Petition to the Ridgewood Board of Education

Request for the Removal of the Superintendent of Schools

On September 28, the Ridgewood Board of Education will vote on the renewal of Ridgewood Public Schools Superintendent Mark Schwarz for five years, with a proposed annual salary increase from $260k to $315k. That would place Schwarz in the top 5 highest paid public school superintendents in the sate. We, the undersigned residents, parents, taxpayers, and members of the Ridgewood community, respectfully petition the Ridgewood Board of Education to take immediate action to terminate the employment of the Superintendent of Schools.

Our request is not made lightly. The Superintendent occupies the highest administrative position in our public school system and is entrusted with the responsible management of district operations, facilities, finances, personnel, and resources. With that authority comes accountability.

We have lost confidence in the Superintendent's ability to fulfill these responsibilities effectively. His tenure has been marked by a series of missteps and lack of accountability, lack of communication, and lack of response to the concerns of the community. Dr. Schwarz has consistently demonstrated he is tone-deaf to the needs of the community. He has also failed to demonstrate the ability to plan for, and successfully implement, strategic decisions. 

Concerns Regarding Budget and Staffing Priorities
Earlier this year, the Superintendent eliminated several teaching positions and student club programs, citing higher operating costs, yet subsequently hired childcare staff for a new before-and after-school childcare program. While childcare is a valuable service for families, these decisions warrant a clear explanation of how the District allocates resources and prioritizes classroom instruction. The loss of clubs limits opportunities for students to pursue their interests, develop friendships, and participate in school life, particularly those who do not participate in athletics. Residents deserve to understand the financial rationale behind these decisions and what alternatives were considered to preserve teaching positions and student activities. 

Failure to Properly Manage the Ridgewood High School Turf Fields
Of particular concern is the District's handling of the artificial turf athletic fields at Ridgewood High School.

The turf fields were not adequately maintained, and subsequent testing determined that the hardness of the playing surfaces had reached a level deemed unsafe for student-athletes.

Equally troubling was the timing of the District's response. Testing of the fields occurred too late in the summer to allow sufficient time to address the problem and have the fields ready for the beginning of the fall athletic season.

This was not an unforeseeable scheduling issue. Athletic fields are essential school facilities used by hundreds of Ridgewood students, and the fall athletic season occurs at the same time every year. The condition of these fields should have been monitored, tested, maintained, and addressed sufficiently in advance of the season to ensure that they were safe and available when our students returned.

The result was an avoidable disruption to Ridgewood High School's athletic programs and the students, coaches, teams, and families who depend upon these facilities.

The situation raises serious questions about:

·   Whether appropriate maintenance protocols for the turf fields were established and followed;

·   When District administrators first became aware of concerns regarding the condition and hardness of the fields;

·   Why safety testing was not conducted sufficiently early to permit corrective action before the fall athletic season;

·   Who was responsible for monitoring the condition and maintenance of the fields;

·   Whether recommendations or warnings concerning the fields were provided to District leadership and, if so, when;

·   What expenditures will now be required because the problems were not addressed earlier; and

·   What measures have been implemented to prevent a similar failure from occurring again.

These are not merely questions about athletics. They are questions about student safety, responsible management, planning, accountability, and stewardship of taxpayer-funded school facilities.

Loss of Confidence in District Leadership
The Superintendent is ultimately responsible for the administration of the school district. Residents should reasonably expect the District's leadership to identify foreseeable facility and safety issues, establish appropriate systems for maintaining school property, and ensure that necessary inspections and testing occur with enough time to correct problems before they disrupt student programs.

We believe the handling of the Ridgewood High School turf fields represents a serious failure of administrative oversight and planning and has contributed to a loss of public confidence in the Superintendent's leadership.

Ridgewood has historically demanded high standards from its schools and school leadership. Our students, teachers, coaches, families, and taxpayers deserve an administration that demonstrates sound judgment, effective planning, transparency, accountability, and responsible stewardship of public resources.

Our Request to the Board of Education
Accordingly, we call upon the Ridgewood Board of Education to exercise its authority and responsibility as the governing body of the school district and terminate the Superintendent's employment and begin the process of selecting new leadership for Ridgewood Public Schools.

We further call upon the Board to provide the public with a complete accounting of the circumstances surrounding the Ridgewood High School turf fields, including the maintenance history of the fields, inspection and testing dates and results, communications concerning their condition, expenditures associated with remediation or replacement, and the individuals or entities responsible for monitoring and maintaining the facilities.

The residents of Ridgewood entrust our school officials with both our children and substantial public resources. With that trust must come accountability.

Our students deserved safe fields on the first day of the fall athletic season. Our community deserves to know why that did not happen and who was accountable for ensuring that it did.

For these reasons, we respectfully ask the Ridgewood Board of Education to act. Do not allow the district to be damaged for another five years and not another day.