Coast to Coast School Restructuring News

(Thank you readers who pointed out these stories. This blog simply would not be possible without the reporters in the field. Thank you very much. Also, please feel free to comment on any posts from this week. They are all still generating comments. I don't normally blog this quickly. I'm rather surprised given the amount of cleaning and work I've been doing this week. Lots of news I guess. And Chag Kasher v'Sameach in advance.)

Wow! What a week in terms of school news. Two Modern Orthodox Schools on two different coasts are making some major restructuring moves based primarily, if not solely, on financial issues.

First up is Yeshivat Rambam in Baltimore which sent a letter to its parent body to outline the issues and planned changes:

1. In the past 10 years, the school has accrued significant debt. In each of those years, the school has spent more money than it has taken in. Financing that debt has negatively impacted the school, stripping resources from the current mission.
2. Payroll (80% of budget), will be cut 14% or $550,000 through reductions and restructuring. This is "in line with industry best practices." I'm not quite sure what that means, but my best guess is that most private schools do not expend 80% on staffing. I'd be very interested to know what best practice is because the 80% figure continues to appear in nearly every article on Yeshiva tuition. Note that earlier in the letter, it was noted that staff and administration believe they do not have the tools and resources to attract and maintain staff, as well as effectively do their jobs and procure supplies.
3. Occupancy cost per student at the current campus is double industry norm. As such, the Yeshiva plans to sale its current main campus, liquidating equity dollars and freeing up resources. It would be very interesting to know what industry norm is for expenses so Yeshivot/Day Schools could compare their costs to median costs.
4. Baltimore's Associated will be lending funds to the Yeshiva until the campus is sold.
5. Tuition at Yeshivat Rambam will be lowered by 5% next year to bring the price within range of the rest of the Baltimore day school market.

I think there is a lot to learn from this letter: debt will eventually catch up, you can't always run in the red, dramatic change is sometimes necessary, and industry norm provides a "reality check."

Moving to the West Coast we visit the Shalhevet Day School. The school was founded in 1991. It is intersting to note that the Rambam school featured above is also 19 years old. The school has annouced that as of the end of the current school year, the school will be closing its early-education, elementary, and middle school divisions. [Taken from the Q&A] The school, in conjunction with the PEJE, hired an outside consultant Measuring Success LLC, a firm that reportable specializes in Jewish Schools, a curious statement at best, to conduct a review and make recommendations.

The school learned that the lower divisions of the school were costing the school dearly as they were operating at a deficit. The lower divisions are much newer than the original high school. The middle school is 10 years old, the elementary school 4 years old, and the preschool one year old. There are 121 students in the lower divisions and all grades will be closed with the exception of maintaining the 8th grade for one additional year. The Board of Directors has decided to concentrate its efforts on the high school which is "already operating within a manageable deficit range that is on par with other schools." (Oy! A normal deficit range.) Donors have committed to funding the high school. Tuition will be increased for the coming school year. It had been frozen for the current school year.

The Jewish Journal article gives some more interesting insight including these money quotes [highlights mine]:

1. "[BOD member] said that the large number of existing Jewish elementary and middle schools in Los Angeles created a situation where there was not enough of a customer base for Shalhevet’s lower schools. There was no need to fill, she said, and the board felt that the community had spoken through the low enrollment numbers."
2. 
   "[Another BOD member] said that there have been signs of financial problems in the past, but that the nature of Jewish schools led to attention being focused on daily operations and the students, and no one knew exactly how deep the problems ran. Every school runs on a deficit, he said, and every school requires donations to close that gap, so the lack of funds didn’t set off alarms at Shalhevet until now."
3. 
   "[BOD member quote above] attributes the lower schools’ final demise to a devastating drop in enrollment in the middle school – he said 40 children dropped out last year – and the fact that Shalhevet overextended itself in terms of awarding financial aid during last year’s recession."
4. 
   "Approximately 120 students and 35 staff and faculty members will be displaced as a result of the closings." [Orthonomics note: that 1 staff member for every 3.4 students!. The ratio sent me searching for a similar ratio and I found it in my report regarding the fiscal problems of Bais Yaakov of Boro Park].
5. "Shalhevet’s head of school, Rabbi [EJW], said that there are enough seats in local schools to accommodate all the displaced children . . . ." Later, "A system of support has also been put in place to help Judaic and general studies teachers find employment."

Education Alternatives: Online School within the Yeshiva

We have talked a lot about education alternatives here. Honestly Frum has a post up on what alternative is being explored at the leadership level. The OU will be hosting a conference in Virginia on April 25-26 "Online Education and Online Charter Schools Within Your Day School:Approaches Toward Excellence in Education and Reduced Costs". This project is being spearheaded by R. Zucker of the OU Day School Services division.

The specific education provider that has been consulted is K12 which provides online education to students in 26 states. The idea appears to be that K12 could provide education inside Yeshiva/Day Schools, funded by the respective states. I have consulted the K12 map and unfortunately some of the states with the biggest Orthodox communities do not have a K12 public option including basically every state on the Atlantic Coast with large Orthodox communities. New York, New Jersey, Maryland/DC, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. Pennsylvania and Florida do have public school virtual options. West Coast, Southern, and Mid-West communities with sizable Orthodox populations do have public options, so that is good news.

The idea on the table is to have students attend their yeshiva, with limudei kodesh in the morning, followed by virtual education with facilitators.

Please check out Honestly Frum's post and leave comments here and there. I'm hesitant, but please do see that someone is investigating something. I don't know a lot about virtual education and I'm not sure if I had that choice vs. just homeschooling and either hiring a Rebbe/attending only limuedi kodesh in school, if I would be interested in jumping on a virtual model. I will say that if you really want cost savings, the better idea would be to have learning labs and Judaic courses throughout the day in which schools combine and close actual physical facilities, i.e. downsize, downsize, downsize. Obviously there are cost savings in the proposed idea of dismissing some limudei chol staff and having morning Judaic studies followed by afternoon virtual academy. But real cost savings will have to come from consolidation, around the clock use of the facilities that aren't consolidated, and (yes) layoffs.

