UPDATED 4:45 p.m.

School No. 10 Home and School President Jeanne Lombardi plans to run for the Belleville Board of Education this April 17, she told Patch Tuesday.

Accompanied by Board President Pete Zangari – who is running for re-election, as expected, and whom she will run alongside – Lombardi pulled her petition at the BOE office Tuesday morning. She will vie to fill the seat of Judy Piscatowski, who is not expected to run again once her three-year term ends; attempts to reach Piscatowski were unsuccessful.

Lombardi considered declaring her candidacy previously, but decided to do this year because she wanted “to be a part of the picture. The Board of Education has made a lot of progress and I want to be a part of that progress.”

In addition to serving as the School No. 10 HSA president the past eight years, Lombardi also led the Belleville Middle School HSA simultaneously for two years. Her activity around town includes memberships with the Belleville Holiday Tree Lighting Committee, the Belleville/Nutley Parade Committee and the Bellwood Civic Association.

“I'm extremely thankful and enthusiastic about having Jeanne Lombardi as a running mate,” Zangari said. “During my tenure on the Board, I have worked very closely with jeanne. She's someone who's very involved and someone that's not afraid to pick up the phone and ask a question or verify something, as opposed to assuming.

“She's an extremely hard worker and will be an asset not only to the district, but the whole town.”

In seeking a second term as BOE president Zangari, who ascended from vice president last May 2, noted that during his tenure on the Board he has helped the district survive respective budget cuts from the Municipal Council and the state to install a second vice principal at Belleville High School and a vice principal at Belleville Middle School.

In addition, Zangari also noted the outsourcing of information technology to improve service while saving the district funds, as well as revamping the entire district policy manual and including a regulations manual in his post as BOE Policy Chairman.

“In retrospect, I looked at what we've accomplished since we've been elected,” Zangari said. “I just wanted to continue the positive momentum that we are continuing to have.”