Schools Development Authority Breaks Ground on New School in Elizabeth

ELIZABETH, NJ - The New Jersey Schools Development Authority (SDA) joined Elizabeth Public Schools and city officials at a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Joseph Battin School No. 4 on Tuesday. “The construction of another new school in Elizabeth will provide much-needed relief for the widespread overcrowding experienced in the school district,” said Manuel Da Silva, SDA Chief Executive Officer. “The State’s investment in school facilities like this represents our commitment to providing every student with the classroom spaces they need to learn and succeed. Today’s groundbreaking ceremony marks not only the beginning of construction, but the beginning of building a brighter educational experience for Elizabeth students. We appreciate our ongoing partnership with Elizabeth Public Schools, city, and state officials as we advance this important project.” The new school will be an approximately 146,000-square-foot facility designed to educate up to 1,068 students from prekindergarten through eighth grade. In addition to classrooms, the school will include a vocal music room, an instrumental lesson room, an art room with a kiln, three science labs, a media center, a cafeteria, a multi-purpose room, and a gymnasium. “We are excited to once again welcome the New Jersey Schools Development Authority back to the Elizabeth community to break ground on our newest elementary school that is replacing a school that served Elizabeth students at all grade levels during its more than 100-year history,” said Elizabeth Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Olga Hugelmeyer. “Over the past two decades, the SDA has been a vital partner in helping to modernize our school community by adding a dozen new school buildings to a large collection of schools that are more than a century old. These newly constructed schools have been significant in both providing state-of-the-art amenities to students from early childhood through high school and addressing the issue of dramatically increased student enrollment. Elizabeth Public Schools thanks and expresses its gratitude to the SDA for their ongoing support, and we look forward to welcoming this wonderful new school to our learning community.”The SDA is the State agency responsible for fully funding and managing the new construction, modernization, and renovation of school facilities projects in 31 SDA Districts. For more information about the SDA, please visit their website at: www.njsda.gov.