Dive Brief:

• The state of New Jersey says it is going to put $508 million into a school construction program that will reach more than half of the state's districts.
• The state said it is paying all the costs in poor districts and 40% in others, and local contributions will put the building program at more than $1 billion.
• The money is coming from a 2008 education bond issue, and the construction is targeted at problems with school health and safety or overcrowding.

Dive Insight:

The program will involve a total of more than 1,500 projects in 331 school districts. of those, 31 are considered poor enough to qualify for complete state funding. The state has 590 operating school districts in the current year, and they have 2,492 schools, according to state figures.