At its Tuesday meeting, the Livingston Board of Education discussed the district’s preliminary budget for the 2025-26 school year. This was just a discussion, and the proposed budget will be voted on at the Board’s March 18 meeting. In May, the Board will approve the final budget.
Interim superintendent of schools Daniel Fishbein underscored that this is only a tentative budget and that there could be changes between now and May.
Budget Highlights
The proposed budget maintains all programs and staffing currently in place, accounts for 3.2 percent salary increases, includes technology upgrades and curriculum updates, and decreases the debt service tax levy.
The preliminary budget also accounts for a saving of $268,225 in health insurance savings; $ 1,353,073 in health care waiver adjustments; $8,482,473 of banked capital; and an operating tax levy of 3.55 percent.
Based on the average home price in Livingston of $729,727, the tax increase will be $305 per year.
The budget also plans for six new high school courses: AP Computer Science: Engineering; Asian American/ Pacific Islander (AAPI) Studies; Chinese 2 Honors; Italian 2 Honors; The Business of Sports and Entertainment; and Data Science Principles.
Added Fees
The planned expansion of the district’s integrated preschool program accounts for an additional $300,000 in revenue.
The district also plans to implement an activity fee at both the middle schools and high school. This fee, $100 per middle schooler and $200 per high schooler, will provide an additional $357,000 in revenue.
Fishbein explained that this fee is once per year.
“You’re not paying for each activity or sport you’re in,” he said. “If you are in three athletic sports and two activities at the high school, it’s still just $200,” he said.
He explained that currently, the middle schools partner with the West Essex YMCAfor sports. Each student pays a fee per sport which provides coaches, and the district provides transportation and administrative work.
“This is something the middle school has wanted to take back under their umbrella, and the student activity fees afford that opportunity,” he commented The district also includes a small increase in the subscription busing costs. The cost will rise from $810 to $900. This will add $90,000 in revenue.
Technology and Security
Some of the technology updates accounted for in the preliminary budget include upgrading computers, Smartboards, phones, and video surveillance throughout the district. It also accounts for an upgrade to the sound board in Mt. Pleasant Middle School’s auditorium.
“Since September [2024], a group of us have been working to look at the security we have, see what improvements we can, make, and pilot some of them before we go live in September [2025],” Fishbein said.
Other security updates include implementing visitor management systems in all district schools, and adding additional technology involved with lockdowns and emergencies.
State Aid
On February 27, the Department of Education announced state aid for Livingston Public Schools will decrease from $9,827,185 to $9,532,369. The difference is $294,816, or 3 percent. While the transportation aid increases by 31.0 percent and the security aid increases by 44.41 percent, the special education aid has decreased by 8.05 percent. In2025-26, LPS will receive $626,297 in special education aid.
BOE president Seth Cohen read from a resolution requesting the state to make adjustments to school funding to address budget constraints. He described it as “an important goal and I certainly hope that our elected leadership will listen and heed the warnings of our challenges and act to help bring them to resolution.”
The full text of the resolution can be found on this page in a separate article.
