Matzav Inbox: Parents Are Going Broke and Schools Are…Raising Tuition?!

Welcome to the real world, every community outside Lakewood has tuition that is higher than 11k.

I’m so confused. If that’s how much the product costs then what do you expect them to do?
Schools cost money to run. If everyone left the school because they thought it was too expensive then the school would get the message.
Who should pay to run the school others than the consumers?

It’s very easy to blame the schools.

Who said they didn’t try and were left with no choice

Signed by
A parent who struggles to pay tuition

Maybe stop building monstrous size exotic school buildings that they can’t afford ?!?

I used the public school system for my kids. When they got home we learned for 20 minutes. They were interested. The kids made sure there was a timer on the table.
B’h it turned out fine. They live in the suburbs now and attend temple services a few times a year.
They are leaders in their community and support Israel.
Don’t be held hostage to the day school tuition Shanda/trouble makers.
There is a way out.

Did you say the same to your Electricity company? “Why do you charge me a full price? why cant you just find a way to fundraise from someone else and subsidize the service that you do for me?”
Why stop at Yeshivahs?
Plumber? Car lease?

It seems fr the most part the schools were doing a phenomenal job fundraising but now it appears that even the g’virim are suffering.

What I dont get is, why is it better for the schools to lose students (and receive less tuition) then to have fewer who are paying full.

One solution I can think of is to have a committee comprised of parents and the administration to review the budget and cut anything not deemed essential.

Its kinda what happens when you arbitrarily raise teachers salaries without a way to pay for it. It was a nice move, but capitalism usually works best

Don’t think anyone in the right state of mind will disagree with you!!

Perhaps the Kollel lifestyle is finally reaching end of life. Its been unsustainable for years. Parents have been killing themselves and going above an beyond what they can afford to support the spoiled young men, who have it engrained in their minds that they are not allowed to work. Don’t forget that for every parent that pays full tuition, theres a kollel parent that pays nothing (or very little). Many, many working men find the time to learn both morning and night, it’s not a embarrassment to work and support your family. When one of my sons was in shidduchim, one shadchan told me that she knew of several boys who had no business being in BMG, but the mothers said “Its the only way to get a good shidduch”. Guess what, it also adds to the divorce rat. Thats my 2 cents and Im sticking to it.

Part of the problem is an organization or a woman that came screaming to raise the salaries of the teachers in the girls schools. Saying the organization will help the schools. The schools haven’t seen a penny but they promised the teachers a raise so… you hike up the tuition. That was last yr and 2 yrs ago. The schools have to realize that they can’t just automatically raise tuition every time they need $$$. They have to do serious fundraising more than once a yr. In the days of old a teacher and a rebbi understood they would be getting paid way less than if they took a regular job. Today they assume they shld be earning a very nice salary. There are rabbeim whose wives have very lucrative jobs and they are living way better than alot of their students parents who don’t qualify for a reduction in any area or programs. Schools shouldn’t close down that is not a solution but something needs to be done other than hike up tuition by thousands of $$$.

Hi
You raised a number of points
1. The school should raise the money.
Why?
The staff are already overworked and underpaid, why should the principal or whoever raise the money. Schools are doing a job which really we should be doing, being mechanech our precious kids. They should be able to pay their staff respectfully and in a timely fashion. It costs money, the parents have a responsibility to pay.
2. Close the school down.
Really? where will all these kids go exactly? No logic at all.
3. Traditional fundraising.
As mentioned the schools are here to be mechnech our children, we need to pay for this service, since when do the schools have this responsibility to fundraise.
So lets be real, we need to be mechanech our kids, we need to pay our mechanchim, it is expensive, true, but do not chas v’sholom blame the schools that they are responsible. They are NOT responsible. We need a solution, we need help, but please do not blame the schools.

Thanks for letting us know you are speaking in anger. While it is very frustrating, level-headed people realize there are no good solutions.

Did you demand your local supermarket close down because your shopping cart costs more? Did you scream at your mortgage or insurance broker for rate increases? At the local gvirim for not doubling their support of your children’s schools? How could people really say, “everything else went up in price, so I expect you to remain steady.”

In a letter from the Rabbinical Leadership of Torah Umesorah which came out early in COVID (april 2020), I quote, “It is understood that keeping Yeshivos, Day Schools and Bais Yaakovs operating and providing Torah chinuch requires a budget, which rests upon the parent body.”