Let the comments fly.

Financial Counseling for Scholarship Recipients?

In the previous post "Overly Invasive?," a scholarship committee member writes:

Of course we do all we can to eliminate fraud, though, frankly, I have found it to be a small problem. The much larger problem is people who have made poor choices. This is a much more difficult problem to address. One thing we have considered is requiring financial counseling for all scholarship recipients. What do you think?

I've thought of this idea and will just open up the comments to readers. I think financial counseling would ultimately be more helpful (although when the kids are already in school, you are playing a game of catch up) than increasingly humiliating processes that probably do more to cause bitter feelings amongst the honest than the dishonest. Obviously not everyone applying for reductions is in need of financial counseling. But some would certainly benefit. And encouraging a culture of stewardship and responsibility would be positive.

But, I'm not really sure who would do such counseling and who would give their stamp of approval. I think if a more uniform approach to career preparation, spending, and saving were in place, as a community we wouldn't be were we are today. Additionally, I have no idea who would do such counseling and there is always an issue if the advice received goes against halacha.

Tick Tock

It must be the needed breaks from kitchen cleaning while a chemical penetrates or a grate soaks is what is keeping me coming back to the Wolf's recent post, but after last night's vote to further nationalize healthcare, one-sixth of the economy, I'm not really sure that at the end of the day, between our own mismanagement and the command-and-control economy we are almost certain to end up living in, that there will be much more to discuss. Whether you are a supporter of the health care bill, or you are opposed to it in every way, shape, and form, there is no denying that the bill (should it not be thrown out in the court system or repelled after an upheavel in November) will fundamentally alter the economic landscape here in the United States.

One thought on my mind is that whatever starts to happen in the general economy will be magnified many fold within our own micro-economy. I believe that Jewish communities have an above average number of people employed in the healthcare sector (not just physicians, I'm thinking the big two: Occupational and Speech Therapy). I believe that we also have an above average number of people who draw some of their livelihood indirectly from those in the healthcare sector (lawyers, accountants, programmers, etc, etc, etc). There is already talk of raising taxes on investments, and another large group in the Jewish community draws their livelihood, directly or indirectly, from investors. Our synagogues, schools, and non-profits are also quite dependent donations from those who are directly or indirectly affected by this fundamental change.

In other words, nearly every sector of the American economy and nearly every sector of the Jewish economy, will be affected by this healthcare bill. With the exception of fighting "toeva marriage," I can't recall any of our umbrella organizations fighting against some of the big issues, e.g. the move to a command-and-control economy or the increasing tax burden on "the rich." On second thought, I do believe the OU had a statement regarding capping itemization for charitable donations, but in general the lobbying has been for more money for certain communities and projects and more money/tax credits for yeshivot.

Sorry for the gloom and doom, but I'm very concerned that at the end of the day there won't be much more left to talk about if our economy is fundamentally altered. That's one [wo]man's opinion.

Overly Invasive?

The Wolf has a post up asking for reader opinion on whether it is overly invasive for a Yeshiva to ask for 3 months of bank statements and credit card statements in conjunction for application for a scholarship?

There is no question in my mind that the reason that an unaudited Balance Sheet and Income Statement won't suffice is that too many parents have, unfortunately, proven themselves to be untrustworthy. I can understand why parents paying full tuition are at the point where they want the scholarship committee to really do their homework, and this is one way of pulling information that might be omitted.

That said, I have to say that the way many a regular, perhaps even almost full tuition paying parent is being treated is despicable. While certain parents seem to have their scholarship handed to them on a golden platter, I know other parents who have basically been racked over the coals. Perhaps they shouldn't dare fly the kids down to see the grandparents while applying for a scholarship, but I simply don't see the same scrutinizing happening across the board. I can't imagine that the level of scrutinizing that the Wolf's bank and credit card statements will receive will be the same as someone else with more standing. While the Wolf worries about the $15 he might spend in a 3 month period at the florist, I see certain families that are on extremely significant reduction (perhaps even full reduction), and perhaps have other communal assistance, buying flowers on the way out of the grocery regularly.

Part of why I am more than ready to say, enough, when school tuition becomes unmanageable, is because I don't want to harbor ill feelings against those who indulge in small luxuries while in all of our years of marriage haven't even spent $5 on flowers (although I'm thinking of having the kids make some silk flower arrangements this summer to dress up the table a bit). It is very unbecoming and lacks tzniut to be scrutinizing every transaction our neighbors/students make (which is far different than examining social trends). If a parent body simply can't be trusted (and that is likely the case, because this type of process is bound to be very labor intensive when 50% + of the parents are applying for reductions) then I think it is time to revisit the entire tuition structure, from pricing to the scholarship process.

Additionally, I think it a terrible practice for parents to turn over sensitive information. What we define as sensitive is perhaps in the pudding. But most of us could probably agree that turning over bank statements and credit card statements detailing all sorts of financial transactions is over the line. Remember, these aren't be turned over to an outside agency with super duper insurance, regular reviews of internal control procedures, internal auditors, external auditors, and managers that won't be afraid to have an investigation conducted on the premises when (yes, when) sensitive financial information is leaked. This is being turned over to school administrators and people in your community who might not even think to lock the file cabinet. Also, many schools have provided all the students with the code to get into the back door. While I have yet to hear of information leaking (truly is truly impressive indeed!), I'm not one to take chances. I've had too many account numbers compromised and at this point I'm definitely very cautious regarding issues of personal identity.

I'm not quite sure what the Wolf can do as an individual besides 1) pay full tuition or 2) pull his kid out of this school. So I really don't have any answers to his personal dilemma except to say that, yes, it is overly invasive, although not without reason, and gives me more reason to believe that the pricing structure, from cost to scholarship, just isn't working and that parents need to speak up despite the risk that opening your mouth carries.

