Chatham May Get $4 Million For Critical Improvements To ECLC

CHATHAM, NJ — Chatham may get $4 million to help fund critical improvements to a local Chatham school that serves approximately 170 students with special needs, U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill announced Monday.

According to Sherrill – who represents Chatham and other North Jersey towns in the state’s 11th District – she has submitted 15 community funding project requests to the House Appropriations Committee for the fiscal year 2024.

The House Appropriations Committee is expected to mark up the annual appropriations bill later this year. The round of requests is the third that Sherrill has made since taking office, she noted.

This year’s funding requests include $4 million for ECLC of New Jersey Chatham School renovations.

ECLC of New Jersey, a school on Lum Avenue in the former Chatham High School building, celebrated its 100th anniversary this year. For the last 34 years of the twentieth century, ECLC has been headquartered in that structure.

The school focuses on providing students with a traditional school experience while also preparing them for life after graduation, such as basic job skills, job placement and independent living skills.

The school building, which is owned by Chatham Borough and leased by ECLC, is increasingly in jeopardy due to its age and dated design.

The project entails redesigning interior spaces for students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities in order to meet modern requirements for therapy rooms, sensory rooms, specialized vocational instruction rooms, disability access, and enhanced nursing facilities, all of which are required for an educational facility serving this population.

“I’m excited to announce the 15 new community projects I am submitting this year on behalf of the 11th Congressional district,” Sherrill said Monday. “From bolstering public safety and improving water quality to updating community spaces and preserving our open spaces, all of these projects will have a great impact on towns in every corner of the district.”

Last month, school officials stated that ECLC was working with borough council members and the borough administrator to find a solution that would allow ECLC to continue to be a major organization in the borough.

The majority of therapy services are currently provided in poorly ventilated, noisy rooms carved out of closets and storage spaces, according to Jason Killian, the current principal of ECLC.

Improved sensory areas, according to Killian, will help students de-escalate and refocus on instruction, and improved conference room areas will better accommodate IEP meetings and student evaluations.

Jocelyn Mathiasen of Chatham Borough Council and Borough Administrator Steven Williams previously said they were both researching additional funding options for the necessary changes.