Parents, students urge Ridgewood board to keep popular coach as budget cuts loom

Dozens of students and parents pressed the Ridgewood Board of Education on Monday to reverse staffing decisions they said would damage programs and student supports, centering their appeals on a wellness teacher and assistant wrestling coach whose contract the district did not plan to renew.

The superintendent, Dr. Schwarz, told the meeting the district is facing an unusually tight budget driven by “extraordinary increases in health care costs” and sliding state aid, and said leaders have tried to protect core student programs where possible. “We have some folks who…we will not have a position for them next year,” he said, adding that “pain is somewhat unavoidable” as the district works to close its budget gap.

Students described the teacher they want reinstated as a mentor whose work reaches beyond the classroom. “Coach Franklin is one of the most important individuals at RPS,” said student Matteos Mestin, urging the board to reconsider. Other students and parents testified about petitions and signatures collected in hours: one speaker said the petition in support of the coach surpassed 1,100 signatures.

Parents and community members framed their appeals both as arguments about local priorities and as practical objections to how the district is balancing personnel and administrative spending. “I am here requesting transparency in the budget,” said parent Bonita Shimky, who asked the board to publish aggregate comparisons showing instructional versus central‑office reductions and questioned the need to backfill senior administrative roles.

Board members and the superintendent said they heard the pleas and would continue to search for vacancies and efficiencies that could spare staff positions. Dr. Schwarz apologized for missteps in communications in other areas (see separate coverage of ITDC) and urged the public to submit detailed information to help the district explore alternatives.

What happens next: the board said it will present a final budget — with full detail on proposed reductions and savings — at a May 4 meeting and vote on the budget that night. Until the board votes, personnel notices will remain provisional; the administration said it will attempt to reassign staff to vacancies when possible. The meeting ended without a decision to reinstate any individual employee.

Community reaction: speakers repeatedly urged the board to look first for cuts to non‑classroom administrative costs and to consider the ripple effects of losing staff who also coach, advise and lead youth programs. The public testimony underscored the political and human tensions of local budget choices: many speakers emphasized that budget numbers on a spreadsheet do not capture the mentoring, continuity and student‑support roles school staff provide.