YWN has just spoken with NYS Assemblyman Dov Hikind, who informed us that just 20 minutes ago, the NYS assembly passed a bill to release TAP (Tuition Assistance Program) funding for Rabbinical College students. The bill passed overwhelmingly by 110-34. This bill – which is worth close to $20 million – will allow thousands of Rabbinical College students who are enrolled in ARTS to be eligible for the TAP money.
“This is one of the greatest accomplishments for the Jewish Community”, Hikind told YWN. “It is both historical, and a miracle. For this to happen in the current economy is nothing short of a miracle.”
Hikind said the credit is due to Governor Paterson, Senate Conference Leader John Samson, and NYS Assembly Speaker Shelly silver.
Additionally, Hkind credited the much hard work, and countless trips to Albany, and many hours of meetings which were conducted by Agudath Israel Of America to ensure that the bill would be passed.
When asked if the bill would see any resistance in the Senate later today and tomorrow, Hikind told YWN “the Senate was never an issue. The only problem we had was the Assembly, and it passed overwhelmingly”.
Full coverage on this breaking story as it becomes available to us.
(Yehuda Drudgestein – YWN)
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13 Responses
This mean that it can subsidize tuition for Bais Medrish Bochrim. Am i correct?
It is no secret that our institutions are struggling. Also not a secret is that our community gets very little in state aid for the hundreds of millions of dollars our community pays in taxes. Until today-TAP was made available to all New York city, state and private colleges but NOT Rabbinical colleges because of a flaw in the State law that required a change.Other states like NJ, fund programs smiler to TAP for rabbinical colleges without any issues. But in NYS the teachers unions have put up every possible road block to our children’s education. Our children deserve education assistance and today a great inequity has began the process of being rectified. For years the state has used the Blaine amendment and other church-state issues to deny our children their constitutional education assistance they justly deserve. No vouchers, no tax credits no relief nothing! The Federal Gov on the other hand recognizes (through AARTS) all of our legitimate rabbinical colleges and provides PELL grants to qualifying students but NYS did not-until now. This new amended law will provide a “SMALL” measure of equity for our rabbinical students. It is not a gift! The unions and opponents of our community will say and do anything to muddy the water here. The truth is we have been getting very little help for a very long time and a great injustice is being righted-finally. I ask the usual naysayers and self- doubters to hold their fire and remember whose side we are all on. This money, our money is a pittance in a multi -billion dollar budget.This plan will help every single post high school yeshiva in New York State and is based on eligibility not political clout. Every single one! This year and moving forward. The officials who are supporting this program have heroically gone out of their way to support this program to help alleviate the tremendous burden our Yeshivos and parents are dealing with. Thank you Gov. Paterson, Shelly Silver, John Sampson,Carl Kruger, Helen Weinstein and all of the other officials and of course the champions of TAP -Dov Hikind and Agudath Israel of America for their fearless leadership in the face of unending threats and pressure. This is a legal and justifiable victory for our rabbinical colleges and our community to get SOMETHING in the form of tuition assistance. We need all people who care about Klal yisroel and our mosdos to speak the truth and support and defend this important and groundbreaking initiative! It is truly historic and an important groundbreaking victory for our community!
iy”h in NJ as well…..
Kudos to R Dov
Yes….But:
– It has income level restrictions, which apply to the parent’s income if the student is their dependent,
– The Yeshiva has to be an ARTS accredited College
– There is a limit to how much you can get overall, so it would only be for a few years.
No doubt there are numerous other eligibility requirements too.
Thank You Shea Ostreicher for your hard work.
I think all those who were so quick to knock Dov Hikind during the recent City Council election and implying that it was time for him to go owe him a huge apology
At a time when many non jews are unemployed, and are not getting, unemployment benefits, this will probably cause resentment towards jews.
1. He who pays the fiddler ends up calling the tune, as our Israeli cousins have been learning. What happens when the Democrats object to yeshivos discriminating on the basis of gender and sexual orientation?
2. New York is going broke because of liberal overspending. The state of the local economy would benefit if the government became frugal.
akuperma, I don’ think there is a problem with having an all boys or all girls school. As far as discrimination, all yeshivas are supposed to put an ad in a local newspaper saying that they don’t discriminate based on ……… . Schools are allowed to have a basis for rejecting students if they don’t qualify based on a criteria they choose.
#10 – once the government is picking up the bills, they can make any rules they want. For example, a private school can usually discriminate to its heart’s content. Some times of discrimination (such as gender discrimination) may be acceptable in a government school. However if the government chooses to prohibit some form of discrimination, a school must comply or lose its government funding.
By trading political support for financial support, yeshivos put themselves at the mercy of the government which may (if and when it choose) dictate curriculum. Note the recen
YU gets government aid and follows state and local antidiscrimination laws.
There is no real reason why rabbinical schools should ever have been excluded from this program. The correction is long overdue and we should all congratulate the governor and legislatures.
kudos to all those who shared in the effort–but preferred not to share in the spotlight. Which is probably why the “mechaber” of this article…and for that matter my fellow “commentors” didn’t mention some of the other people involved (if not for a cousin that’s a political news maven, I wouldn’t know about them either–but since I now do, i think its important we all know. Anyway, back in January it seems that Governor Patterson & Assemblyman Hikind were at a Monroe event where attendees got a ‘heads up’ to the fact that this TAP legislation was in fact “on tap” –as part of Albany’s agenda. What interested me was the behind the scenes work that ensured its passing (into law that is…not the great beyond) as it showed what’s possible when a common goal inspires an unprecedented level of achdus…so if you know anyone with serious Monroe ties ask around about Berel Mittleman, Akiva Klein & Jacob Sofer…seems they worked overtime…yet under the radar, to help make TAP a reality..so as long as we’re being makir tov to all those involved…lets add them to the list…heres hoping you all have a fast…and easy, fast…