By LUIS PUGA
Courier-Post Staff
CAMDEN

As it will for 16 new schools, an excavator's arm marked a new beginning for the city's school district at Wednesday's groundbreaking ceremony for a $17 million Early Childhood Development Center.

The new facility at Pine and Magnolia streets is the first of the district's new school projects funded by $437 million in Abbott funds. Abbott funds are mandated by a Supreme Court decision on financial aid for the state's 30 neediest districts. Apart from Camden, there are three other Abbott districts in the tri-county area: Gloucester City, Burlington City and Pemberton Township.

Said Superintendent Annette Knox: "Breaking ground for the Early Childhood Development Center represents a new beginning for the Camden City Public School District and academic opportunities for our students in a 21st century, cutting-edge facility that will include adequate space to accommodate more than basic needs."

The 79,688-square-foot center, expected to be completed in 2006, will serve pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students in the city's Parkside neighborhood as well as special needs children throughout the district.

In all, 440 students are expected to be housed in the two-story building that will have 37 classrooms, 10 small-group rooms, a gym, a media center and more.

State Sen. Wayne Bryant, D-Lawnside, said the new facility and the other new schools are evidence of the state's and Gov. James E. McGreevey's commitment to the city.

"The key to me is with all this lip service to No Child Left Behind, the governor is demonstrating it here with this facility," Bryant said. "Here, in the most impoverished city the state, we are not leaving any child behind."

The hope for such schools is not only that they benefit students, but help to steer the city toward economic recovery.

"Every mall needs an anchor store," said Bart Leff, the district's public information officer, using a business metaphor to explain the benefits of the new school.

Bryant noted the new schools bring construction jobs tied to training programs for residents as well.

For Warren Sykes, Board of Education president, the new schools are an opportunity to get parents more involved in their children's education.

"Everyone likes to come and see something new," he said.

Sykes said the new school is evidence of a massive collaboration, including the district, city, state and community organizations.

"Those individual entities knew what was right and pulled together," he said. "Everybody was involved and no one knew secrets and everybody had a say."

Leff said there are four or five other new school construction projects that are in different stages of development. No specific dates have been set as to when those projects will break ground.