We all know that one of the foremost issues that our Kehilla struggles with is the high cost of educating our children. For many of us, a large portion of our income is devoted to tuition and education expenses. Up until now, our pleas to elected State officials for any form of financial relief for Non-Public school parents, have fallen on deaf ears.
NJ Governor Christie, having made Education Reform a major policy goal of his administration, has expressed an understanding and willingness to explore new ways of granting financial help to private school students. He is interested in receiving the report of the Non-Public Education Funding Commission whose task is to propose solutions to the needs of the Non-Public school community by June 1st. Several members of our Kehilla were appointed to this Commission. For the last several months, these members along with other concerned individuals, have been working together with the Agudah of New Jersey, to encourage members of the State Legislature to recognize the need to grant some financial relief to the Non-Public school students in our State. All involved realize that this is going to be a long process and that we have an uphill battle in front of us. We have very formidable opponents in the form of the NJEA – the Public School Teachers Union who has a vested interest in continuing the status quo of all State Education dollars flowing exclusively to the Public School Community.
The first stage of this battle is set to take place in the Statehouse in Trenton this Thursday May 13th. With the encouragement of the Governor and Legislators sympathetic to our cause, the NJ Legislature is set to consider passage of the Opportunity Scholarship Act which is a Corporate Tax Scholarship Bill.
While passage of this bill is only a small first step in meeting our needs, our opponent, the NJEA, sees it for what it is; an important victory towards the eventual goal of vouchers or other serious financial aid to private school students . The union has therefore committed its resources to lobby public opinion and fight against this important bill every step of the way.
The Igud Hamosdos, representing the more than 20,000 students in our local Mosdos, is joining together with Agudath Israel of New Jersey and other members of a Statewide coalition of School Choice Advocacy Groups in an effort to demonstrate to the Legislature the wide base of support from across the State in favor of passing this bill.
Click HERE to read the a letter signed by the Lakewood Roshei Yeshiva Shlita.
A RALLY IN SUPPORT OF THIS BILL AND OUR CAUSE HAS BEEN SCHEDULED TO TAKE PLACE IN FRONT OF THE STATEHOUSE IN TRENTON THIS THURSDAY MAY 13th AT 10:00 AM
Our Coalition leaders feel that a turnout of several thousand people in support of our cause, is essential. Members of Pro private school groups from the entire State will be present for the Rally. It is imperative that our Kehilla be well represented at this Rally, in large numbers.
Buses will be leaving at 8:45 AM from Forest Avenue and 9th Street.
The Rally is scheduled to end at 11:30 AM and the Buses will return to Lakewood immediately thereafter. There is no cost as the transportation expenses are being sponsored by the Coalition. All we ask is that you give a few hours of your time to help yourself and our entire Kehilla.
BESIYATA DISHMAYA WE CAN SUCCEED. THE OPPOSITION IS GEARED UP TO FIGHT THIS. ARE WE READY TO DO THE HISHTADLUS TO TRY TO HELP OURSELVES?
(Agudath Israel – NJ / Igud Hamosdos Lakewood, NJ)
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9 Responses
1. Isn’t it nice that the government has money lying around. What good is a voucher if they have to print script to redeem it?
2. Once the government pays for schools, they control the curriculum, hiring practices, etc. He who pays the fiddler get to call the tune – and do we really want to hire Barach Obama and David Patterson to call the tune????
Akuperma – you comment is hureblutzen – German word meaning “higher sounding nonsense” – sounds good when you say it really fast. You clearly haven’t a clue how school vouchers would work.
And “shkoyach” to Josh for all that Agudath of NJ is doing to make this a reality. Just wish my kids were still young enough that I might get in on this!
To #1,
1. If anything, these vouchers will educate the children for far less money than it currently costs in the public schools. Everyone – public & nonpublic – will be able to exercise their educational liberties at a school that fits their conscience.
2. You are incorrect – unless the Public School Teacher’s Union gets their way to add more rules then there already are in place – and I believe that the parents in this State will stand strong & unified against any further attacks from that establishment. The powerful momentum is there and will only keep building..
So try not to be so sour about this issue and don’t discourage others either.
trachglatt, akuperma’s friends are the unions. He wishes to disuade Jewish voters and disinform them.
For the record, akuperma, vouchers just means that parents will be able to get money directly from the state and give it to whichever school they wish. If they want to send to a public school, so be it. If not, not. The problem that you akuperma has is that the control of the education budget is taken out of the hands of the union and put into the hands of parents just like it should.
Halevai that New York State would be willing to do just that. But, first, there has to be a constitutional amendment abolishing the Board of Regents and putting the control of the State Education Department directly under the governor. Then, we could go for vouchers. But, don’t hold your breath.
First we get used to the money.
Then they add a rule saying “no discrimination in hiring based on race, color, creed, gender or sexual orientation”
Then they add a rule, you have to spend 25 hours a week covering the official curriculum and producing students who can pass standardized tests (they are already making such rules in public schools – but there isn’t much they can do if they fail)
We won’t even get into what happens when they want to requires that the school train its students not to be homophobic or racist or whatever.
When the government hands out favors, it is never because they love you, and it doesn’t make any difference if we are talking about Obama or Ben Gurion or Antoninus Pius.
I don’t think most people realize how far Christie’s proposal is from actually providing vouchers for yeshivos. A yeshiva would never qualify as a charter school.
Nevertheless, this is an excellent cause to get behind for many reasons. And on top of that, it may be the gateway to raise the issue of securing funding for yeshivos in the distant future.
The vast majority of people with large families have incomes which do not cover their monthly expenses.
This situation forces them to request reduced school/yeshiva fees, which invariably means that their chosen Mosod Chinuch does not have the income to pay the melamdim and teacher on time; I know of cases where teachers wages are six months late.
Which then forces the teachers to borrow from family and friends or from a Gemach.
Because food and rent is going up all the time the same group of families are under further financial strain.
How can parents have the Menuchas HaNefesh to look after their children physical and emotional needs under such circumstances.
Further many of the very generous gvirim are themselves now struggling to makes ends meet, or at the very least do not have the extra money to give for tzedokoh with the same open hand.
The solution partially resides in a better higher education so people can bring up their children in a dignified manner without resorting to asking for reduced fees, approaching Gemachs on a constant basis and asking for hand outs.
I have spoken to many young people who say categorically that are going to acquire a proper profession because they do not want to live the hand -to- mouth existence they saw in their parents homes.
The leader of the Frum Kehillahs need to address these questions, the problems are here to stay and without attention will only get worse.
People do not want to depend on Tzedoko their whole lives
Our youth are accurately aware of the many opportunities that American society offers in the way of an excellent livelihood and they are yearning for it.
If we want them to be Ehrliche Yiddin and for many not to drift away we need to facilitate their entry into any kosher parnosoh, be it medical specialist, attorney accountant, plumber, carpenter, electrician or psychologist etc etc.
#3 trachtglat,
It isn’t true that private schools necessarily cost less. Bronx High School of Science costs half or less what the equivalent private schools cost around here. Vouchers would result in huge tax increases in school districts with large private school populations and that is one reason that no voter referendum anywhere in the US has ever approved them; usually vouchers lose by landslide margins.
#4 Your Sister,
In NYS the problem isn’t the State Board of Regents, it is that there is an explicit provision in the State Constitution that prohibits any tax funds going to religious schools for anything other than transportation. There was an attempt to get rid of this provision in a 1967 revision to the Constitution but it only won 28% support in a voter referendum.