Calling out Matzav AGAIN, 2nd time this week

I called out Matzav earlier this week for the whining about the price of Pesach pound cake. I didn't bother calling out Matzav mid-week in this ridiculous piece, "Shidduchim -- A Catastrophic Problem of Epic Proportions." And now the newest gem which is beyond inappropriate. Thankfully the author had the good sense to not name the player by name and I will follow suit by only providing links lest my blog show up when fans search for this player, who has been wrongly libeled.

I too marvel at the generosity of Jews of all stripes, but it is very inappropriate to knock others down to lift yourself up, and by others, I'm not referring to the references to the President and Vice President, for which their tax returns are public, and perhaps an embarrassing record.

I'm referring to the knock on a "famous football player" who donated $1,000 scholarships to 9 students. The author writes: "I recently came across a news tidbit involving a famous football player generously sponsoring scholarships for 9 graduating high school students. How much for each aspiring collegian? One thousand dollars. Nice gesture, for sure, but it struck me how a donation of $9,000 from a multi-millionaire athlete is seen by the news establishment as noteworthy. Though I have given this phenomenon thought in the past, seeing the $9,000 donation make headlines made me again swell with pride."

It didn't take me long to locate the news story. [name omitted because I don't want traffic coming in due to Google Searches], of the [NFL team located in Tennesse], in honor of his murdered teammate [name omitted] who wore the Number 9 jersey. Mr. B personally picked the scholarship recipients and surprised them with an unexpected gift. The Matzav author would like the reader to believe that this non-Jewish millionaire NFL player is tightfisted, having only donated $9,000 of the millions he has made. The only fact he managed to get correct is that Mr. B has made millions, a figure that can be deduced from the fact that he has played 10 years in the NFL where the minimum salary was, at one point, $250,000. So he has made millions. Just because a feel good story was published regarding surprising students with $9000 of scholarships doesn't mean that has only given $9,000 in charity!

In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Mr. B has his own charitable foundation [name omitted] which specializes in helping benefit, educate, and promote foster children in New York and Tennessee. As a former foster child, this is obviously something near and dear to his heart and the work that he is doing appears to be most exemplary. Mr. B is obviously no lightweight. There are many generous men in the NFL and he has received recognition as one of the greats in volunteer and charitable work as he was honored with the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. Google some of the other recipients and you will see that knocking others down to pat yourself on the back is not only distasteful, but patently silly.

There are many "Mi Kamocha" moments to be had within the frum community, without a doubt. But the advice many a sports coach has given is still true today: you don't become better by knocking others down.

I'll Tell You What Isn't Fair

A poster on the imamother chatboard is debating between paying of $10,000 of credit card debt (read interest charges alone likely vary between $800 to $3300 per year!) or sending her children to camp. Regarding camp, the pluses she list are sending her children to camp over paying down, and ultimately off, the debt she lists: giving them a wonderful, fun summer and saving her sanity. She wonders if "denying them a camp experience isn't fair to them."

Please don't take this in the wrong way, because it might sound a bit harsh, but the message needs to get out there. . . . . I'll tell you what isn't fair to the kids: jeopardizing your financial future and, for that matter their financial future, so you can having something you want NOW. I'll tell you what isn't fair:

• Putting your shalom bayit in jeopardy. Money problems do exactly that. Money problems have hurt many a marriage. We pray daily to Hashem to not place us in challenging situations. The best way to shield yourself from financial challenges is to live on a budget and stay out of debt. Want real sanity? Pay off that credit card debt. I guarantee you that an exhausting summer will allow you to sleep at night. Fielding calls from creditors will cause plenty of sleepless nights.
• Reaching retirement age with a mortgage in the hundreds of thousands or reaching the retirement years with debt, debt, debt, placing plenty of pressure on your adult children who fear what will be. One of my readers has commented on the heartache that he and his wife have over their parents' debt. While I have no particular issue with grandparents and parents living under a single roof and working cooperatively together, such is best done out of free choice, not out of lack of choice.
• Not being mechanech children regarding healthy financial management including delayed gratification and living within our means (happily). I've noted that debt is often generational.
• Spending money on the fleeting, while underfunding other opportunities, perhaps opportunities that will have a far more positive effect on a child's future than a summer in camp.

This is a no-brainer. Get out of consumer debt asap. Save for emergencies. And at that point you can consider a camp experience. There are many more summers and many more camp experiences to be had. Ultimately, you will "deny" your children far more if you continue to dig yourself into a hole. And while plenty of people will scream that camp is a necessity and that it is a vital chinuch experience, I will let you in on a secret: plenty of kids don't really enjoy camp. So use the opportunity to have a fun, wonderful experience in your own backyard.

Where Does That Item Get Budgeted?

ProfK has a post up called Delineating the Costs of Pesach which reminded me about a topic I wanted to address. A lot of people talk about just how much Pesach costs, but I see a lot of the costs less as costs of the yom tov, and more issues of timing or distribution.

In my opinion, just because you are spending the money during the Pesach season, doesn't make the cost a Pesach cost. A few examples, in the weeks before I Pesach I will drop large amounts of money on grape juice. We use Kedem Grape Juice year round. I can get the grape juice at over 50% retail cost right now, so I will buy for many months to come. My March or April grocery budget might be a bit large, but I will buy enough to help us make it through a minimum of 6 months. The Pesach cost is only a sliver of the cost. Another cost people site is the cost of cleaning your rugs. Now most people get their rugs cleaned from time to time, but there are people who like to clean their rugs annually (like my non-Jewish neighbor who seemed to perform this task, well, right about now!). A vacuum should suffice for getting the chometz off your rugs, but if you so choose to clean the rugs prior to Pesach, I don't think it is fair to blame Pesach for the cost of the rug cleaning. You could have your rugs cleaned prior to Rosh Hashana, which is, in fact my plan because we have some more pressing yard work. Hair cuts are another example that people site. I will be paying for a haircut this coming week, but it isn't a Pesach cost. Had I cut my hair two months ago, I wouldn't bother. But if I plan to make it through the omer without a large headache, I need to get a trim. Detailing the car is another example. Some people like their car upholstery fresh, but this too could be done earlier and a simple vacuum job would suffice pre-Pesach.

