Excellent Schools, Great Educators
Students need great teachers and staff around them. I want to understand how Livingston recruits, supports, and keeps strong educators—and what that workforce will require over time.
See the priority →Neal Ashinsky for Livingston Board of Education
Being a parent is what made this personal.
My wife and I chose Livingston in large part because of the opportunities its schools could give our children. Today, my children are in, and entering, Livingston Public Schools. That experience is part of why I care so much about the decisions ahead.
I’m running because I want every Livingston student to have the opportunity to learn, grow, and succeed. I enjoy digging into budgets and asking questions, but those tools only matter if they help us make better decisions for kids, support great educators, and plan responsibly for the years ahead.
Why I’m running
Being a parent made this personal. The responsibility is to every student in Livingston.
I want students to be challenged, supported, and given room to grow. The Board’s work touches the teachers they learn from, the programs and services available to them, the buildings they walk into, and the resources behind all of it. Those decisions affect families across Livingston, not just mine.
I really do enjoy the numbers. Give me a budget, a spreadsheet, or a question that needs digging and I’m happy. But the numbers are only useful if they help us understand what students and educators need, what choices we actually have, and how to plan responsibly as a community.
Meet NealWhy I decided to step forward.Read more about my background, why public education matters to me, and the experience I bring →PrioritiesWhat I’m paying attention to.Four areas that matter because of what they mean for students →Dig deeperFor anyone who wants the footnotes.See the evidence, assumptions, calculations, and open questions →
Priorities
What I’m paying attention to.
These are the four areas I keep coming back to because they shape what students experience in school today and what Livingston will be able to provide in the years ahead.
Sustainable School Finances
A strong school system has to be able to plan beyond the next budget year. I want recurring costs, revenue limits, and tradeoffs understood before they become urgent.
Explore Budget & Levy →Plan Today for Livingston’s Future
Enrollment and facilities decisions can take years to play out. The students who feel the impact may still be in elementary school—or may not have entered our schools yet.
See the priority →Transparency & Community Engagement
Residents should be able to understand what the Board is deciding, what Livingston can control, and where the facts are still uncertain.
See sources and methodology →On my desk right now
Here’s what I’m digging into now.
I tend to ask a lot of questions. These are a few I’m working through now. The deeper pages show what the public record actually says, what I’ve calculated, and what I still don’t know.
Educators & staffing
What helps Livingston attract and keep great educators?
I’m looking at compensation, benefits, staffing, vacancies, retention, and the labor market around us because students feel workforce decisions in the classroom.
See the current work →School finances
How do the major cost pressures fit together?
I’m working through state aid, the local levy, health benefits, tuition, transportation, reserves, and other recurring commitments so the choices are easier to understand.
Explore Budget & Levy →Planning ahead
What will our students need from Livingston in the years ahead?
Enrollment, facilities, capital projects, and financing all take time. I want to understand those choices early enough for the community to have a real conversation about them.
See how Livingston compares →Check the work
The work should stand up to questions.
You may read something here and come to a different conclusion. That’s okay. What matters to me is that you can see the source, understand the calculation, and know when I’m sharing my own judgment. If the evidence does not answer a question yet, I’ll say so.
Preserving Property Values
For me, it means being a careful steward of a school system this community values deeply.
Strong schools are one of the things that make Livingston a desirable place to live and raise a family. For me, Preserving Property Values is a stewardship message: take care of the school system, plan responsibly, and keep students at the center.
It is not a promise that a Board member can control home prices. The responsibility is to make thoughtful decisions about our schools and the opportunities they provide students.