$228M In Livingston School Upgrades Would Mean Tax Hike For Homeowners

Plans are in the works to put a major school construction referendum before Livingston voters next year. Here are the early numbers.

By Eric Kiefer, Patch Staff

Aug 4, 2026 11:51 AM EDT

The above rendering was part of a public presentation at a Livingston Board of Education meeting. The district is proposing to put a school construction referendum before local voters. (Livingston Board of Education)

LIVINGSTON, NJ — Plans are in the works to put a $227.9 million school construction referendum before Livingston voters next year. If it crosses the finish line, the referendum would come with a tax hike for local homeowners.

The Livingston Board of Education heard a presentation from Phoenix Advisors about the proposal at a recent meeting.

Most of the spending would be for new construction ($154,009,375). The rest of the money would be used for renovation ($60,849,100) and "site work" such as fields, paving and parking lots ($13,115,700).

The proposed work includes building new classrooms, adding a dedicated pre-K center, making athletic field improvements, performing building renovations and making security upgrades.

Some goals of the project include addressing increased student enrollment, creating extra space for academic programs and consolidating district school buses.

A portion of the work may be eligible for state funding, although specific figures weren't available.

An average Livingston homeowner with a property assessed at $729,272 would see their taxes rise by $1,015 to $1,130 annually, depending on the type of bonds issued.

Superintendent Mark Stern said all of the numbers currently being discussed are preliminary.

A referendum election date of April 2027 has been proposed.

The school board was initially presented with two plan options. The board unanimously chose the first option at their June 16 meeting.

The Livingston Board of Education discussed the scope of the proposed work at their June 9 meeting, sharing a list of projects that would take place throughout the district. Watch meeting footage here, or view it below (video is cued to the referendum presentation at the 41:18 mark):

Watch video footage from the July 14 board meeting here, or view it below:

The above chart showing existing debt in Livingston, NJ was shared at a Livingston Board of Education meeting

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