So long as a family has ample reserves to cover a month of inflated costs, I see no reason not to send a closet full of clothing to the cleaners, hire a rug cleaning service and someone to detail the car, and take the whole family to the salon/barber shop. Going into Pesach there is a certain momentum. But, just because you are spending the money between Purim and Pesach doesn't make it a Pesach cost.

As for distribution of costs, the family that joins their parents/children/siblings for Seder should be saving a good deal of groceries, whereas the hosts will often end up spending a good deal more. I do think it is perfectly reasonable for families that find hosting to be an expenditure that is too much to bite off to ask their family members to join them to share in some of the expense, be it bringing their own wine and matzah or putting their name on a chore chart so that extra cleaning help need not be hired.

Guest Post: Food Processors and Pesach Cooking and Recipes

This is a guest post by Hannah Katsman, who blogs at A Mother in Israel and CookingManager.Com.

A food processor uses electricity, requires washing and takes up storage space. Each family has to decide whether it's worth the expense. But you may find that it pays for itself via savings on prepared products.

This post contains three parts: Choosing a Food Processor, Pesach Cooking Tips (that will serve you year-round), and Passover Recipes and Food Processor Tips from my websites.
Choosing a Food Processor:

What size should I buy? For salads and kugels, a large bowl is less important because you can process the food in batches and transfer to a larger bowl for mixing. But you will need a full-size machine for cakes, or if you have a growing family. Buy as good quality as you can afford, but keep in mind that a very strong motor is most important for kneading dough. A larger size does not mean a stronger motor, just more storage capacity.

Features: The best food processors place the bowl directly on top of the motor. Motors found on the side are connected by a rubber belt that can break from time to time.

A good food processor needs only three settings: Off, On and Pulse. You control the fineness by turning the machine off and on at intervals. A quality machine will be dishwasher safe.

See more buying tips here: Food Processor Basics

Pesach Food Processor Tips:

Horseradish: Easy! Peel, cut in chunks, and process with the S-shaped steel knife. Don't add vinegar or your blade could corrode. Add cooked beets after the seder to make gefilte fish sauce. You'll be tempted to throw out your grater but I keep it on hand in case of emergency.My son pointed out that a knife also works.

Haroseth: Place nuts in bowl and chop coarsely with a steel knife. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until you get the texture you like.

Nuts, fresh herbs including parsley, and garlic: Start with a dry bowl and process as much as you need for that day's cooking. Nuts, including with shells, should always be stored in the freezer.
Store herbs and garlic in olive oil to last longer.

Onions: Peel and cut in quarters, then chop with the steel knife.

Salads: All food processors have a grating attachment. To use it, you push vegetables through the feed tube. Keep a cardboard cutout of the feed tube opening in your purse to buy the right size produce. But you can use the steel knife for most recipes calling for grated vegetables.

Meat, Fish, and Matzah Meal: Save money by chopping it yourself in the processor.

Matzah Balls/Knaidlach. You can get by with a spoon and bowl, but you can also process it if your recipe doesn't call for separating eggs. Matzah ball mixes have lots of additives and don't save you much work.

Potatoes: Grate raw potatoes with the grating attachment or steel knife, but don't make mashed potatoes in the processor. Sometimes I use it for potato salad. I chop everything but the potatoes and store in the fridge. Then I add the chopped, cooked potatoes and dressing closer to serving time.

Cleaning: Rinse the processor with plain water after processing vegetables and raw eggs. Make sure to get all the surfaces by tilting it; no need to fill the bowl with water. At the end of the day or for greasy items, use hot water and detergent, or the dishwasher.

Here are a few recipes and tips from my websites:
Passover Recipes:
Gefilte Fish Balls
Homemade Mayonnaise
Passover Egg Noodles
Potato Kugel or Latkes (includes detailed FP instructions)
Summer Beet Borscht
How to Make Patties from Anything and Everything
Carrot-Apple Salad
Winter Kohlrabi (or Cabbage) Salad
Red Snapper with Lemon and Dill
Chicken with Black Olives and Tomatoes

More Tips and Techniques from CookingManager.Com:
Five Basic Recipes for the Food Processor
Use Your Food Processor Efficiently
Food Processor Basics
The Bar Mitzvah Cooking Session
Preparing for a Holiday Cooking Session
Cooking Spreadsheet

Note: I hope you will visit my websites. CookingManager.Com is meant for a general audience so please save comments with Hebrew terms and halachic questions for A Mother in Israel. Those of you on Facebook are invited to join the Cooking Manager Fan Page.

Echad Chacham. . . . Echad Helpless Loser

Pesach is upon us and frum websites are publishing rants against the price of Pesach food. The latest one is from Matzav on Insane Pesach Food Prices (see my comments on a prior Matzav editorial on the Financial Impossibility of being frum). While I don't want to become a broken record here, I will continue to repeat this message in hopes that it is heard:

"I find it highly irresponsible for people in positions of influence to put out a message that we are doomed by virtue of adherence to Torah, when in fact we are largely doomed by our own dysfunction and foolishness. Part of that dysfunction is that we spend money like poor people."

