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GannettUSA Today

Thursday, May 18, 2006

School fields don't make cut

As state education officials try to get a handle on the outrageous spending by the Schools Construction Corp., it's good to see they are developing criteria to give the proposed projects some priority. That obviously wasn't the case in the past. If it were, then synthetic turf for the Perth Amboy High School field would not have received $1.1 million of the $1.4 billion allocated last July.

Safety, overcrowding and space for early childhood education are issues that count in so many school districts. Athletic fields do not qualify. The emphasis must be on creating the best environment for learning. State officials should rescind approval for any projects that don't meet that mission.

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

What really troubles you about artificial turn in Perth Amboy? That it's paid for by taxpayers? All public schools are tax-funded. That it's in Perth Amboy? Disadvantaged students deserve the same turf as students in affluent districts. That it isn't a legitimate "educational expense"? Perhaps so, but . . . if so, then bar any district - rich or poor - from having it.

8:55 AM, May 19, 2006  

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