Unless the Rosh Mosad gets a much higher salary than the normal rate for an administrator of an equivalent institution (it which case the school is ‘his’ financially), he is just your shliach to help raise money. Whatever can’t be raised will be your responsibility.

DON’T suggest schools closing down. You have no idea the fallout it would cause. Especially hard hit is students, who consider themselves failures when their school fails. They have a much higher rate of fallout in the future.

Dear Angrily Can’t Sign My Name,

I can assume that you’ve noticed the sky high increase in the overall cost of living. Cleaning help has nearly doubled. Clothing has nearly doubled. The same with food.
I also assume that you’ve noticed the push for raise in salary for teachers and Rabbeim. Where did you think that was going to come from?
Why should school tuition be the thing that gives? Perhaps feeding and dressing our families on a low cost budget, spending money very carefully (cut take out, restaurants, vacations, drive old cars etc) should be maximized.
If schools would accept students solely based on how much someone could pay, or at least run similarly to the competitive wardrobe/house/car/etc industry, I’d bet everyone would be offering the highest bid.

When the schools shut down, where will parents send their children for chinuch, to public schools? Or maybe Rebbeim and Moros should work for free because tuitions are not affordable. It is a communal crisis and just asking the schools to fix the problem is not a solution.

Having been involved in many aspects of schools and non-profits for my entire working career, I would like to shed light on what is going on.
Being a parent myself of multiple schools aged children, from elementary through post high school, it is imperative to understand both sides of the story.
Schools in the more “yeshivish/chasidish” areas will NEVER have enough money to educate our children 100% unless they charge 15-18k per student. Case in point, the median cost to educate a child in the USA public schools is 18k+. While public schools offer many remedial programs, school counselors and more that yeshivas cannot afford to offer, yeshiva costs for teachers and rebbeim are equal at minimum to public schools. So how do schools afford it? Traditionally, schools have relied heavily on tuition to cover the majority of the operating budget. 50-75% of operations should be covered by tuition. Internal fundraising from parents in the school is also relied upon heavily. The schools that have the ability to fundraise outside of these circles are far and few in between. It is a very difficult thing to fundraise for from the outside community (unless it is a “community” school).
That being said, when there is slump in the economy, coupled with external pressures to raise teachers salaries, the rising costs of living and other inflationary components, where should the schools turn to?
The schools in general are extremely dedicated to the success of our children. They go above and beyond the call of duty to help our children in every way possible. I do not always agree with everything but that doesn’t mean they are not doing their best. Our duties as parents are different than the responsibilities of the school. We need to do everything possible for the success of our children. The school needs to do everything for the success of their school and collective student body. As the Chazon Ish zt’l said, “schools are the savior of the community and the detriment of the individual student”. One of my children in and elementary school class is costing me 3k per month. I am in no way a man of means and have yet to figure out where my mortgage payment for this month will come from, but I think it is imperative for parents to do all they can for the success of their child.
I personally have been involved with dozens of organizations in the last year alone and I hear the tales of woe that are being told by so many. After October 7th, a tremendous need to support Eretz Yisroel arose. As frum yidden it is something close and dear to our hearts. Millions and millions of dollars have been funneled to those causes and rightfully so. Local organizations have taken the hit. All the campaigns that are happening, and each one is so necessary, are coming in by the hundreds. Needy individuals that have lost significant income need to be tended to. So, with all these factors in mind, understand the schools need to raise the tuition to at least the number that it costs to educate your child. Of course the school is not expecting 100% of the students to pay full tuition. So here is what I suggest. Have a conversation. When it comes time to discuss with your school administrator, explain your financial situation and be very upfront about the maximum you can pay. Generally I have found schools to be understanding and offer scholarships.
In a nutshell, with the financial squeeze that’s out there today, we all need to be in tune with what is going on behind the scenes from a school perspective and the schools need to understand the parents. A conversation is the best way to do this and IY”H we should all be able to pay our bills, camps, take out food, simchas, cars, mortgage, tuition, seminary, insurance, etc etc etc and donate to the schools and organizations that reach out and to the meshulach at the door and………. You catch my drift. Oh, and working on emunah and bitachon will most likely make you laugh at all these letters because He knows what He is doing.