Now when it comes to shmura matzah, a lot of us sort of close our eyes and pay the price. Yes, it does seem ludicrous to pay 4-5 times the price of ground beef on water and flour. But we only use shmura matza for the seder, so I can't get too worked up about much about this expense. I figure that once a year we buy a lulav and etrog and once a year we buy some shmura matzah for the sedarim. Maybe a bit extravagant in price, but I'm sure that if we weren't shomrei mitzvot, we'd find a different extravagance. I do understand that those who use shmura matzah for Pesach really do get hit with quite the bill, but that too is a choice. Those who use machine matzah really have little to complain about. We didn't even have to purchase our obscure Israeli brand machine matzah this year. It came free with a $25 purchase. I asked the store manager if I could split the cases of Kedem grape juice I was buying into multiple purchases and use multiple purchases and he said to go right ahead. So, 5 cases of Kedem Concord grape juice later, I have all the matzah I ever want to see again. I don't think I'm even going to bother buying matzah meal this year. I think I might treat myself to a small food processor and make my own, since the 5 pound packages of matzah can almost always be had for limited cost.

But the Matzah Rant isn't addressing the cost of shmurah matzah. The matzah rant is about sponge cake and junk for the kids. The author writes: "Is there any good reason that a box of a handful of chocolate leaves costs the kosher consumer over 7 dollars? Is there a good reason why a bottle of kosher l’Pesach ketchup cost over a dollar more than it does during the year? Why do I have to pay close to ten dollars for a box of sorry tasting kosher l’Pesach sponge cake?Why do we continue to allow food companies to fleece us - yes, fleece us - every year Pesach time?"

The answer is of course the food companies will "fleece" you only if you allow them to do so. If you don't want to pay these prices, head to the nearest large grocery chain and exercise your right to make your own kosher l'Pesach desserts. Later the author will blame it on the kids (just say no! comes to mind) as to why all these products are needed. Feh!

I'm starting to think that chazal should have included the 5th son in the Haggadah. The 5th son is the helpless loser who complains about the cost of ketchup! He too needs his teeth set on edge! Don't be mad at me, the author labelled himself: "As I said, the overpricing is utterly outrageous. We walk around these stores like helpless losers, paying these crazy prices each year before Pesach."

And a note to Matzav and the author who writes: "It is about time that someone - an askan, a baal chessed, anyone - came along and did something about it, producing quality kosher l’Pesach products for normal prices." Once again: empowerment! You can be your own askan/baal chessed and buy more of what is reasonably priced and pass up $10 boxes stuff for which there is more packaging than food.

Here are posts from previous years for those who refuse to be "helpless losers."

Making a Pesach Budget (10 tips)
More Peach Frugality Tips based off a note from a reader and good tips from my readers. Do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do consult the OU or your local Vaads Pesach Guide. If you want to convenience of going to only one store, then remember you are paying for the convenience and that comes with a price tag. But if you want to make the most of your dollar, you can get Danon yogurts in your regular grocery store (coupons are in the Sunday circulars). You can get raw nuts at Trader Joes, etc, etc, etc.
And remember, the Yom Tov is becoming a Free Man able to serve Hashem and observe the mitzvot, so don't trade in one type of slavery for another type of slavery because you overindulge. Avadim hayinu l'Mastercard b'America

Public Service Annoucement for Maryland Readers

I received notification of this annoucement from a Maryland reader who, until she found the link, she was unaware that this legislation existed. The first annoucement is from a Maryland school and the second from from the Orthodox Union.

I found the website for the BOAST MD Tax Credit issue for interested readers here. I don't have time to read through the entire website before putting up this post or the post will be irrelevant, but it looks like scholarship funds would have to go through an separate 501(c)(3) and that 501(c)(3) will need to provide scholarships for students attending at least 4 different schools, amongst other requirements. Perhaps the passage would create some consolidation? If anyone has time to read through the BOAST MD website and leave comments, it would be much appreciated. I have a lot to do in the next few hours.

Dear Friends,
Please read the following Action Alert from the OU, who has been very involved in the BOAST MD Tax Credit issue. This is a tremendous opportunity to offset the rising cost of Jewish day school tuition that may not come our way again. This can directly impact YOUR tuition in the future, and action is required immediately. Please forward to others as well. The money you save will be your own.

In addition to this link (CLICK HERE), you can also use the following web site to identify your specific MD State Senators if you do not know your district number. Just go to http://www.congress.org/ and put your zip code in the “Get Involved” search bar in the top center of the page. Certainly contact Senators from your district, and others depending on your time availability.


Daniel Ely
Executive Director
Yeshiva of Greater Washington


Dear Friends,
Help for Jewish Day School tuition could be on the way. But we need you to act NOW!
Take Action Now to Urge Your Senator to Vote YES for Scholarship-Building Tax Credit
The BOAST Maryland Tax Credit, which could potentially generate thousands of dollars in scholarship money for private school students, passed the Maryland Senate Budget and Taxation Committee last week by a vote of 10 to 5. The Orthodox Union was on hand in Annapolis to advocate for BOAST passage last week and submitted testimony in support of the tax credit. The tax credit will come before the full Senate in the next several days and YOUR help is needed to push it to passage.


In other states, these programs have raised millions of dollars for yeshivas and day schools: In Rhode Island, with under 100 students, they’ve raised over $700,000 in two years. Over $12 million in scholarships has been distributed in Pennsylvania to almost 5,000 students. In Arizona, scholarships totaling nearly $9 million were awarded to private school students.
BOAST would grant businesses a state income tax credit in exchange for their donations to scholarship programs for nonpublic school students or enrichment programs for public school students. Donations can also be used to provide continuing education grants to public and nonpublic school teachers.


Remember, the 127,000 students in Maryland’s nonpublic schools save state taxpayers more than $1.5 billion annually in public school costs.


Call your state senator now and urge them to vote YES on BOAST.
Click here to find the name of your senator.


Howie Beigelman
Deputy Director, Public Policy
Orthodox Union (Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America)

Kansas City School Board Votes to Shutter Half the Schools

This story broke tonight as I started to wind down my day. The Kansas City School Board votes 5-4 to shut down 29 or 61 schools. There will be massive job loss too as 700 of 3000 positions, including 285 teachers, will be eliminated. As the superintendent explained, they have used their reserves and they no longer will be receiving desegregation funding. The district believed that by 2011 they would be in the red and something had to be done.

