Newark Gets $6.5 Million To Make Repairs At 3 Schools

NEWARK, NJ — The Newark Public School District will be putting nearly $6.5 million in state funding to work making repairs at three schools, administrators announced Wednesday.

The Newark Board of Education recently received an allocation of $6,455,930 from the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) and the New Jersey Schools Development Authority (SDA). The funds were part of a $75 million appropriation greenlighted by Gov. Phil Murphy for school districts across the state, administrators said.

The goal? Make repairs to aging school buildings.

In Newark, administrators said they will use the funds to perform roof replacements and masonry repairs at Sir Isaac Newton Elementary School, Dr. William H. Horton Elementary School, and West Side High School.

“We are pleased that Newark was chosen as a recipient of this grant and we will use the monies to make repairs to the three schools identified, which have suffered water infiltration and damage to walls and ceilings over time,” Superintendent Roger León said.

“This generous award will allow us to strengthen those key structures,” he added.

“The Newark Board of Education is more than appreciative of these contributions made to our schools by the NJDOE and the SDA,” Board President Dawn Haynes said.

“Improvements such as these typically come at the expense of having to cut back on other opportunities,” Haynes said. “With the assistance of the NJDOE and SDA, we have been able to reallocate funds to other important initiatives that positively influence the culture and climate of our schools for students.”

• See related article: This Newark High School Is Getting A New Football Field

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Sign up for Patch email newsletters. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Newark Facebook page.