Belleville School Budget Voted Down,Three Win Board Seats

Only five percent of registered voters came out Tuesday to reject the $63.5 million 2013-14 school budget by nearly 70 votes, while three candidates gained three, three-year Board of Education seats running unopposed.

The small percentage of residents voted down the school budget 464 to 377.

The budget raises taxes an average of $277 for a home assessed at the township average.

John Rivera won a second term, but finished third in votes with 508, while newcomers Raymond Kuebler and Lillian Torres garnered 517 and 540 votes, respectively.

The school budget will now go before the Belleville Township Council, and the council will decide on an amount to reduce the spending plan.

Despite the budget defeat, Rivera said "We will have a united board, which is a good situation. Lillian and Ray are great additions, and I expect good things to continue."

Torres smiled when asked about garnering the most votes and said, "I am excited to be able to serve the community and work with this board, and help us move forward."

Kuebler said, "It feels good to be able to give back to the community, and we need to help improve facilities and strengthen are infrastructure as we look to improve education."

The board is spending $507,000 on armed security officers and other equipment upgrades for each district school after the Connecticut shooting last December.

Rivera reiterated Tuesday that he was proud to run with Kuebler, an accountant who he believes can help with the financial issues of the schools, and Torres, a very active member of the football parents and an employee with the county Freeholders office.

In his first term, Rivera twice chaired the school budget committee and both budgets with no tax increase were approved by voters.

With an April election, Belleville is now one of the few school districts left in New Jersey that did not vote to shift its election to November.

That change precludes a public vote on the budget, officials said.