New bill seeks $100 billion for NJ schools, Camden wants piece of the pie
KYW News Radio
February 2, 2019
Schools across the country are in desperate need of repairs, particularly those in urban districts. A South Jersey congressman is co-sponsoring a bill, the Rebuild America’s Schools Act, which would pump $100 billion into rebuilding and repairing.
Camden’s superintendent discussed what she would to do with the proposed money.
First of all, the bill is in its early stages, so this is Monopoly money. But if Camden were to get a chunk of that change, Superintendent Katrina McCombs has priorities:
“Making sure that our HVAC systems are all running well in all of our buildings, especially our older ones,” she said. “Ensuring that all of our buildings are ADA accessible.”
And the list goes on. McCombs says it’s a shame conditions have gotten to this point. She wants to see the funds distributed to ensure equitable education standards for all students.
“So that there are not these pockets of have’s and have not’s,” she said.
U.S. Congressman Donald Norcross (D-NJ-01) is on the House education and labor committee. He believes urban areas have been “vastly underserved.”
“We want to do more than just talk about it,” he said. “We want to make sure that we invest in that next generation.”
If the bill does pass, he says there would be a lot of competition for the grants. Money will likely be awarded based on how well districts make their case for need.