

Here are some of the other districts in Morris County getting money for necessary projects, according to the state:

• Morris Plains
  • Estimated project cost: $3,426,180
  • State share: $1,370,472
• Morris School District
  • Estimated project cost: $8,441,650
  • State share: $3,376,660
• Madison
  • Estimated project cost: $1,149,550
  • State share: $459,820
• Mendham
  • Estimated project cost: $1,203,750
  • State share: $481,500
• Mendham Township
  • Estimated project cost: $1,979,459
  • State share: $791,784

• Mount Olive Township
  • Estimated project cost: $3,334,000
  • State share: $1,333,600
• Mountain Lakes
  • Estimated project cost: $2,260,500
  • State share: $904,200
• Parsippany-Troy Hills Township
  • Estimated project cost: $468,176
  • State share: $187,270

According to state authorities, $350 million of the $450 million will come from the state's Debt Defeasance and Prevention Fund, which was formed two years ago to assist in paying down existing debt and avoid accruing new debt by funding projects outright rather than incurring new borrowing.

“This move is expected to save the state and taxpayers roughly $350 million in total as opposed to issuing 30-year bonds at current interest rates,” officials said in a news release.

In addition to the $449.9 million in state funding, local contributions totaling $598.5 million are estimated to bring the total cost of construction to more than $1 billion.

“This funding is part of a state and local partnership that will invest in hundreds of school projects while saving a significant amount of taxpayer dollars,” Gov. Phil Murphy said.

This article contains reporting from Patch's Eric Kiefer.