The New Jersey Schools Development Authority (NJSDA or SDA) is a public agency in New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

 that is responsible for implementing an overhaul of the educational infrastructure of hundreds of schools in districts throughout all 21 counties of the State of New Jersey. It is an independent authority in but not of the Department of the Treasury

New Jersey Department of the Treasury

The mission of the New Jersey Department of the Treasury is to formulate and manage the state's budget, generate and collect revenues, disburse the appropriations used to operate New Jersey state government, manage the state's physical and financial assets, and provide statewide support services to...

.

SDA was created on August 6, 2007 as the successor of the New Jersey Schools Construction Corporation (SCC). Governor of New Jersey

Governor of New Jersey

The Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...

 Jon Corzine

Jon Corzine

Jon Stevens Corzine is the former CEO of Goldman Sachs and of MF Global, and a one time American politician, who served as the 54th Governor of New Jersey from 2006 to 2010. A Democrat, Corzine served five years of a six-year U.S. Senate term representing New Jersey before being elected Governor...

 signed legislation in July 2008 that authorized $3.9 billion in funding for the NJSDA.

Kris Kolluri

Kris Kolluri

Kris Kolluri serves as head of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority, having taken office as of December 1, 2008, where he succeeded Scott Weiner. He had previously served as Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Transportation , having been sworn into office on March 13, 2006...

 serves as head of the Schools Development Authority, having taken office as of December 1, 2008, when he succeeded Scott Weiner.

Schools Construction Corporation

The SCC was created on July 18, 2000 when the New Jersey Educational Facilities Construction and Financing Act was signed into law. The law created a program for financing, design, renovation, repair and new construction of primary and secondary schools in New Jersey. The law significantly changed the level of State aid for public school construction. Previously, school districts received State aid for construction debt at the same percentage as their State aid for operating costs, making almost half of the State's school districts ineligible for any construction aid. The new law guaranteed construction aid for every school district in New Jersey. The minimum level of aid was 40%, and Abbott District

Abbott District

Abbott districts are school districts in New Jersey that are provided remedies to ensure that their students receive public education in accordance with New Jersey’s state constitution. They were created in 1985 as a result of the first ruling of Abbott v. Burke, a case filed by the Education Law...

s received 100% of eligible costs.

Cost overruns and charges of corruption led to criticism of the SCC. Delays and added costs led to unfinished buildings and the lack of funds to complete existing and planned projects.