The Lawrence School District cannot provide busing for pre-kindergarten students attending private programs, a Supreme Court judge in Albany has ruled, reaffirming the state education commissioner’s decision barring the practice.
In his ruling, Judge Richard M. Platkin dismissed the petition by the Lawrence Board of Education appealing the August decision of Education Commissioner Richard Mills, who said that districts aren’t authorized to pay for bus service for pre-K students in private schools.
In May, district voters — many of whom are Orthodox Jews who send their children to private schools — approved providing busing for all pre-kindergarten students, which involves about 275 private school and 135 public school kids.
This has been controversial among Lawrence residents, often at odds over how the district’s resources should be allocated. The area is home to a growing number of Orthodox Jews who tend to send their children to private schools, and the school board has an Orthodox majority.
(Source: Newsday)
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6 Responses
I lived in Brooklyn for many years, and never did my Pre-K kids get free busing. The judge is correct in this case, and the district should not have given it in the first place. More than anything we should fight for school vouchers or at a minimum for tax deductibility of tuition dollars. Yet we should not authorize payments that are not acceptable anywhere.
like Lakewood let the orthodox pay school taxes and get zilch in return!
another community that has to register every child in th public school system the last day of registration. what will the school officials do when the day before school starts their numbers triple or more because suddenly those Jews decide to take advantage of their tax dollars?
they will be thrilled to have us on their boards and pay to bus our kids as long as we get out of their public schools…
In NYC this is not allowed either.
#1 and #2-
In Lakewood there are many goyim going to public schools (and if you count the illegals, then they might be even more than the Yidden!). In Lawrence there is barely anyone who isn’t frum anymore. The current school district includes part of Atlantic Beach, which is a ten-fifteen minute drive away! It also includes Inwood, which is literally, and figuratively “the other side of the tracks. The Lawrence Middle School is a beautiful, enormous and very expensive to upkeep building, and it is two thirds empty! One school already closed, and it seems the high school is closing too. The amount of taxes that people in Lawrence pay is ridiculous, and considering they are the overwhelming majority, and the schools are only partially attended by people from neighboring towns, I think this ruling is outrageous.
The ones getting the service should pay and those that don’t get the service should not pay the school taxes. There should be a voucher program like a metrocard for school buses given to all schoolchildren and let them use them as needed.
Krunch
The ruling is correct even if we are the majority. Never anywhere has there been payments for pre-k bussing, as by law children do not have to go to school till age 5. Lakewood also only pays for bussing children over age 5, not pre-k children.