Belleville School Board Candidate Profile: Kyle Lu

BELLEVILLE, NJ — Belleville residents have a big choice to make in November: who will serve on the board of education?

Belleville is among the New Jersey towns holding a school board contest as part of the 2026 general election. Four candidates have filed to run for two open seats on the Belleville Board of Education, including Kyle Lu.

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Lu, 18, recently shared some background about his qualifications and plans if elected with Patch. Learn more about his campaign here.

PATCH: What qualifications and background make you a good fit for the position?

KYLE LU: My qualifications for the position include my first-hand experience attending Belleville's educational system, as well as my teaching background and passion for advocating for the needs of students. I was born and raised in Belleville, attending Saint Peter's School starting PreK-3 and then moving on to School #3 in the 5th grade. My parents decided to enroll me into an online private school at the height of the COVID pandemic, where I completed my middle and high school years. In 2022, I was accepted to Bard College at Simon's Rock at the age of 14, where I pursued a bachelors of arts in history and geography. During my college years, I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to travel to Montserrat in the Caribbean to study at their field center for two months, as well as spend a year studying abroad at the University of Edinburgh. I completed my degree magna cum laude this past May and am currently employed as a middle school history and special education teacher in Newark.

Prior to my current full-time teaching position, I also held summer teaching assistant positions with Johns Hopkins University's Center for Talented Youth (CTY) at the Speyer School in NYC and a local Kumon Learning Center in New Jersey. I spent my summer college breaks observing how students vary in their learning styles and the individualized and unique approaches educators take to ensure their academic, social, and emotional needs are met. The culture of learning and excellence in these settings were felt in every interaction. It was very encouraging to see how students grow so much in such a short period with the proper resources. Having said that, I truly believe that it is imperative that educators and administrators are held up to a high bar and I show up to my work as an educator with this mindset every day.

Moreover, I am a good fit for this position as I wholeheartedly believe that it is now my turn to give back to my community. I am excited and proud to return back to my hometown of Belleville and apply the skills and lessons I have learned in various educational systems. Last but not least, I am also vested in running for this position because my youngest brother is still attending the Belleville public school system. I have witnessed my parents advocate for our needs throughout the years and with my teaching experience and academic background, I feel confident that I can apply out of the box critical thinking and bring new ideas to the Board of Education. I will voice the priorities and concerns of parents, ensuring every student in the district has the resources to succeed in our school system and beyond.

PATCH: What are your plans if elected?

KYLE LU: If elected to the Board of Education, my overall goals are three-fold. First, I would make it a priority to work with my fellow members to go the extra mile to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely. One of the biggest complaints amongst taxpayers in this town is that the district’s budget has been increasing exponentially throughout the years, more recently primarily due to rising health care costs. As a result, this past May, the district cut multiple staff positions including mental health professionals that had significant roles in ensuring the mental wellness of our students. If elected, I will review every line item and advocate that the district take more creative approaches to lowering costs and increasing revenue. More importantly, I would also ensure that hiring practices are ethical and salaries are commensurate with experience and applied uniformly throughout the district. Bottom line, hiring practices must be free of any conflict of interests and transparent to Belleville taxpayers.

Secondly, I would keep the school administration accountable for implementing robust curriculum and testing preparation resources for our students as well as continue to support initiatives that cultivate a culture of excellence and leadership amongst students. It is well-known that our community is composed of a high percentage of economically disadvantaged students and has one of the lowest state testing and SAT scores. However, I would argue that regardless of these statistics, it is ultimately our responsibility as educators, administrators, and board of education trustees to work tirelessly together to find alternative strategies to address the needs of our student population.

Thirdly, I would like to propose creating a Belleville alumni mentoring network that would focus on 1-1 mentoring for our high school students. Mentorship has been a crucial part of my academic and professional development and I truly believe that Belleville alumni possess a wealth of knowledge including career advice that they would be glad to share with the next generation of Belleville leaders. I have seen and participated in various mentorship models that could also provide invaluable support to our own high school students.

PATCH: What is one thing about the Belleville school district that always makes you smile?

KYLE LU: Driving by Belleville High School always puts a smile on my face as it brings back many happy memories of my childhood. From attending community events to participating in wrestling practices and matches, the high school is a place that holds many of my core memories. It is an amazing feeling to be able to return to this location as an educator with the possibility of being an advocate of the needs and interests of Belleville students!

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