“Invaluable Pillar”: Ridgewood Students Rally to Save Beloved Coach Amid Looming Teacher Layoffs
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
RIDGEWOOD, NJ — The Ridgewood school budget debate has moved from the boardroom to the wrestling mat. As the district grapples with a $134 million budget and the grim reality of staff reductions, the community is rising up to protect one of its own.
A viral petition has captured the hearts of residents, garnering over 900 signatures in just days. The goal? To stop the layoff of Mr. Franklin, a physical education teacher at Benjamin Franklin Middle School and a transformational assistant coach for the Ridgewood Wrestling program.
A Program at Risk: The Impact of Coach Franklin
The movement was sparked by student Matteos Meschian, who describes Franklin as more than just an educator. According to the petition, Franklin is an “invaluable pillar” whose mentorship has redefined the wrestling program in a remarkably short time.
“Without Coach Franklin, many wrestlers wouldn’t be the wrestlers or people they are today,” Meschian wrote, echoing the sentiments of hundreds of parents and student-athletes who view the coach as a vital mentor.
The Math Behind the Cuts: Why Layoffs are Looming
Ridgewood, like many districts across New Jersey, is facing a perfect storm of rising health insurance premiums and soaring maintenance costs.
The 2024-2025 Budget Breakdown:
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Total Budget: $134 million.
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Tax Levy Increase: Nearly 4%.
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Average Homeowner Impact: An increase of approximately $527 per year.
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The Goal: Superintendent Dr. Mark Schwarz noted that while the district aims to avoid class sizes exceeding 30 students, staff reductions appear necessary to balance the books.
Critics of the current system point back to the decision to move school budget votes away from the public, a move that some say led to the “dire” financial position the district finds itself in today.
The District Responds to Public Outcry
The wave of advocacy hasn’t gone unnoticed. On Monday, a district spokesperson acknowledged the community’s passion, stating that officials are “thanking everyone who has reached out” regarding Coach Franklin.
“The district is taking their examples under consideration as it works to reduce positions without losing some of our valued staff members, like Coach Franklin,” the spokesperson added.
While the statement offers a glimmer of hope, it also underscores the difficult “zero-sum” game administrators must play: saving one position often means cutting another.
Not much you residents can do , Ridgewood Voters gave up the Ridgewood to vote on the school budget despite dire warning from critics of the move .
What’s Next: How to Get Involved
The Ridgewood Board of Education is expected to feel the heat at the next public meeting. Residents are encouraged to attend and share their thoughts on the budget priorities.
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Next Board Meeting: Monday, March 18, 2026.
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Location: Education Center / Board Room.
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Health insurance increases are not part of a “perfect storm”
The benefit package is unreasonable and expensive and the state health plan is in a death spiral.
Teachers need to pick up that $500 increase or decrease benefits
The board negotiated 3.5% increase year over year for five years.
The tax can only increase by 2% every year.
They “make up” fake banked caps to increase taxes beyond 2%.. but there is a limit to do that. At some point the math doesn’t work anymore and some people have to be let go?
Teacher shortages continue to impact school systems across the country, including here in New Jersey. As districts struggle to recruit and retain qualified educators, it is important to recognize that the profession’s long-term sustainability depends on how we value those who serve in it.
Efforts that undermine teacher compensation and benefits only make the profession less attractive to prospective candidates and more difficult for experienced educators to remain. If we are serious about addressing the growing shortage, the focus must be on strengthening support, ensuring competitive pay, and reinforcing the respect and stability that educators deserve.
At the same time, we must acknowledge a key underlying driver of these pressures: the escalating cost of healthcare in both the public and private sectors. Out-of-control healthcare expenses continue to strain budgets, often placing school systems in the position of making difficult tradeoffs that impact employee compensation and benefits.
If we are truly committed to solving the teacher shortage, this is the issue that must be addressed. Without confronting rising healthcare costs, efforts to improve recruitment and retention will remain an uphill battle—and the shortage will persist.
Your 4 paragraphs do nothing to solve the issue. Every industry and everyone is affected by these healthcare costs, but the immediate issue is the budget, and cuts need to be made. THAT is the only solution. There is fat everywhere; it just needs to be cut out.
The budget pre-covid was ~$100m. We are now staring at ~$134m. When Biden and Murphy were shoveling money our way, the BoE hired and spent, hired and spent. What should have been done was to bank the money for a rainy day (like today). We did not. So, here we are. We must reduce the size of the beast. If bigger class sizes are the cost, so be it.
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“Not much you residents can do , Ridgewood Voters gave up the Ridgewood to vote on the school budget despite dire warning from critics of the move”
A disaster all the way around brought to Ridgewood by
One Village One Vote!
Never forget the people who took your voting right away!
Siobhan Crann Winograd
Bob Fuhrman
Matthew Lindenberg
Stacey Loscalzo
Deborah Steinbaum
and the Ridgewood League of Women Voters
We need less administrators and more teachers.