It must have taken a lot of bravery on the part of those 5 board members to vote for such a dramatic change, despite its total necessity. I'm not sure what is Orthonomic about this post. But I'm just trying to comprehend this collapse. Talk about a changing landscape. Sure, nearly half the students have switched to other schools, including charter schools. But talk about a changed landscape.

Update (Hat Tip: Ari): Read this Cato Institute Policy report on the school district. Anyone interested in education issues will find the report horrifying and fascinating.l

Public Service Announcement: Florida Jewish Cooperative School New Location

Public Service Announcement from the Jewish Cooperative School (Florida) follows. Also, check out their new website with information on just how this cooperative operates!

To Orthonomics,

I wanted to update you on our progress of securing a location for Kindergarten and First Grade for next year. Below is our email we sent out to our coop families. Also, I have attached a chart that compares 2010/2011 tuition rates at 2 local day schools. These 2 schools are actually the lowest priced of the 5 local Orthodox day schools in the South Florida area.

Dear All,

Adar truly proved to be a joyous month for the Jewish Cooperative School. We are thrilled to report that we have secured a phenomenal location that has amenities galore - all conveniently located within NMB. Our location provides a state of the art computer lab with over 15 computers, a soccer field, basketball court, huge playground with amazing climbing equipment, auditorium with stage, enclosed outdoor atrium with picnic tables and room for our children to grow a vegetable garden, full access to a splash and play playground with certified lifeguards for those unbearably hot Florida school days, as well as the opportunity for co-op families to arrange discounted swimming lessons with certified swim instructors after school. To further safeguard our children, the classrooms have surveillance cameras and the City of NMB police department overlooks the playground. Easy drop-off and pick-up as well! We will be located in the North Miami Beach Ronald A. Silver Youth Enrichment Services Center: 17051 NE 19th Avenue. And the icing on the cake is that tuition is substantially less than the recently announced 2010-2011 tuition prices at the local day schools.

Please help spread the word to interested Kindergarten and First Grade families. Space is limited to only 10 children per class.

For more information, please visit our website http://www.jewishcooperativeschool.org/, send us an email at jewishcoop@gmail.com or feel free to call us at 786-541-8527.

[My apologies for my inability to easily put the following information back into the chart it came on] HOW DOES JEWISH COOPERATIVE SCHOOL COMPARE TO THE LOCAL
JEWISH DAY SCHOOL OPTIONS?

2010/2011 Published Rates
SCHOOL A
SCHOOL B
JEWISH COOPERATIVE SCHOOL

Tuition Kindergarten
$ 9,700.00
$ 8,800.00
$7,500.00

Tuition First Grade
$11,950.00
$11,550.00
$7,500.00

Registration Fee
$ 500.00
$ 650.00
$750.00 applied towards the last month of tuition.

Give/Get/Scholarship Fund
$ 1,000.00
$ 1,200.00
N/A

Building Fee
$ 650.00
N/A
N/A

Insurance/Security Fee
$ 350.00
$ 250.00
N/A

Book Fee
$ 175.00
N/A
N/A

TOTAL KINDERGARTEN
$12,375.00
$10,900.00
$7,500.00

TOTAL FIRST GRADE
$14,625.00
$13,650.00
$7,500.00

Guest Post: Private School or Bust, The Gerim Edition

After writing the post mostly highly commented on post "Private School or Bust", I received a letter from the wife of a sincere convert who wanted to share with the readership the challenges and concerns that families with converts share when it comes to educating their children. Converts have essentially promised to send their children to yeshiva, but perhaps the choice won't be the best one for their children (I know of such a case myself where there were special needs involved that the school couldn't meet), or perhaps it will be completely out of the ballpark financially. I have slightly edited the post, mostly to keep personal details out of the hands of those who might be able to identify the couple in question. Please use your commonsense when commenting. Post follows:

I'm a regular reader the blog and some of the recent activity in the last few posts has prompted an honest evaluation of what Jewish education options we might pursue in the future for our family and how this may affect other choices. We are in our early 30s, have been married for a short time, and do not have children yet. I think our situation raises some other concerns about how much our Orthodox communal leaders refuse to see anything other than yeshivah or day school as a means of delivering Jewish education, and I would love to see this addressed on your blog.

My husband is a ger and I am from an Orthodox home. I went to an Modern Orthodox schools and spent a year in Israel post high school. My husband went to a Catholic school for the earliest grades, but my mother-in-law switched him to the local public school because she was unhappy with the quality of education at the Catholic school. With the help of some sweat equity, my in-laws were able to live in a more expensive neighborhood with well-regarded public schools.

In our most recent discussion about Jewish education prompted by the discussion on this blog, my husband informed me that during his geirut process, the beit din "asked" him if he would send him children to yeshivah/Jewish day school, with the clear indication that there was only one right answer to the question: of course he would! The beit din gave him a very hard time throughout the process for reasons completely unrelated to his kabbalat ol malchut shamayim, and so, my husband did what he did in every case where he felt that the beit din was imposing on him an "illegitimate" condition for geirut: he went along with it, while knowing in his heart that he planned to be an observant Jew, committed to the Torah, but not necessarily promising to engage in every single expectation that this beit din imposed. [And no, my husband did not realistically have other batei din options for overseeing an Orthodox geirut. The current mess of how geirim are treated is a whole other post. I still experience some disbelief that my husband even had the fortitude and love of Torah to make it through, despite facing rude and outright cruel behavior.]

