The board has told its architect to proceed with a $228 million building plan, at about $1,130 a year on the average home

What happened

Livingston's demographer projects 1,116 pupils with nowhere to sit. On June 9, 2026 the architect presented two options and on June 16 the five board members unanimously agreed, by consensus rather than resolution, to proceed with option one: a total project cost of $227,974,175, made up of $175,364,750 of construction plus $52,609,425 of other project costs, before any state aid. It would put a pre-kindergarten centre at Mount Pleasant Elementary, take elementary schools to grade five, move grade six into Heritage Middle School, and add high school athletic fields, a central bus depot, renovations at Monmouth Court and security and technology upgrades; the two largest lines are $65.6 million at Heritage Middle School and $79.3 million at the high school. The district's financial adviser put the cost to a household at $1,129.94 a year on the average home assessed at $729,272 over 25 years at 4.15 percent, or $1,015.02 over 30 years, with no state aid assumed. A vote date of April 20, 2027 appeared in the June material but had been dropped from the August version, and the board's goals for 2026-27 say only that it will choose a date during this school year or early in the next.

Why it matters to families

This is the largest decision facing Livingston, and residents will have the final say because a bond referendum needs their vote. The number to hold on to is the household one: about a thousand dollars a year for a generation, on top of a levy that already rose 6.4 percent this year.

The evidence

The June 16 minutes record that 'The five board members unanimously agreed to give Mr. Barnett permission to proceed with Option 1', and the financing presentation gives '$1,129.94 for Average Home Assessed at $729,272' over 25 years at 4.15 percent against a 'Total $227,974,175.00 / Note: Does not include Debt Service Aid'.

The source