I’m confused. As you can see from the many online fundraising campaigns for schools, the mosdos are trying very hard.

However, the problem is that the deficits are too large. There’s not much more that they can fundraise, and the truth is that as parents, it is our responsibility to pay for our children’s education.

Closing down a mosad will not make it any cheaper for the next mosad. In fact, it will be more expensive.

So what do we do? I don’t know, but I think it’s fair to pass the cost along to the parents while continuing to fundraise.

Remember, while school fundraising seems to be an active part of helping us educate our kids, it is ultimately our responsibility as parents.

This article is totally not true. Actually the cost of education has dropped over 27 1/2% over the past decade. More hours are dedicated to learning than ever before. Teachers are paid on time every single time this article by the person who cannot sign his name, which indicates that he is probably very uneducated and doesn’t know even how to sign his name very pathetic. This person should be in Cheder

The mosdos should open their books. There is no shame if the owner gets a salary comparable to that of a CEO of a similar endeavor. Additionally, if the parents were apprised of all the Government funding and grants and found them inadequate they would join together in lobbying the elected officials.

I am sorry to hear the pain of this writer. This is a very difficult issue affecting many Jewish families and schools.
–
Without weighing into direct discussion of the topic, could I recommend moving to a state like Ohio?
In Ohio, we can receive tuition vouchers for our children to go to any of the local Jewish schools, and if your income is under 200% of the Federal Poverty Limit (this will be $83,920 in 2024 income if you have a family with 4 children) then the school is forbidden from charging more than some minimal fees.
Imagine less than $2000 in tuition total.
Combined with the (relatively) more affordable housing costs and general costs of living, it makes sense why people are moving to Ohio communities in large numbers.

Respectfully,
A resident of Ohio

It all boils down to one thing.
This new invention of schools being private businesses is a disaster. Lets go back to kehillos. Period.

I am sorry to hear the pain of this writer. This is a very difficult issue affecting many Jewish families and schools.
–
Without weighing into direct discussion of the topic, could I recommend moving to a state like Ohio?
In Ohio, we can receive tuition vouchers for our children to go to any of the local Jewish schools, and if your income is under 200% of the Federal Poverty Limit (this will be $83,920 in 2024 income if you have a family with 4 children) then the school is forbidden from charging more than some minimal fees.
Imagine less than $2000 in tuition total.
Combined with the (relatively) more affordable housing costs and general costs of living, it makes sense why people are moving to Ohio communities in large numbers.

Respectfully,
A resident of Ohio

Why is it the job of the school to fundraise for your children? Why don’t you fundraise for your children?

YOU should try fundraising in the “traditional fundraising” way for a Lakewood girls elementary school from anyone besides the parent body and you will see how successful you are……

Let’s ask our Chasidish brothers how they handle School budgets.

Perhaps a computer program to replace secular studies teachers. When the client answers the question accurate enough and fast enough, the program will give a pass and move on to the next level.
Fill a large room with students and computers and have a 1 or 2 supervisors.

It sounds like price are only rising for the parents. The Rabbaim and Morahs are immune to inflation.
Rent, Utilities, insurance etc companies have a form to fill out. If you’re in chinuch the rates stay the same.
In groceries it’s the same. You bring proof that your a Rebby or a teacher and milk is still 1.49 a gallon and bread is 99 cents.

Is the pill the answer? I hope no one answers affirmative!

Wow. So I guess the olam got tired of analyzing and being miayien into the shidduch crisis and age-gap hoax.

Emes said the truth. Outside of Lakewood, the concept of a school “owner” is very foreign. A school is there to educate the children of a community and is the responsibility of the community, not just of the parents with children in the school. This is actually in Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deiah 245. Similar to public schools which are paid for by all citizens, whether or not they have kids in school. Western society took this concept from the Jews! However, with the breakup of the kehillah system there is no way a community can tax its members. (To be honest, even in prior centuries when there were bona-fide kehillos, the leaders, self-appointed or otherwise, were not always fair. Significant rabbinic oversight and, at times, intervention, is needed for success.) Cinuch costs now fall disproportionately onto the parents of school children since they’re the only ones who can be compelled to pay. Everyone else in the community who benefits from living in a place with good chinuch – which includes everyone! – can now only be asked to contribute from nedivas haLev. It’s time for an education campaign to get everyone to meet their obligation. But schools that have private ownership and are not community based (in some fashion) will have a much more difficult time.

