N.J. Approves $12 Billion School Construction Program

By Robert C. Johnston

New Jersey is gearing up for its biggest public-works program ever—a state-run school construction crusade that is expected to shower local schools with $12 billion worth of new facilities and renovations over the next several years.

But as Gov. Christine Todd Whitman signed the long-awaited legislation July 18, doubts simmered over how the program will operate and when ground finally will be broken on the first project.

For example, school districts want to know what types of facilities will pass muster with the state education officials who must approve them. Meanwhile, the state's economic-development authority is sailing in uncharted waters as the newly named coordinator of...