Parents Press Glen Rock BOE on Equity in Coaches’ Stipends

The Glen Rock Board of Education met on September 29, 2025, for a session that drew heavy public comment over inequities in the district’s coaching stipend structure. Superintendent Dr. Brett Charleston was not in attendance.

The most contentious discussion of the night centered on agenda item P23, the approval of stipends for winter sports coaches. Several parents addressed the board during public comment, challenging the fairness of a tiering system that has been in place since 1991 and 1992 and has changed little over more than three decades. They argued that the system undervalues large programs like Winter Track while awarding higher stipends to smaller teams.

Parents highlighted the scale of the Winter Track program, which brings together about 70 athletes across boys and girls teams competing in nearly 20 events. They pointed out that its head coaches are paid the same as the bowling coach, who oversees a team of 13. One parent said, “Meets are like nine hours long, and that’s being paid the same as bowling. I just hope that you somehow get it on a path to start addressing this issue.”

Another parent questioned the criteria behind the stipends, noting that last year’s Boys Winter Track team had more than 30 athletes while hockey and wrestling each had about 20, yet their coaches earned roughly 3,000 dollars more. “We need as many coaches as possible, not only to cover all the events, but to watch the kids. Their safety is paramount,” the parent said, citing travel to competitions in Washington Heights, New York City.

Others expressed concern about the message this inequity sends to students. “What does it say to those 60 plus students? Or to the Spring Track team of over 100?” one parent asked. “We’re back here fighting for equity for their coaches, for people who care about them, for people who put their safety and their well-being first.”

Parents also spoke in support of Winter Track coaches Gallo and Weinberg, describing them as essential to building a positive environment where all students feel encouraged, not just the strongest athletes. “Our current coaches encourage and guide all cross-country and winter track team members without giving up on anyone,” one parent said. “We hope they continue coaching while having their ability to be properly recognized.”

The discussion also drew responses from board members. Trustee Christine Parlamis said she had begun looking at the numbers more closely. “If you just kind of group those sports into male sports, female sports, and neutral gender sports, you do see the male sports stipends are 30 percent higher than both the female sports and the gender-neutral sports. It’s statistically significant,” she said. Parlamis asked if the board could commit to a presentation from the athletic director to give both trustees and the community more context on how the stipend tiers were established.

Board President Dr. Damali Robinson agreed that further review was warranted. “I certainly will not object to having some sort of committee that starts the process of looking at creating a matrix,” Robinson said. She explained that the board had looked at models from other districts, including West Windsor, which rank stipends based on enrollment, time commitment, and intensity. However, she stressed that this work is labor intensive and can only move forward through the collective bargaining process. Robinson also cautioned against rejecting the stipend vote outright. “When we vote no for certain items, it means that they can’t happen. So that means no one’s getting any stipends until whatever date in the future that this is resolved,” she said.

In the end, the board approved P23, which formally authorized the appointment of winter sports coaches for the 2025–2026 season, pending completion of required paperwork. Trustee Boaz cast the lone “no” vote. Had a majority joined him, all winter sports coaching positions would have gone unfunded, which would have effectively ended the winter athletics season.

The board acknowledged the validity of parents’ concerns and indicated it would pursue a deeper review of stipends in the future, potentially through a new committee.