The Livingston Board of Education presented the 2023-2024 calendar at its March 8 meeting.The meeting was a hybrid format held in-person and on Zoom. It can also be viewed on the Livingston Township, NJ Facebook page.School Year to Start Sept. 5Superintendent Matt Block presented the 2023-2024 calendar to the Board for the first time at the meeting. It is not yet subject to a vote.The 2023-2024 school year is scheduled to begin with two professional development days on August 30 and 31. Students will begin September 5, which is the day after Labor Day.Block explained his reasoning behind the start dates. “We have our two beginning-of-the-year professional development days for teachers that are scheduled for August, which is prior to Labor Day,” Block said. “That’s not always the case, but it has been more often in recent years, and this particularly allows us to keep the February break.”The calendar features a new professional development day for the celebration of the Muslim Holiday Eid al-Fitr, which takes place on April 10.“We had several members of the Livingston Muslim community approach us to add this holiday to our school calendar as a day off for students,” Block said. “I think it’s important that we recognize that Islam is the second largest religion in the world after Christianity, and I am recommending that we add it to the [2023-24] calendar, [for two reasons], one, based on the importance of the holiday, and also recognizing our growing Muslim population here in Livingston.”The amount of built-in snow days will increase to three days. In most recent years, the school calendar included two built-in snow days.The 2023-24 spring break will be April 1 through 5. There will also be two partial days on April 22 and 23 to accommodate students who celebrate Passover. Some members of the public, including Cindy Goldstein, think the district can do more to recognize the Passover holiday.“I’m very disappointed that the choice was to prioritize February break [over] the holiday,” Goldstein said. “As far as I’m aware of, the Jewish community is still a very large community in Livingston.”Board member Samantha Messer suggested reconsidering parentteacher conferences in April. Block said he will revisit the calendar and make any necessary changes.“I just want to touch base with the principals and see what we might do differently and I’ll send the Board a revised calendar before putting it out,” Block said.
