State Monitor Makes Decision On Belleville School Budget (UPDATE)

BELLEVILLE, NJ — For the second time in two years, Belleville’s state monitor has shot down a budget vote from the local school board.

The Belleville Board of Education voted to introduce the district’s 2025-2026 budget in March. At the time, the potential increase for the school portion of a property owner’s taxes stood at $358 for a home assessed at $279,900 – with administrators saying that number would come down in the final spending plan. Read More: Belleville School Taxes Could Increase Under Latest Budget

After making cuts, administrators whittled the tax hike down to $126, where it currently stands.

The district’s business administrator said that making any more cuts would likely mean staff reductions. In order to reach an additional $250,000 of savings, the district would have to eliminate between eight and 10 positions.

The spending plan still didn't hold water for the majority of the school board, which voted 6-1 against the administration’s proposed budget on April 28. Read More: Belleville School Board Votes Against Budget With Tax Increase

The vote put the budget under the purview of Thomas Egan, the state monitor assigned to oversee the district’s finances, who has the authority to overrule the board’s vote.

Egan took action earlier this month, informing the school board that he was overturning their vote and approving the 2025-2026 budget – which will come with a 2.93 percent tax increase for local homeowners.

Local watchdog blog Belleville Watch posted about the decision on Monday, commenting that the move should “surprise exactly nobody.”

The New Jersey Department of Education assigned Egan to oversee the financial operations of the Belleville school district in 2014 after a review of the district’s required financial audit revealed serious flaws in its finances, according to state officials.

Last year, the Belleville Board of Education saw a tie vote at the annual budget hearing. That version of the budget would have meant a $171 tax increase for a homeowner with a property valued at $275,000 – which was knocked down from a $413 proposed increase.

The tie vote meant that the district’s proposed budget automatically went back to the “technical review” phase, which included a potential 10.2 percent increase to the local tax levy. After it was sent to Egan for review, the state monitor informed the district that he was exercising his authority over the budget process. The result? Approval for a 6.42 percent tax hike. Read More: School Tax Hike In Belleville; Monitor Makes Decision After Tie Vote

The state monitor has intervened in other decisions involving Belleville schools in the past, recently overruling a 4-3 vote on the School 1 property.

MAYOR: ‘RETURN HOME RULE TO OUR DISTRICT’

Belleville Mayor Michael Melham commented about the recent decision from the state monitor on Tuesday, saying that it was “unfortunate” that the board’s veto of the budget was “forced through.”

“This raises the question I’ve asked for years: if the state monitor can override our locally elected [school] board, why even have a board?” Melham asked.

The mayor advocated for “returning home rule” to the Belleville Public School District.

“Last year, in my 2024 state of the township address, I clearly urged the board to appeal to the state for his removal,” Melham said. “Now, one year later — as the district makes the final payment on the state loan that brought him here — I say it even louder: it’s time to demand his immediate removal.”

• See Related: Watch Belleville Mayor’s 2024 State Of The Township Speech
• See Related: Belleville School District Begins Search For New Superintendent

Property taxes in New Jersey are mainly made up of three parts: school, municipal and county. The average Belleville resident paid $11,273 in property taxes on a home valued at $279,525 last year.

>> Read More: See Average Property Tax Bills In Belleville, Nutley (2025 Update)

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