The "Will you send your children to yeshivah?" question is standard operating practice in geirut. This is true for single men and women planning to convert. This true for married people planning to convert. This is true for parents who wish to convert a child that they have adopted. It is the norm in the frum world, and the beit din establishment expects nothing less. They do not want to hear about public schools or charter schools and supplemental Torah education. They do not care if a potential ger or giyoret (or adoptive parents) can not afford yeshivah tuition. Perhaps they would accept homeschooling or co-ops, if an FFB parent or local Rav is involved, but maybe not. I'm sure they haven't even considered more broadly what might happen if a ger has a child - or an adopted child him or herself - has special needs that can't be handled in the frum community.

Right now, if someone wants to convert, they are not merely expected to keep mitzvot and continue learning. Universal yeshivah or day school for children is mandatory. While we explore alternatives for our own individual families and our community at large, I think we need to make ourselves clearer to the establishment: There should be no pricetag on becoming Jewish! Private school is a luxury, and nowhere do the criteria for accepting gerim - either as adults or as children - mandate the need for wealth to afford luxuries. While frum Jews who explore other options worry about their children being shunned from having playdates or shidduchim, other, legitimate gerim are being *forced* to accept this as a pre-condition to being Jewish! This is disturbing, and most people are not even aware that it exists.

My husband assures me that he had the frum equivalent of "crossing his fingers" in his heart if he ever "promised" or appeared to promise to send his future children to yeshivah. He knows that it is extremely expensive, though I was surprised to learn this past week that he really doesn't know just *how* expensive. I think my mother-in-law fell off her chair when I told her! More important, my husband recognizes that there can be more than one way to deliver a quality Jewish education, and that even if we will have the money to afford yeshivah/day school tuition when the time comes (who knows), it might *not* be the best return on the money in teaching our future children true Torah values, knowledge and skills. Furthermore, both my husband and I are unwilling to send children to any school that would teach them blanket negative things about "goyim;" you know, people like my absolutely wonderful and accommodating in-laws. Until we are in a position to decide, we do not know what we will do. But we plan to be creative for our own family, we support communal options that do not demand significant wealth, and we want to speak out for the small community of geirim (adults and children) who are being asked to take on the yoke of yeshivah tuition as the price of entry to our people.

If we have children that we do not send to yeshivah, there may be people who question my husband's geirut. We don't believe in retroactivity in geirut; obviously, there are those who disagree. Our current community is an accepting one, where most people send children to yeshivah, but not everyone does. I'm sure my parents, who do not live near me and did everything they could to send their children to yeshivah, would initially be skeptical. Yet they know that we don't make decisions without doing our homework, so I am optimistic that they would be open to hearing about how we plan to provide our children a Jewish education, and I'm pretty sure they'd even be happy to participate in a process that asks them to devote some of their time learning with their grandchildren, rather than money.

I suppose the "good" news is that no one can question *my* Jewishness, so no one can doubt whether any children we have are actually Jewish. I worry what may happen to a giyoret who shuns yeshivah or day school for her children, even if it comes from financial necessity. I worry what happens to a family that adopts a child, converts him or her, and then can't afford a tuition bill. The Torah is clear on what our obligation to gerim is and this requiring this type of tuition is a form of "oppression."

The Circus Marches On

Think We Can Flood with 50,000 Letters? (I wish I knew how many readers I have. . . . nowhere close to 50K, so it will be up to you to spread the word).

Kollel Shomrei HochomosKollel Shomrei Hochomos
18 Heyward St.
Brooklyn, NY 11211

The lack of busha and the lack of rachamim for the Park Family and Ms. Peggy Park is astounding. This is a low, low fundraising technique. Saying kaddish and leaning mishnayot, fine. Organizing your own small learning group, be my guest. But continuing this immodest circus parade and marching it through the internet is not just inappropriate, but is cruel and lacks in tzniut.

On an organizational level, I think NCYI and the OU need to think twice about joining up with other organizations in the future. I'd really like to see them come out with some closing thoughts on this matter. There are many people that feel hoodwinked by the entire incident and even the Matzav and VIN comments are starting to split.

I'm penning a letter this afternoon. If you are joining me, please leave a comment. I think a single stamp is warranted to protest this circus.

Public Service Annoucement: Second Annual Torah Home Education Conference

The Second Annual Torah Home Education Conference will take place on June 13, 2010 from 8 am – 5 pm in Baltimore, MD. There are childcare options for infants – age 3, a day camp for children ages 4 – 10, and a teen girls get together for ages 11 – 17. This is the only event of its kind taking place anywhere in the country, and will be just one day, so don’t miss your chance!

The schedule and brief bios of speakers are below, and if you want more info you can visit http://jewishhomeschooling.wordpress.com/ or be in touch with one of the contact people listed at the bottom. Please share this with anyone you know who may be interested!

Second Annual Torah Home Education Conference Schedule
8:15 registration

9 – 9:15 – Introduction – Mrs. Avivah Werner- “The Road Less Traveled”

9:15 – 10:15 -keynote speaker – Rabbi Daniel Lapin- “And You Shall Teach Them to Your Children – Does it really mean what it says?”

10:25 – 11:15 -
a) Mrs. Susan Lapin – “Life After Homeschooling – What does it look like?”
b) Mrs. Yehudis Eagle – “Teaching Tefilla (Prayer): More than Technicalities”

11:25 – 12:15 – general session - Rabbi Bamberger- “The Challenges In Our Yeshivos”

12:20 – 1:50 Lunch (enjoy fellowship over lunch in the Eating Together Room, browse curriculums in Center for Jewish Education)

1:55 – 2:45 pm -
a) Mrs. Avivah Werner – Home Education on a Shoestring
b) Mrs. Chana Lazaroff – Home Education for the Special Needs Child

2:55 -3:45 -
a) Dr. Ezra Hendel – Teaching Chumash and Rashi
b) Mrs. Malky Adler – Minimizing Outsider Syndrome (women only)

3:55 – 4:45 – general session -
Rabbi Simcha Feuerman – Home Education: The Way of the Future

4:45 – closing
In alphabetical order is a brief bio of our speakers:

Mrs. Malky Adler is the mother of nine children living in Detroit, MI and has been home educating for six years. Her children range in age from infant through high schoolers. She will talk about the challenges of homeschooling when living in a community that views you as an outsider because of your unusual education choices and how to effectively deal with that.

