New York – The past decade has seen a marked increase in the number of private Jewish day schools and yeshivas actively looking to tap into federal and state tax dollars for help, and as the number of institutions has risen, so too have the ways in which state lobbyists and organizational coalitions are approaching the matter.
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JTA (http://bit.ly/1a6UrYd) reports that there has also been a dramatic shift in policy as well, with many Jewish organizations who, a decade ago, strongly opposed the use of government funding for private schools, now actively joining the fray in the quest for available funding.
In states with large day school populations, like New York, unlikely coalitions have been formed as well.
Agudath Israel, which has a lengthy history of lobbying for funding dating back several decades, was recently joined by the Orthodox Union, the UJA-Federation of New York, the Sephardic Community Federation and the Jewish education Project in its lobbying efforts.
Rabbi Binyamin Krauss, who serves as principal at the SAR Academy in Riverdale, NY, said that going forward “government funding” will need to be a “major piece” if schools are going to continue to provide quality educations to their students.
Maybe this can lead to a tuition break??
Makes sense as the private schools have the same government mandates to provide for special education, transportation, lunch, etc. The government has been involved in funding these programs and textbook allowances for secular education studies and curriculum. Auditing practices are in place to discourage improprieties. If these private schools, parochial and others, could tap into the real estate tax appropriations to cover infrastructure and salaries, albeit pro-rated, that wouldn’t be too bad. If the Mayor and City Council can raise property taxes to fund projects that benefit their reelections, let infrastructure funding for private schools be another reelection project.
Really – if all the yeshiva day school students would be in public school, the city and suburbs would need many many more buildings, teachers and all the expenses that go with the student population. Yeshivas demand really little, and there should be a way to defray the costs of buildings, gas, electric, water, insurance as well as books and secular teachers. Maybe vouchers, maybe direct payments to yeshivas, maybe some other form of assistance. It’s only right. Clearly, the government is not responsible to pay for Limuday Kodesh, but what about all the rest?
Every religious school that takes money should spend $150,000.00 on a guidance counselor. This is just as important as a rebbee, maybe more so.
Roshei yeshivas and principals are busy fundraising and rabbeim are not guidance counselors.