Shutdown of Paterson’s School 3 likely to continue well into 2025
PATERSON — School 3, which was shut down for safety reasons after a ceiling collapse last summer, likely will remain closed for at least another 18 months, education officials say.
The Paterson Board of Education is weighing two options for repairing the building, and officials acknowledged during a special meeting last week that they have not identified all the funding needed for either proposal.
The less expensive choice, a $5.7 million plan, would produce a school that officials said would fall short of some regulations, such as those in the Americans with Disabilities Act. The $7.8 million option would include $250,000 for fire safety sprinklers, $1.2 million for air conditioning and ventilation improvements and $300,000 for a wheelchair lift.
The 300 students from School 3, which is on Main Street, have been reassigned since the building's closure. Those in lower grades go to Dale Avenue School, less than half a mile away, and the older children have been sent to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School, on the other side of the city.
Parents express concerns
A contingent of School 3 parents who attended the March 7 meeting expressed frustrations with the current arrangement, asserting that they have not been given adequate information about the district’s plans.
Some parents said the distance to get to King school caused difficulties when they had to pick up youngsters being sent home for illness. Others said their children missed what they described as the “family” environment at School 3. The parents implored education officials to get the repairs done as soon as possible.
Last August, district officials estimated that the School 3 repairs would cost $2.1 million and require 16 weeks to get done. Officials have not provided an explanation of why seven months have passed with little tangible progress.
“I don’t want to come back to another meeting where we’re talking about options,” said school board Vice President Kenneth Simmons. “I think this is the fourth meeting where we’ve been told about options … We just need to make sure it gets done.”
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Building opened in 1899
Board President Manny Martinez said part of the district’s challenge has been the age of the building — which opened in 1899. He said the millions of dollars in repair proposals would “still have students attending a school that’s over 125 years old.”
Officials said constructing a new school at the current School 3 site wasn’t practical because of the proximity of the nearby buildings.
“Part of the issue was the space was not enough to accommodate what’s considered an educationally adequate facility,” said Superintendent Laurie Newell.
In a presentation at last week’s meeting, Business Administrator Richard Matthews said the proposed opening of the school would be during the 2025-26 academic year. But the work can’t start until the Board of Education finds all the money it needs and awards the various contracts for design and construction.
Councilman Luis Velez, who represents the 5th Ward, where School 3 is, said construction could get delayed by various factors, including unforeseen problems, bad weather and financial issues.
Joe Malinconico is editor of Paterson Press. Email: editor@patersonpress.com
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson NJ: School 3 likely to remain shut until 2025
