Rabbis ask your aid in fixing tuition crisis

This article, by Rabbi Shmuel Marcus of Kehilas Ishei Yisrael, Kew Gardens Hills, and Rabbi Jonathan Morgenstern of the Young Israel of Scarsdale, was contributed by the Orthodox Union. 

Everyone asks us, what can be done about the cost of a day school education?

Week after week, the tuition crisis comes to our attention, front and center. Rabbis, couples, and concerned members of the community call us, email us, and approach us after davening regarding the financial pressures threatening our schools and squeezing our middle class families.

Sometimes, they are parents squeezed by the prices who somehow make it work, but are always asking when it will ever get better. And sometimes, it’s extremely generous and charitable individuals looking to quietly help the community at large in this struggle.

This problem has been given a name, “The Tuition Crisis,” and is fuelled by the issues we all know: 

•A slow economic recovery has too many families still hurting financially.

•Security costs have spiked. As we look around the world — and sadly, very close to home — we understand why.

•Energy costs are also on the rise.

•Technology in the classroom is an increasing, and increasingly expensive, need.

•Salaries, benefits and annual raises for dedicated teachers and staff — which account for almost 90 percent of a school’s operating budget — must remain in place to recruit and retain high quality educators.

Likewise, we know what needs to be done. Our local schools must continue to be recipients of our tzedaka dollars, not just as a token of our appreciation for educating our children but also because halacha directs us to prioritize our local institutions when determining giving.

And while some schools have undertaken innovative tuition reduction initiatives, many have not, and it’s still too much to ask of the schools alone.

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We can’t fix this without help from our government leaders. We must lobby those in state and local office.

In fact, on each issue we have raised, there is constitutionally sound political action happening right now that could fix this crisis.