Lakewood, NJ – Private Schools Push Vouchers

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    Lakewood, NJ – It is a paradox of inverse proportions: A town whose school district has less than a 1 percent stake in a proposed law to help poor public students nonetheless emerging as the legislation’s most fervent promoter.

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    A rally-like Senate committee hearing in March on the steps of the Statehouse Annex, for instance, turned out some 800 Lakewood residents in support of the so-called voucher bill, which would give low-income students scholarships to leave failing public schools. Of the dozen or so speakers who testified that day, more focused on Lakewood than any other municipality. Even one of the measure’s five sponsors is a Lakewood Township Committee member.

    Barely any of Lakewood’s public school students will see a voucher; and still, “This piece of legislation will help us more than any other town,” according to Republican state Sen. Robert Singer, who is also a Lakewood committeeman.

    To understand why is to understand Lakewood.

    While the other failing districts are expecting vouchers to move their students into private schools, this Central Jersey town is looking for money to keep them there — and the pot is large.

    In Lakewood, private school students outnumber their public school counterparts four to one — a unique situation enhanced by the fact that they also comprise up to 20 percent of all low-income private school students in the state, far more than any other municipality, according to the latest U.S. Census data. Match that population with an inconspicuous addendum to the bill that reserves 25 percent of the $360 million in school vouchers for low-income students already in private schools, and Lakewood actually stands to win big — about a fifth of some 10,000 to 15,000 vouchers worth $90 million. Such a stake not only explains the township’s formidable lobbying presence in Trenton but laminates it as the poster child for what public education backers and unions see as wrong with the pending legislation.

    “It exemplifies our fundamental objections to this bill statewide,” said David Sciarra, executive director of the Education Law Center, a public education advocacy group. “Instead of helping public schools, it’s sending a significant amount of public dollars to religious schools.”

    Read the full story at Asbury Park Press


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    22 Comments
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    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    Why would the yiddin of Lakewood want to send their children to public schools?

    Helen Thomas
    Helen Thomas
    13 years ago

    Go fly a kite! Lakewood taxpayers are truly suffering. We pay at least triple the taxes of you Brooklyn people. Our public school is filled with illegal aliens and if we were to shoo them out , the public schools would be practically empty. we’ve been paying school taxes for way too long and its time to get some relief. People are foreclosing left and right. The schools cannot as a whole make ends meet . We need a solution ;and vouchers is the solution . We have large families and many are truly suffering . Stupid comments from fools like the previous ones are not appreciated .

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    This is not “gaming” the system, lakewood Jews pay around TEN THOUSAND dollars in taxes, they won’t send their children yo public school because it is a failing school, all the are askin is for a legal way to get some of THEIR tax money to pay for their edcucation. Why the hate??!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    So this is what we need Bob singer for, what would hh do for u? Rant on the scoop? Put up a sign on Clifton? Cmon guys!

    Where The Money is
    Where The Money is
    13 years ago

    Now I understand why young guys are opening yeshivas in Lakewood every Muntig and Durneshtig. The $$$$ is there. Like the mon in the midbar, scrape it off the floor in Trenton. Kol Hakodem zocho

    to 7
    to 7
    13 years ago

    not true, our average lakewood property tax bill is 8500- 10000. a lot of epeolple ay even more

    Fool
    Fool
    13 years ago

    anyone who opens a yeshiva in lakewood does so with mesiras nefesh, they suffer and literally don’t know how they make payroll evry month, what a foolish comment, probably loshon hora, always the creeps who are jealous of lakewood come out of their holes in these blogs

    Dag
    Dag
    13 years ago

    Why should the State bail out the Yeshivas? I assure you that if they enrolled their children, the Public Schools would seat ALL of them. Other people shouldn’t pay for parent’s private choices

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    To all the ignorant haters:
    If Lakewood residents would send all of the estimated 15,000 private school students to public school, how much would that cost the government? If you agree that we are entitled to that, then we are actually saving the government money by having private schools. Our rebbeim/teachers get lower salaries than those in public school and do not receive any retirement and pension plans. All we are asking for is a little of financial help so that the schools can survive. I GUARANTEE, that if we all sent our children to public school for 1 month, the government would throw hundreds of millions at us just to get us out. Maybe thats the only way we can prove how we are actually benefiting them.