Jewish Schools have historically never relied solely upon tuition. Sara Scheinerer went fund raising, Rav Meyer Shapiro went fundraising etc. etc.

After the holocaust, In the 1950’s you had a student body whose parents were mostly poor Holocaust survivors earning small salaries and yet the Yeshivos and girls schools managed to function without exorbitant tuition.

Schools like Ber Hagolah still don’t rely on tuition.

The fact is that an average Lakewood family of six children with 2 working parents, simply cannot afford over 60,000 in tuition on top of housing, clothing, food and other basic living expenses. Unless, we are going to suggest that people have less children, then we need to get serious and not just sweep the problem under the rug.

Having said that, I think the writer should stop kvetching and actually do something. Gather like minded parents and start a new yeshiva or girls school that is controlled by the board. One that focuses on education while keeping the schools expenses to a minimum. Paying salaries that it can reasonably afford. Obtaining a simple building, perhaps further away from the community with less overhead expenses etc.

Time to cut back on our spending…. cars … vacations…cleaning help…sleep away camps….Israeli seminary for girls… learning in Israel for boys…vacation homes…going away for Yomim Tovim…
Just a few of the things that we have made into necessities in the last 25 to 30 years.
Then we can maybe pay for our children’s education

I’m broke. I can’t afford food. Food also goes on the c/c. So why should I pay for their food when I have no food. To bad. Let them quit and collect food stamps or whatever. Get a real job.

It’s a dificult situation.

Bottom line there needs to be Teamwork with parents and school to solve the problem.

Teacher’s pay has been going up (still below inflation, but at least upwards) nearly every other expense has risen as well.
Most schools have been holding back on tuition increases as long as they physically could. Now that so many of the sponsors and donors you would normally see stepping in to help a school in need are in financial difficulty of their own, schools are faced with the choice of withholding pay for their staff or raising tuition. If you are suffering from financial difficulty try talking to your school administrator (don’t come with demands or a sense of entitlement, just explain your situation and ask if they can work with you).

There are almost no donors available for a Lakewood girls school other than a few members if the parent body.

In Lakewood, it was always know that tuitions were relatively low and teachers were willing to work for Lower salaries. 35 years ago, if a girls high school teacher wanted a better salary ,she would have to teach in NY . But once Lakewood became a big business town and a certain group developed tge corporate park which brought in many high end businesses ,things changed .The standard of living has jumped drasticslly .The women are now getting paid very well in
Lakewood businesses. So the teachers look around and are no longer willing to be the only fools left in Lakewood willing to work for a low salary . Schools used to pay very little fir secretaries ,but now they are forced to compete with the corporate world. So mow in Lakewood we are getting to the point that soon teachers and secretaries in Lakewood schools will get paid more than NY teachers and secretaries . So of course, the tuitions have to increase to keep up with that. Don’t blame the schools. They didnt develop the Corporate Park and they didnt bring businesses to Lakewood and they didnt create this frenzy of ladies having so.many job offers in businesses that increase the pay scale tremendously .

In Lakewood, it was always know that tuitions were relatively low and teachers were willing to work for Lower salaries. 35 years ago, if a girls high school teacher wanted a better salary ,she would have to teach in NY . But once Lakewood became a big business town and a certain group developed the corporate park which brought in many high end businesses ,things changed .The standard of living has jumped drastically .The women are now getting paid very well in
Lakewood businesses. So the teachers look around and are no longer willing to be the only fools left in Lakewood willing to work for a low salary . Schools used to pay very little for secretaries ,but now they are forced to compete with the corporate world. So now in Lakewood we are getting to the point that soon teachers and secretaries in Lakewood schools will get paid more than NY teachers and secretaries . So of course, the tuitions have to increase to keep up with that. Don’t blame the schools. They didnt develop the Corporate Park and they didnt bring businesses to Lakewood and they didnt create this frenzy of ladies having so.many job offers in businesses that increase the pay scale tremendously .

There’s no mitzvah to live with such attitude.
I think the commenters who suggested the letter writer move to a state with vouchers have articulated their case the best.
Indiana and Arizona are also options.
Once you make the move you’re not really gonna miss the east coast rat race