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The Newark Board of Education is steering $6.3 million in state funds to repairs at two city high schools as part of efforts to maintain the district’s decades-old buildings.
The board on Thursday approved the bulk of the money — $6 million — for repairs at Technology High School, while just under $350,000 will go to Weequahic High School. The funds come from a Schools Development Authority grant that allocated $6,349,715 to Newark this fiscal year for urgent building needs and to prevent further deterioration. The SDA is the state agency responsible for fully funding school construction projects in Newark and 30 other high-poverty districts.
The district proposes urgent repairs and maintenance projects to the state, and once the SDA approves them, it directs funding to schools that need it. Unlike state funds for urgent repairs, the SDA decides which schools to build or renovate and manages new construction from start to finish.
During Thursday’s board meeting, León did not mention the state’s funding before the board unanimously voted to accept the grant. Instead, he said the ongoing work to fix the district’s aging infrastructure includes using money from the district’s capital maintenance fund.
“We will be impacting every classroom, every office, and every school in this entire district from its roof to whatever is the lower level of the building to make sure that we’re providing for all of the students and the staff the type of school every child in Newark deserves,” said Leon as he discussed recent renovations to the auditorium at Sir Isaac Newton Elementary School, where the board meeting was held.
Before the school board went into executive session, board president Hasani Council said the funds will be used for roof and facade repairs at Technology and HVAC replacements at Weequahic’s gym.
Newark’s public schools are among the oldest in the state, and more than half require yearly updates to roofs, boilers, plumbing, and other areas. Since those repairs can cost millions, districts like Newark depend on the SDA for school construction and help in maintaining buildings. The new funding is part of the SDA’s efforts to stabilize old school infrastructure across the state, as building conditions can disrupt student learning and lead to more costly repairs over time.
Technology High School in the North Ward, built in 1913, is a top-rated magnet school in the district with 662 students in the 2024-25 school year. Weequahic High School in the South Ward is a traditional high school built in 1931 with 592 students last school year. Both schools require new paint, chemical water treatments, annual inspections, and other routine work, according to the district’s comprehensive maintenance plan. State funding remains critical for Newark to prevent worsening building conditions and more costly repairs.
The new grant is funded through the state’s fiscal year 2026 budget, when former Gov. Phil Murphy directed $50 million to the SDA for emergent and capital maintenance projects. Newark, the state’s largest school district, received the largest allocation of the funds in the last budget cycle, with Elizabeth receiving the second-highest amount.
The SDA has also agreed to replace 13 of Newark public schools’ oldest buildings, but that deal leaves out 20 schools that need to be replaced, according to the district. León on Thursday said the district was supposed to receive 40 new school buildings during the state’s takeover of the district between 1995 and 2018 but only received eight.
The SDA has also committed to spending nearly $153 million to rebuild a high school in Newark’s South Ward and relocate a nearby elementary school. That project is currently in the design phase with plans to begin early site work this summer, according to SDA spokesperson Edythe Maier.
Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.
