Wayne Will Get $954K In School Construction Funds From NJ

WAYNE, 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 Wayne.

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 facilities needs in 261 school districts throughout the state.

In Wayne Township, the state will pay $954,812, that will be put towards a $2,387,029 estimated project cost, state officials said. See how much funding other schools in Passaic County are slated to get below.

Officials said that the projects were “identified by needs” that included critical building upgrades, the replacement of boilers, HVAC and electrical systems, and roof repairs. The funds will also help some districts resolve building code issues.

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

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

• Bloomingdale
  • Estimated project cost: $2,115,245
  • State share: $846,098
• Clifton City
  • Estimated project cost: $15,094,300
  • State share: $6,037,720
• Hawthorne
  • Estimated project cost: $1,634,650
  • State share: $653,860
• North Haledon
  • Estimated project cost: $1,213,886
  • State share: $485,554
• Pompton Lakes
  • Estimated project cost: $1,139,051
  • State share: $455,620
• Prospect Park
  • Estimated project cost: $4,052,400
  • State share: $2,948,255
• Ringwood
  • Estimated project cost: $839,800
  • State share: $335,920
• Totowa
  • Estimated project cost: $3,135,000
  • State share: $1,254,000
• Woodland Park
  • Estimated project cost: $3,807,540
  • State share: $1,523,016

State officials said that $350 million of the $450 million will come from the state’s Debt Defeasance and Prevention Fund, which was established two years ago to help pay down existing debt and avoid incurring 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.