Franklin Using Grant Money to Add Special-Ed Classrooms At School (NJ)

January 10, 2011

Four new preschool special-education classrooms are being built at Franklin Park School and will be ready for use in September.

The district currently has special-education classrooms at Franklin Park School and Hillcrest School, but more are needed as the township’s population grows. Franklin Park School was chosen because it has the most room for expansion, said Henry Sherren, director of pupil personnel services.

"Currently, there are 115 developmentally- or language-delayed preschool children in Franklin," he said. "We have projected that we will have 140 to 150 next year. If we didn’t have these classrooms, we would have to pay to send these children out of district."

The New Jersey Schools Development Authority has authorized a $319,176 grant to be used toward the project. The district will pay the remaining $1,671,434 of the total cost of $1,990,610. But that money is a combination of state and federal funds, so there will be no added burden on taxpayers, Sherren said.

The special-education classes are set up differently from regular classrooms. They are handicapped-accessible, have bathroom facilities, are furnished with tables instead of desks, and contain materials geared toward activities for developmentally-disabled preschoolers. Ground was broken on the four new classrooms at Franklin Park School on Dec. 20 and the job is expected to be completed by April.

&#x 0A;State Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula, D-17th, praised the Schools Development Authority for approving the grant.

"I am excited to bring much needed support to Franklin schools," he said. "The money provided will ease the burden our schools face because of student population increases, while ensuring our community continues to provide the best education. This project also has the added incentive of bringing construction jobs to Franklin. The grant is a win for both our students and the economy, and is an important first step in addressing the growing student population in south Franklin."

Since the grant program resumed in May, the state Department of Education has chosen 352 schools that will receive a total of $119 million to address health and safety issues, classroom overcrowding and other critical needs. Funding for the program was made available through the sale of $500 million in bonds by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.