At its Tuesday meeting, the Livingston Board of Education heard a presentation on the Livingston High School class of 2024 graduates, led by head LHS counselor Sinead Crews and school counselor Nicole Rothman.
Highlights from the previous year include an update of the LHS school profile, hosting multiple instant decision days to both four-year and two-year colleges, and the addition of the different workshops related to college admission.
The class of2024 submitted 5,481 applications to 402 colleges, 34 less than that of the class of 2023. On average, each student submitted 11.3 applications. The class of 2024 was o> □ cn □ acceptedto 341 different institutions, and students are currently attending 140 different schools.
There was a slight decrease in college acceptances in the class of2024 when compared to the previous year. “We had 116 fewer acceptances to 36 fewer colleges,” Rothman said. “Upon further review of our data, our results remain consistent with prior LHS admissions trends in that students were acceptedto approximately 66% of the colleges they applied to, on average.”
Looking ahead to next year, the district plans to audit college and post-secondary planning websites to determine updates and enhancements. The district also plans to continue implementing feedback from parents and graduates while continuing its outreach with various colleges and post-secondary programs to better serve the students.
The current class of2025 shows a slight increase in the number of applications submitted, but this could be attributed to the class size being slightly larger than that of the previous year’s class.
Crews and Rothman also shared updates to the college application standardized testing process. The SAT has moved to a completely digital assessment since last spring, while the ACT will begin its digital roll-out this upcoming spring. With these tests moving online, each of the exams are shorter with fewer questions.
Budget Discussions
The Board plans to adopt a preliminary budget at its March 18 meeting. Interim superintendent Daniel Fishbein assured that after the preliminary budget deadline, the Board will still have time to make adjustments to it before submitting a finalized budget.
Fishbein noted that the district’s new insurance program is currently yielding higher claims than the premiums paid. Additionally, out of district costs have risen roughly ten percent.
Board president Seth Cohen said, “As we go down this path, the goal remains the same, which is to maintain our programs and to maintain high quality of education that every student deserves and that this community expects. We will do that in a (Continued on Page A-5) balanced way and to the best of our ability, but that does not eliminate the potential need for choice so we have to be open with one another, collaborative and transparent, and we will do that and approve a budget that meets our goals.”
Board Certification
Jeanne Cleary of the New Jersey School Board Association led a presentation about board certifications. Board member Pam Chirls has completed the program to be a Certified Board Leader, and will be recognized at the annual county meeting this upcoming spring.
The Board also approved an agreement to participate in the cooperative girls’ ice hockey program between the Chatham, Millburn, and Livingston School Districts for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 school years.
The Board will next meet on Tuesday, February 25.
