TRENTON, NJ — May 30, 2021 — Judy Savage, the executive director of the New Jersey Council of County Vocational-Technical Schools, issued the following statement after the administration of Governor Phil Murphy on Friday recommended projects to be funded under the Securing Our Children’s Future Bond Act (SOCFBA).
“The administration’s approval of 17 county vocational projects to be funded through the first round of SOCFBA is a critical step forward in expanding county vocational-technical schools to address critical workforce needs and prepare more students for technically skilled careers.
“The recommended projects will expand and equip facilities for high-demand programs in fields like manufacturing, logistics and distribution, auto technology, health care, welding, construction, and clean energy. It will expand opportunities for high school as well as adult students to launch well-paying careers pathways that will help to grow the state’s economy.
“We are grateful to the Legislature, the Murphy Administration, and voters across New Jersey for supporting this significant investment in county vocational schools and community colleges to prepare more young people with skills, certifications and degrees needed to fill critical jobs in key NJ industries.
“Once the statutory period for Legislative review is complete, the funded projects will move into a final design and approval process and ultimately to construction, with the goal of getting more students into new and expanded career and technical education programs as expeditiously as possible,” Savage said.
Voters approved the Securing Our Children’s Future Bond Act in November 2018 to support renovation and new construction projects that will increase student capacity in career and technical education (CTE) programs in New Jersey county vocational-technical school districts and community colleges. The ballot question authorized a total of $500 million, including $275 for county vocational-technical schools, $50 million for community colleges, $75 for school security projects and $100 million for water infrastructure improvement projects in schools.
The projects will now go to the Legislature for final approval.
The Murphy administration proposed funding the following projects:
- Atlantic County Vocational School District ($40 million)
- Bergen County Technical Schools – Paramus (25.88 million)
- Camden County Technical Schools – Gloucester campus ($5.25 million)
- Camden County Technical Schools – Pennsauken campus ($6.75 million)
- Cape May Tech ($4.3 million)
- Cumberland County Technical Education Center ($2.25 million)
- Gloucester County Institute of Technology ($12 million)
- Hudson County Schools of Technology – Bayonne Academy ($9.93 million)
- Hunterdon County Vocational School District ($15 million)
- Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools – East Brunswick Vocational School ($23.14 million)
- Morris County School of Technology – Career Training Center ($18.6 million)
- Ocean County Vocational Technical Schools – Jackson Center ($7.22 million)
- Passaic County Technical Institute ($18.55 million)
- Somerset County Vocational & Technical Schools ($17.25 million)
- Sussex County Vocational School District ($4.76 million)
- Union County Vocational-Technical Schools – Peterson Farm Park ($5.34 million)
- Union County Vocational-Technical Schools – Union County Vocational-Technical High School ($3.95 million)
