Petition Seeks To Return Beloved Lacey Middle School Music Teacher

LACEY, NJ — Middle school students hope to see the return of a popular teacher who was recently let go from the district.

A new change.org petition, "save mr brausam!!!! greatest music teacher EVER getting fired cause budget cuts :((" has the support of both students and parents, with more than 600 signatures as of Tuesday afternoon.

Joseph Brausam, a music teacher at Mill Pond School, was one of 39 non-tenured district employees let go due to budget cuts for the 2023-24 school year.

READ MORE: What's Staying, What's Cut In 2023 Lacey School District Budget

"He has done countless of good deeds and made everyones day brighter and made everything possible," the petition's description reads. "He taught us how to play ukulele, piano, and more instruments. he always had our back from day one."

Commenters echo that sentiment, with one saying that Brausam was like a dad to him.

"We need teachers like this as role models for our kids," another commenter wrote.

This isn't the first attempt to save Brausam's job. Students came to a Board of Education in May to protest then.

"He's more than just a teacher to us," one student said at the time. "He's like a friend."

At the time, school administration told students there was nothing they could about it, due to tenure rules.

READ MORE: 'More Than A Teacher': Lacey Middle Schoolers Fight Loss Of Educator