Schools

Ocean City Gets $2.4 Million From State for Primary School Overhaul

Gov. Chris Christie on Wednesday announces $508 million in funding for school projects statewide.

The Ocean City School District learned Wednesday that it will receive $2,399,279 in state funding to help pay for a major renovation of the Ocean City Primary School.

The school has not received any major upgrade since it was built in the 1970s.

It needs a new roof, heating and cooling systems, plumbing and electrical systems, windows and doors. The district hopes to complete the project within two years at an estimated cost of about $6 million.

Find out what's happening in Ocean Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In a presentation in March, administrators said the price tag will be financed by some combination of: the new grant, the district's capital reserve fund (which currently has a balance of about $3 million) and borrowing.

A new Ocean City High School was constructed in 2004, and a major renovation of the Ocean City Intermediate School was completed in 2010.

Find out what's happening in Ocean Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The administration of Gov. Chris Christie announced on Wednesday the approval of $507.7 million in state funds to help fund the cost of 1,538 individual school construction projects in 331 school districts throughout the state.

Of the state funding, $5.8 million will go to support seven projects in six school districts in Cape May County, supporting a total of $14.4 million in school construction throughout the county.

“Cape May County students, teachers and school administrators will benefit from this infusion of more than half a billion dollars in state funding,” said Governor Christie in a news release. “These grants will allow for efficient, state-of-the-art school facilities that will help foster an improved learning environment for our children.”

Between state and local contributions, the total project costs of the 1,538 eligible projects are estimated to exceed $1.1 billion. The state-funded grants represent at least 40 percent of eligible costs for projects in the Regular Operating Districts (RODs) and address health and safety issues, student overcrowding and other critical needs. The grants are contingent on local approval of the remaining cost to school districts. Regular Operating District grants are separate from the funding for the 31 “SDA districts,” where the Schools Development Authority is responsible for financing 100 percent of eligible costs.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here