A few items in the news regarding Jewish educational instituations that have had to close due to the current economic situation:
- The Jewish Star reports that the popular post-high school Yeshiva Ner Yaakov will close it’s doors for the 2009-10 year. Typically, enrollment was 80 first year bochrim; this past year was 60, with only 18 registered for the coming year. The yeshiva opened in 1988, and has many alumni in Baltimore.
- The Jewish Star also reports that Shalhevet High School for Girls, an offshoot of HAFTR, is closing after opening last year.
In related news, the oldest Catholic school in Baltimore, in operation for 86 years, Towson Catholic, has had to close it’s doors for the coming year.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
On the subject of Shalhevet, there is an interesting difference in the reporting of the story between the above referenced Jewish Star article, and the Five Towns Jewish Times (link) , which is reporting that the entire Machon Hatorah Partnership (b/w HAFTR and Rambam, and up until now, Shalhevet) is now ending.
The comments to that article can be found here . Besides the back and forth sniping, there is the text of an email HAFTR sent out to its parent body regarding these developments, and there is an interesting suggestion by Mr. Richard Altabe, former Principal at Darchei Torah of Far Rockaway and current Principal at Magen David in Brooklyn:
“The decision to jettison Shalhevet should have been made before Pesach to allow for both students and staff to pursue other options.
Unfortunately, this action has implications that reach far beyond the 5 Towns. Though the board members were carrying out their fiduciary responsibilities, other less disruptive options should have been pursued.
HAFTR’s credibility has been damaged by their failure to abide by their own agreement, however flawed it may have been.
Unlike other bloggers, I am speaking out openly because I feel an injustice has been done.
While the HAFTR board may not change its mind, we as a community should at least organize to step in for one year to cover the deficit of Shalhevet so that no child is left without a school in August.
From my understanding a combination of cutbacks and community aid could keep the school afloat. We should immediately begin a campaign to raise at least $100,000 across this community.
by Richard Altabe, Far Rockaway”
Certainly raises the question of communal responsbility for schools in an interesting way.
This news is indeed sad, I know many people whose lives were changed for the better by Ner Yaakov. However, a larger problem than just finding a place for those who would have benefited from Ner Jake is apparent: with the current economy, the Jewish school system as we know it is failing. Somehow solutions must be reached or we will see more of this. Wish I had some answers.
Could it possibly be the proliferation of schools both in the U.S. and Israel that is to blame. Yes it is nice to have choices, but every new school has to tap in to the same pool of funding, which we know is quickly shrinking pool at that. This “boutique†philosophy is unsustainable, the new “hot’ place to send your child will probably endanger the older institution. One possibility may be to have different tracks for different needs while sharing resources such as facilities and staff. This is an old argument but may need to be considered.
Donna- As long as some schools espouse single-sex education and others are vehemently opposed to it, sharing facilities wouldn’t work. Additionally, most schools are barely (if at all) able to figure out how to teach multiple levels of students all following a single philosophy/hashkafah. I just don’t see it possible to teach more than one hashkafah in a school.
The solution is to let natural selection take its toll. We’ll either end up with the crème de la crème (because people will favor the schools that work the best) or we’ll end up with the sludge that cakes onto a sink drain (because people will get exactly what they’re willing to pay for).
Donna makes a great point. I dont think she is saying we need to mix the boys and girls together. There are many schools that cater to the same type of student. Sometimes to much is not a good thing. How can the comunity afford to keep all these schools open. A school like Ner Yackov was opened by faculty that was working at the same type of Yeshivah going after the same clientle. Was there a need for it at the time absolutly not.
Larry-I don’t know what the deal was when Ner Yaakov broke off Neveh way back when, but in the last 10-15 years it would certainly seem to me there was a demand for Ner Jake. They had 70-80 guys there first year easy according to the articles. It seems that for next year they had a dramatic drop in enrollment-I have to think the bad economy is not the only factor, there has to be something else going on.
The first year they had 39 boys enrolled. They did great work and many years had a large student body, but the fact remains is that if we have many different school that cater to the same people. If the cash is not there and also if there is not a need why are these school opening.
I agree with your point-but it would seem that in most years there was a demand for Ner Yaakov based upon the enrollment. For reasons that aren’t entirely clear, the enrollment went way down for the coming year.
Larry-
Donna (at least it seems to me) was saying that we put a bunch of hashkafahs together in a single facility and teach each as a tract. I pointed out that there are two mutually exclusive ideas that couldn’t possibly be mixed. She might not have meant that there should be a coed school. However, if you share facilities among multiple groups, you’re still going to need to have 3 separate facilities: 1 coed and then a boys-only and girls-only for people who couldn’t imagine having a boy and a girl sit next to each other (gasp!) under any circumstance.
Hey What?! Did I say one school for everyone; I do not think so, but the more you divide the pie the more difficult it is to sustain it. I actually send my child to a “boutique†type place and wish that a larger institution could swallow up the program to save money. Also making fun of people who want single sex education “for people who couldn’t imagine having a boy and a girl sit next to each other (gasp!)†does not exactly brand you as open minded. Single sex education is advocated by many educators who have nothing to do with Jewish education. I don’t judge people who send to a co-ed school it just does not work for me – think about it.