Lacey School Board Member Tom DeBlass Steps Down

LACEY, NJ — Tom DeBlass resigned this week from the Lacey Township Board of Education. Several concerned citizens criticized DeBlass at July 15's board meeting for not attending some of the sessions.

DeBlass owns Ocean County Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and frequently travels to teach seminars. He was teaching a kid's seminar for charity in Costa Rica when Patch spoke with him Thursday.

"I am scheduled to be away to teach seminars during the next few board meetings," DeBlass said. "I was concerned with this when I first started this. But I was told, 'Don't worry. You can make every other one. You're OK.' My concern was that I wouldn't have enough time, and sure enough, that's just the truth."

Frank Horvath stepped down from the board earlier this year. So the BOE has two vacancies and three members whose terms end this year: Board President Shawn J. Giordano, Vice President Nicholas Mirandi and Board Member Linda A. Downing. The BOE has seven electable positions.

Read more: How To Run For Lacey School Board This Year

Ocean County's deadline for candidates to file a nominating petition is July 29. But DeBlass resignation came after the county deadline for his position to appear on the ballot: July 15. That means his vacancy won't be on the Nov. 5 ballot.

The BOE will appoint DeBlass's replacement in the coming months, said Superintendent Dr. Vanessa P. Clark. The board will publicly advertise the position, evaluate candidates and hold public interviews, she said. DeBlass's term was set to end in 2020.

The board will hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. July 29 in the high school lecture hall.

Giordano stood up for DeBlass, without mentioning him by name, at the last meeting. But he said the board would have to figure out how to move forward.

"This board needs to sit here collectively and determine how we're going to move forward with that individual," Giordano said. "I don't think it's fair to the individual, given why the attendance is what it is and the reasons behind missing the meetings — it's not because the person doesn't care."

DeBlass said he came to the decision to resign on his own.

"(Board members) tried to say, 'Oh, it's no big deal,'" DeBlass said. "But it is a big deal. Nobody's asking me to do this. This is something that I think I need to do."

The school district has faced a difficult year with upcoming state budget cuts. Lacey's school district is set to receive a $623,156 cut in state funding for next school year, decreasing the budget by 2.97 percent to $20,347,244.

DeBlass says stepping down from the BOE may give him the opportunity to help the district more.

"There were a lot of things so far out of my control, I felt handcuffed," DeBlass said. "Then my business and brand had been growing more than ever. But a part of me was thankful it has since some meetings got very uncomfortable for me. In my business with my name and pull, I'm able to donate a ton and give back."

Watch July 15's full BOE meeting below:

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