N.J. funds buildings in 2 local districts

A new Gloucester City Middle School and the modernization of Camden High School were among 20 school construction and renovation projects in 18 New Jersey municipalities announced by Gov. Christie on Wednesday.

The eight new-school projects on the list represent a state investment of $675 million. Others identify serious deficiencies or are high priorities that will require further discussions with the district.

Speaking at a news conference at Memorial High School in West New York, Hudson County, Christie said the projects are a continuation of his reforms involving the state's School Development Authority, long plagued by waste and financial mismanagement.

"This 2012 project portfolio demonstrates the reforms and improvements instituted at the SDA are reining in the profligate spending of the past while ensuring that students attend modern and efficient schools for the future," Christie said.

Other municipalities where new schools are planned are Newark, New Brunswick, Phillipsburg, Keansburg, Passaic, and West New York.

The governor said the construction process would "not be driven at all" by politics, adding that the authority "will no longer build palaces in the districts of the politically connected."