The Livingston Board of Education is advancing a proposed $227.9 million school construction referendum that would raise the average homeowner's taxes by more than $1,000 a year.

The board discussed its goals for the 2026-27 school year at its Tuesday, Sept. 8, meeting, with the referendum pathway topping the agenda. Superintendent Mark Stern told the board that the district's Long-Range Facilities Plan, now in its second year of development, will require a community vote before any construction begins.

A referendum election date of April 2027 has been proposed. The work would include new classrooms, a dedicated pre-K center, athletic field improvements, building renovations and security upgrades, according to an Aug. 4 Patch report. An average homeowner with a property assessed at $729,272 would pay an additional $1,015 to $1,130 per year, depending on the type of bonds issued. Stern has described all figures as preliminary.

Before the referendum reaches voters, the board must vote on facility recommendations. The district's architect would then submit documentation to the state Department of Education for approval and potential funding.

The board is also weighing whether to move board elections to April, a shift that could align the budget process with a referendum vote.

Board member Seth Cohen requested that planning for upcoming contract negotiations be added to the district's budgetary goals.

"It is going to be both a challenging but productive year," Cohen said.

Budget planning for the 2027-28 school year is already underway.

Phone ban off to a good start

Student representative Steve Perez reported that the district-wide phone ban, which took effect with the start of classes, has been successful so far. The board voted to adopt the "bell to bell" policy at its Aug. 20 meeting. Stern said at that meeting that the ban covers "smart phones, smart watches, smart glasses, tablets, bluetooth enabled headphones and earbuds," according to the West Essex Tribune.

New strategic plan on deck

The current five-year strategic plan expires after this school year. Stern said the district will develop a replacement covering 2027 through 2031. The district plans to gather input from across the community before finalizing the plan.

The district also outlined several internal goals for the year, according to the West Essex Tribune. Natalie Topylko, director of secondary curriculum, said the middle schools will develop a new grading and reporting handbook this year, following a similar revision at Livingston High School last year. Shawn Kelly, principal of Heritage Middle School and the district's safety specialist, said the safety team meets quarterly to review security plans.

The board has completed 11 of 16 required credits toward New Jersey School Board Association (NJSBA) certification and aims to finish the remaining training this year.

The board's next meeting is Sept. 29.