With P'burg on list, next question becomes: When?

TRENTON | It's official.

Phillipsburg's long-awaited high school will be built as part of a state plan unveiled Tuesday to construct or renovate 53 schools in New Jersey's poorest communities.

The $157.8 million project will be fully funded by the state with a share of $3.9 billion in school construction funding recently approved by the Legislature. The pot includes $2.9 billion for districts such as Phillipsburg formerly known as Abbotts and $1 billion for all other districts.

The money will restart the school construction program that was halted in 2005 after the embattled Schools Construction Corp. allocated all of its $8.6 billion but fell short of delivering on anticipated schools.

The New Jersey Schools Development Authority replaced Schools Construction and will oversee construction of the projects. Of the 53, 27 were previously deferred and 26 are new projects selected from 351 proposals.

The Schools Development Authority approved the list, including Phillipsburg High School, on Tuesday in Trenton. State officials say the earliest construction could begin on the new school is June 2009, although the Schools Development Authority has yet to sequence the 53 projects.

"While much needs to be done in what truly will be a multi-generational program, this plan is an important step forward in addressing the critical facilities needs faced by students through New Jersey's special-needs districts," authority Chief Executive Scott Weiner said.

The state's role in school construction began with the New Jersey Supreme Court ruling in Abbott v. Burke, which mandated funding of construction projects in 31 poor school districts.

The Department of Education chose the projects approved Tuesday based on a number of issues, including overcrowding, the extent to which trailers were used as classrooms and the need for early childhood education space, according to Education Commissioner Lucille Davy.

The state also focused on projects that could be completed over the next five years.

"The needs are so vast and so great there is actually more need than we can address in this round of funding," Davy said in Trenton. "But we really prioritized the most severe cases."

The application process for the $1 billion for schools not covered by the Schools Development Authority is scheduled to begin in fall and follow similar criteria, Davy said.

Gov. Jon S. Corzine is expected soon to sign the $3.9 billion funding bill, approved by the Legislature last month.

It will mark the first time new funding has been allocated to school construction since 2000, when the Legislature approved $8.6 billion for Schools Construction Corp.: $6 billion for poor districts and $2.6 billion for more affluent schools.

That program was riddled with allegations of waste, fraud and mismanagement. Construction projects were handled haphazardly, with no priority ranking, and hundreds of projects were worked on at a time. Financial records were shoddy.

Weiner, chief executive of the new authority, said Tuesday the agency has instituted reforms and that the "past nightmare" will not occur under his watch.

"We recognize our responsibility to manage these resources," he said. "This is a different agency than it was."