Rabbi Bamberger is an experienced educator with over 25 years of experience. He has served for five years as a high school principal, teaches ninth grade limudei kodesh, and is the rabbi of a shul in Monsey, NY. He has spoken nationally about various aspects of chinuch. He is now homeschooling his youngest child, and will speak from his experience inside the yeshiva system for two and a half decades about the challenges our schools are facing.

Mrs. Yehudis Eagle is the mother of 11 children, several of whom are grown, and has been homeschooling for over 15 years. She has an integrated and holistic approach to home education, and will speak about how to approach tefilla as a home educator.

Dr. Ezra (Russell) Hendel, A.S.A., has taught chumash to homeschooled children from the ages of 5 – 11 and produced over 400 worksheets. He has developed a unique and effective approach to teaching Rashi, is creator of www.rashiyomi.com website, and will give an interactive presentation to help parents teach chumash and Rashi.

Rabbi Daniel Lapin, known world-wide as America’s Rabbi, is a noted rabbinic scholar, best-selling author and host of the Rabbi Daniel Lapin Show on San Francisco’s KSFO. He is one of America’s most eloquent speakers and his ability to extract life principles from the Bible and transmit them in an entertaining manner has brought countless numbers of Jews and Christians closer to their respective faiths. In 2007 Newsweek magazine included him in its list of America’s fifty most influential rabbis. Rabbi Lapin will be our keynote speaker for the conference and will talk about the Torah view of home education.

Mrs. Susan Lapin now is involved full-time in the her husband in his business and writing endeavors, after years of homeschooling their seven children. She is a wealth of practical knowledge regarding home education and family life, and is now the grandmother of children who are being home educated. She will be traveling from Seattle, WA, to share with us her experience and long term perspective on transitioning from home education to schools, yeshivos, seminaries, and college.

Mrs. Chana Lazaroff is the mother of two married daughters and two sons with Down’s Syndrome. She has been home educating them from birth, drawing on her background as an occupational therapist but even more from her ongoing learning about how to help her children reach their potential. She will speak to us about home education for the special needs child.

Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, LCSW-R maintains a private practice specializing in high conflict couples and families. In addition, he serves as Director of Community Mental Health Services at Ohel, and as President of Nefesh International. He is the author of 2 books, numerous professional articles, and along with his wife, a weekly column in the Jewish Press on matters of family relationships, religion, education and psychology. He has also home educated two of his children and will share about creating a dynamic limudei kodesh curriculum and his belief that home education is the way of the future.

Mrs. Avivah Werner is the founder of the Torah Home Education Conference, founder of J-LIFT, a Baltimore area homeschool group, moderator of Torch-d, international listserve for Orthodox homeschoolers, and frequently blogs about home education at www.oceansofjoy.wordpress.com. She has written about home education for national and local publication, and has been home educating for ten years. The oldest of her nine children will be graduating from homeschooling this June. She will share about how to make homeschooling effective without breaking the bank.

For registration – Alisa - apmandel@yahoo (dot) com, or 410-963-2977; or Sara – srayvy@yahoo (dot) com. The advance registration fee is $25 per person, $40 per couple until May 1, 2010. After that, the regular pricing of $50 per person, $90 per couple will apply. So don’t get so busy with Pesach preparations that you miss your chance to save big by registering in advance! You can go to http://jewishhomeschooling.wordpress.com/ for more details.

**We are incredibly fortunate to have the speakers of the caliber we do, and realize that there will be interest in attending from those who aren’t Jewish or interested in homeschooling. As much as I hate to disappoint anyone, this conference is open only for Jewish homeschooling families, or Jewish families interested in homeschooling.**

Hey Rebbe How R U 2Day?

A reader sent me a scan of questions from a Chumash assignment. I won't even comment 'cuz I don't need to Xplain this to U. Ever wonder Y UR teenager can't spell and lacks respect for the discipline? Well, this might help U understand.

If I had an edumacation tag, I'd file it under that. In the meantime, we will have to settle for the education tag. I can't put something like this under the humor tag. It isn't funny.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

What Would This Model Look Like in Jewish Day Schools?

There is an article in the NY Post about a Spanish Speaking Chabad principal who is looking to set up a network of tri-lingual (public) schools where 4 teachers facilitate learning in a class of 60 students spanning the grades K-5th. This appears to be a larger and more staffed version than the one-room schoolhouses of old. The teachers will stay with the students from K-5th grade and the hope is that teachers will be able to build more individualized curriculum and build deeper relationships. Additionally, there will be student led learning based on the model used by prep schools like Phillips Exeter Academy. The principal of this school is collaberating on this project.

I find the idea of a one-room school house intriguing, and I have to wonder that even with a low teacher: student ratio of 1:15 (corrected, sorry about that) if the model has hidden efficiencies. Perhaps a classroom where teachers are able to work with the same students for many years to come would help cut down on administration and resource room expenses? Perhaps it would cut back on behavior issues, which often require more staffing and expense to deal with? Perhaps a school that is already small, but has extremely low teacher: student ratios would really be able to benefit from such a model because the the current model of single-grade classrooms requires excess staffing?

Of course, where a particular teacher and student/parent do not gel, the model could be a nightmare, but I find the idea of a large classroom where teachers can work with students for many years on end to have a certain appeal. I also think that frum schools could benefit from teachers who specialize in different subjects (kodesh v'chol) working together under one roof, supporting each other, and ensuring common goals are met. I think the benefit of older students helping younger students is obvious. Perhaps behavior would improve where older students are expected to take a role of responsibility.

Add your thoughts and please indicate your interest as a "consumer" of education.