Livingston Schools, Council Plan For Future Growth In Township

LIVINGSTON, NJ — The Livingston Town Council and the Livingston Board of Education are two separate entities. They each have their own budgets … their own challenges … their own priorities. But very often, these things overlap, officials say.

And that’s when it comes in handy to cooperate.

The Livingston Public School District recently gave an update on its ongoing effort to collaborate with the municipal government for the good of the township (see list below).

The school board’s liaison committee met with town manager Barry Lewis and council members Al Anthony and Ed Meinhardt on Sept. 4. The meeting included a discussion about two concerns that have been cropping up in previous talks: enrollment trends in schools and upcoming real estate development projects.

According to a statement from the school district, some meeting highlights included:

• An update on development projects in the Township, during which Township officials agreed to share a spreadsheet of development projects and their projected timelines with the Interim Superintendent. The Township discussed sidewalks and road improvements that are required under development agreements.
• Review of the details for the sharing of Monmouth Court, which included information on how the property would have to be partitioned for Open Space requirements.
• Discussion on how to best use land at the Livingston High School complex, including the old recreation building and current Department of Public Works storage areas, for future facilities projects in the district.
• Review of school facilities projects that took place over the summer, including parking lot resurfacing and sidewalk improvements.
• An update on the Township’s Safe Routes to School grant submissions to improve certain intersections.
• Discussion of the long-term goal of having secure school bus storage, during which township officials asked that the Board of Education reconsider a former plan for a bus depot behind the Central Office.
• Discussion on updating the formal shared services agreement between the Township and Livingston Public Schools, which includes grass cutting, use of facilities, snow removal, etc.
• Scheduling of a 5:5 Town Council/Board of Education meeting on November 11.
• An update on the work of the Long Range Facility Planning Committee. During this discussion, board members noted that they will meet with the district’s Finance and Facilities Committee to discuss the next steps since the Long Range Facilities Committee completed its work in June. The district will present the Finance and Facilities Committee’s recommendations to the Long Range Facilities Planning Committee members before presenting them to the community.
• Discussion on continuing a partnership that allows Livingston High School students to serve as poll workers.

The district’s liaison committee includes interim superintendent Dan Fishbein, and Board of Education members Pam Chirls and Seth Cohen.

“The district’s priority is to work in partnership with the Board of Education and the Township Council to serve the needs of both current and future students,” Fishbein said.

“We remain committed to working with township officials to find ways to maintain the outstanding quality of our schools as our population grows,” Fishbein continued. “We will continue to discuss how we can best collaborate around physical space issues. To remain on the cutting edge and to meet our commitment to our students, our facilities must support the work ahead of us.”

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