The board agreed in July to move its election to April, and the promised resolution has not appeared

What happened

Livingston elects its board in November, which under state law means residents do not vote on the school budget. On July 14, 2026 the new superintendent presented what moving to an April election would mean, and the minutes record that the board members agreed with moving the election and that a resolution would be added to the August 20 agenda. It is not on that agenda, nor on the September 8, 23 or 29 agendas, and the minutes for August 20 and September 8 are not published. The board's goals for 2026-27 still describe the move as something to examine. The stakes set out in the presentation are concrete: an April election restores the public vote on the levy and adds April as a sixth date on which a construction referendum can be held, which matters given the April 2027 date the referendum material once carried; it would also shorten three sitting members' terms by six months and, the business administrator told the board, the district would have to pay for an April election where November costs it nothing.

Why it matters to families

Whether residents vote on their school taxes, and whether a $228 million referendum can be put to them in April, both turn on this decision. The record shows a board that agreed to it and then, as far as anything published shows, did not do it.

The evidence

The July minutes record 'The board members agreed with moving the election to April' and 'A resolution to move the election from November to April will be added to the August 20 agenda.' No such item appears on the August 20, September 8, September 23 or September 29 agendas.

The source