United Arab Emirates Donation to Address Technology Needs at Hoboken Schools

Hoboken public schools are set to benefit from a $4.5 million donation made by the United Arab Emirates to the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund, the city announced Monday.

The UAE, which has a long track record of international philanthropic giving following natural disasters, reached out to Gov. Chris Christie shortly after Superstorm Sandy to offer assistance and monetary aid that would help as many hard-hit communities and individuals across the state as possible, Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund spokeswoman Eileen Lofrese said.

She said UAE’s ambassador worked closely with the Sandy Relief Fund to develop a project, announced Monday at Highlands Elementary School in Monmouth County, to distribute the $4.5 million donation across 30 significantly impacted schools in nine districts across the state to both rebuild and repair technological infrastructure that was damaged in the storm and even help schools exceed pre-Sandy conditions.

"The entire world was touched by the devastation caused by Superstorm Sandy last year,” UAE Ambassador to the United States Yousef Al Otaiba said in a statement. "Given the scope of this disaster, we felt it was important to provide assistance. This program will be a small piece to help dozens of schools and thousands of kids around New Jersey by repairing and upgrading schools that were hit by the storm."

The donation can be used address technology needs ranging from wiring and hardware for instructional areas to the acquisition of mobile computing devices for faculty and students at Hoboken High School, Joseph F. Brandt School, Salvatore R. Calabro School, Thomas G. Connors and Wallace Elementary School.

Board of Education President Leon Gold, who attended the donation announcement Monday with Mayor Dawn Zimmer and personally thanked Al Otaiba for his country’s generosity, said he was thrilled about the donation.

“What’s so wonderful about this is that it not only affects our physical plan but the technology needs of our students, so it’s proactive and retroactive,” he said, calling the gift “extremely generous.”

“There were a lot of programs we wanted to put into place that we couldn’t, and now this lets us have a lot more flexibility with our technology innovations,” Gold continued.

The exact amount each Hoboken school will receive has yet to be determined, but Lofrese said the figures would be made public in the near future.

Gold said the amount the district ultimately receives will determine what technology projects it will undertake with the money.