The New York City Department of Education (DOE) has released the names of six nonpublic schools, including three yeshivos, that will participate in a pilot program enabling them to receive Title I remedial education services through a third-party contractor rather than the DOE. The designated yeshivos are Bais Yaakov of Boro Park, Yeshiva Toras Emes Kaminetz and Yeshivat Ohr Haiim.
The announcement several weeks ago that the DOE had agreed to launch the pilot program came after nearly two years of negotiations among non-public school groups, the Mayor’s office and the DOE to make the federally funded Title I program more accommodating to non-public schools. Administered under the No Child Left Behind Act, Title I — the single largest federal education program — provides remedial instruction in reading and writing, math, English as a Second Language (ESL), and clinical and guidance services.
While the Title I law mandates “equitable participation” for nonpublic schools, in New York City only 30 or so yeshivos — and only 30% of eligible students in those yeshivos – receive Title I services at this time. Among the reasons for the low level of Jewish school participation, says Agudath Israel director of education affairs Mrs. Deborah Zachai, is the fact that Title I services are currently provided directly by the DOE through unionized teachers whose schedules are generally not compatible with the typical yeshiva school day. Agudath Israel -– joined in recent months by other yeshiva representatives — has been pushing for changes in the program that would make it more flexible and better able to accommodate scheduling and other specific needs of yeshivos.
The pilot program, which will run through the 2008-2009 school year, is a “welcome outcome” of those efforts, says the Agudah representative. “Our expectation is that, after its successful introduction, the program will be expanded for the school-year 2009-2010 and beyond.”
Noting that scheduling and other issues related to the delivery of Title I services directly through the DOE has, up until now, effectively prevented his students from taking advantage of the remedial program, Bais Yaakov of Boro Park administrator Rabbi Yeruchum Shapiro calls the DOE’s decision to include the school in the pilot program “extremely gratifying.
“This is a development that has been long-awaited. We are very grateful to the staff of Agudath Israel for their successful effort to persuade the city to implement this pilot project and other improvements in the Title I program and for the help and advice they provided whenever our school needed it.”
Several days after the announcement of the pilot program, close to 150 New York City yeshiva principals and administrators attended a meeting headed by the new director of the Bureau of Nonpublic School Reimbursable Services, Ms. Caren Zayde Moncher. Ms. Moncher characterized the pilot project, as well as positive changes in the DOE’s administration of other federally funded education programs, as reflecting the DOE’s move towards greater flexibility — and, thus, more accessibility for yeshivos – in the Title I program.
Says Mrs. Zachai, whose office helped arrange the meeting at Agudah’s Brookdale Senior Citizen’s Center, “Having a face-to-face meeting with Ms. Moncher – the official who spearheaded and facilitated this critical breakthrough within the DOE – was a clear sign to the yeshivos that we are heralding a new era in Title I services.”
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9 Responses
borei me’oreh ha’government contract!!!
AS GREAT AS THIS ALL SOUNDS-THE TRUTH IS THAT
THE THIRD PARTY CONTRACTER IS WORKING WITH THE
YESHIVAS TO GIVE THE “P3” TEACHERS MINIMAL
WAGES INSTEAD OF THEIR NORMAL HOURLY WAGES
THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAS ALLOCATED FOR THE TEACHERS.THE TEACHERS (MOSTLY FRUM WOMEN SUPPORTING FAMILIES)ARE BEING FORCED TO ACCEPT THIS MANIPULATION IN ORDER TO KEEP THEIR JOBS IN THEIR YESHIVAS.THE THIRD PARTY CONTRACTER AND THE YESHIVAS ARE NOW GOING TO SPLIT THE DIFFERENCE WHICH IS MEANT FOR THE TEACHERS. THIS IS ANOTHER SCANDELOUS CHILLUL HASHEM IN THE WOORKS!! UNFORTUNATELY THIS IS BEING CONDONED BY AGUDATH ISRAEL WHICH WE ALL KNOW WILL BENEFIT BY THIS,EVEN THOUGH THEIR INTENTIONS WERE GREAT. ELIMINATE THE THIRD PARTY CONTRACTOR AND LET THE MONEY THAT AGUDATH ISRAEL FOUGHT FOR GO DIRECTLY TO THE HARD WORKING TEACHERS!!
Any idea which schools they are?
#2, don’t you think that the schools are entitled to their fair share here? They are not paid nearly enough to educate these children. Why are the schools always last on the list? Yes, it is also our responsibility to make sure that the Rabbeim and teachers are compensated fairly. But why, come down on the schools that are drowning in debt??
Good work Agudah! You should make it clearer that this wonderful news is a result of your hard and tiring work. Maybe then people will begin to appreciate Agudas Yisroel once again. Keep it up!
#4&5, THE MONEY THAT THE AGUDAH WORKED SO HARD TO GET FOR THE TEACHERS IN PARTICULAR, IS NOW BEING TAKEN BY OTHER INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE NOT IN THE TEACHING PROFESSION! THE MONEY WAS ALLOCATED FOR THE TEACHERS AND P3’S. THIS TITLE 1 ORGINIZATION WILL CUT THE TEACHERS AND P3 SALARIES BY MORE THAN 75%. ANYONE IN ANY BUSINESS WILL NEVER STAND FOR THEIR SALARY BEING CUT SO DRASTICLY. THIS MONEY WAS NEVER INTENDED FOR THE YESHIVOS! THEY HAVE OTHER MONEIES FROM THE GOVERNMENT! AS A SIDE NOTE THE AGUDATH YISROEL MUST BE BENIFITING FROM THIS SCANDLE AS WELL, THEY KNOW TOO WELL WHAT IS HAPPENING BEHIND THE SCENES. THEY ALREADY TOLD MANY TEACHERS THAT THEY DO NOT BACK THIS ORGINAZATION AND NOW THEY ARE TURNING THEIR BACK ON OUR COMMUNITY!
#4,5 ITS AN EMBRACEMENT THAT AN ORGINIZATION LIKE AGUDAH COULD PROMOTE THIS TITLE ONE PROGRAM, THAT WILL TAKE OVER THETHE MONEY THEY WORKED SO HARD TO GET FOR THE WORKING TEACHERS AND P3’S! THE SALARY OF THIS EDUCATORS WILL BE SLACHED BY 75%. THE MONEY IS NOT AND WAS NOT INTENDED FOR THE SCHOOLS. THEY HAVE THEIR OWN GRANTS. AGUDAH SHOULD BE WORKING NOW TO DISCOURAGE THE SCHOOLS FROM JOINING AND LEAVING THE TOTAL SALARIES GIVIEN BY THE DOE TO THE P3S AND TEACHERS!
The Department of Education has teachers in programs specifically set aside to teach Title I. Generally those teachers would be available from 8:30ish till around 3, like any other NYC DOE teacher. Anything later then that is overtime, though there are DOE teachers in Title I who do that as well.
If there is a schedule conflict, as Agudah claims, then presumably it is because the students who require remedial instruction are not allowed by the schools to meet with the teachers in the morning, when Torah/Judaic classes are generally being taught.
As for what the new program will be, one can presume the yeshivot will be looking for teachers to work pretty much exclusively in the afternoon. Issues to wonder about will be pay, the level and quality of the teachers being hired and how one qualifies as a third party provider.
TO Mr. # 3 LOOK- The designated yeshivos are Bais Yaakov of Boro Park, Yeshiva Toras Emes Kaminetz and Yeshivat Ohr Haiim.