Livingston Schools Face $1.3M Budget Shortfall; State Aid Will Help

LIVINGSTON, NJ — Livingston school administrators gave the community a financial update about their 2024-2025 spending plan this week.

The good news? If Gov. Phil Murphy’s latest state aid proposal crosses the finish line, it will help the Livingston Public School District close the gap on a $1.3 million budget shortfall, administrators say.

The Livingston Board of Education heard a presentation about the district’s early spending plan in February, which cited a potential property tax hike of about $193 on a home assessed at $721,238. See Related: Property Taxes In Livingston (See Latest 5-Year Breakdown)

All programs and staffing are currently in place for the 2023-2024 school year, administrators said. Read More: Early Livingston School Budget Would Mean Tax Hike For Homeowners

Last week, the governor’s office released its aid projections for K-12 schools for fiscal year 2025. Livingston schools would get $9,827,185 in state aid, which is up from this year’s $8,787,890 (an 11.83 percent increase). See Related: Livingston Schools May Get More State Aid – Here's How Much

The boost in state aid would be a big help in this year’s budget, Livingston school administrators said Monday.

A budget presentation from the district included the following updates:

• “State aid had been budgeted flat (0% increase)”
• “We had been working on a $1.3 million shortfall for 2024-25”
• “The $1 million increase in state aid reduces the shortfall to about $270,000 at this time”
• “If we are to add new positions and programs into the 2024-25 budget, we must first reduce expenses by $270,000 plus the costs of the requested additions”

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