School Choice

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  • #619376
    Lightbrite
    Participant

    Does govt support for “school choice” offer eligible Jews financial assistance for their children to attend frum schools?

    #1220395
    Joseph
    Participant

    Yes in certain jurisdictions, depending how broadly they permit school choice. Some states (a small number) currently do fund Yeshiva tuition for the portion covering secular studies.

    #1220396
    Lightbrite
    Participant

    Thanks Joseph 🙂

    So school choice availability can be a deciding factor in where families reside and choose to reside in the US?

    #1220397
    zahavasdad
    Participant

    Most people prefer to live in the NYC Area (Includes Monsey, Lakewood etc) , Baltimore or South Florida with a smattering in other places like LA pr Chicago area

    They prefer places with lots of other jews

    #1220398
    WinnieThePooh
    Participant

    Some OOT communities list that as a reason people might consider moving to their town in their promotional ads.

    #1220399
    lesschumras
    Participant

    There is a point people miss when calling for public funding of yeshivas. Outside of NYC, public school budgets are subject to scrutiny and must be approved by voters. The same would apply to a yeshiva that was publicly funded. Also, yeshiva parents are on school boards even their kids don’t attend. So, how do you keep non Jewish taxpayers off of taxpayer funded yeshivas?

    #1220400
    Joseph
    Participant

    On that token of logic, how do you keep Jewish taxpayers off of taxpayer funded non-yeshivas?

    #1220401
    yytz
    Participant

    Ohio already has school choice. The Jews there are very happy with it. I’m not sure if it influences people to move there, but I bet it does for at least some people. Cleveland has a big frum Jewish community with several schools to choose from and extremely affordable real estate.

    #1220402
    CTLAWYER
    Participant

    lesschumras……….

    Sorry, But you are wrong.

    “Outside of NYC, public school budgets are subject to scrutiny and must be approved by voters.”

    I am an elected member of my Town Council, the Board of Education budget is passed by the board and submitted to the Board of Finance and First Selectman/Mayor. hey finalize a town budget that is voted on by the Town Council

    The town voters NEVER get to vote on the school budget.

    What you wrote may happen in some places but not in many others (especially in CT)

    #1220403
    lesschumras
    Participant

    CT lawyer, Long Island school budgets are subject to voter approval

    #1220404
    lesschumras
    Participant

    Joseph, you don’t. You take govt money, there are strings attached

    #1220406
    lesschumras
    Participant

    CT, even in your case, don’t the the public schools have to submit a budget request, with justification? Well, I would expect that all publicly funded private schools would also have to submit budget proposals, with justifications

    #1220407
    Joseph
    Participant

    Lawmakers can reduce regulations and make very little strings attached.

    #1220408
    CTLAWYER
    Participant

    lesschumras….

    The elected BOE does submit a budget request to the First Selectman (no they don’t have to justify it, just have line items). He then decides what to submit to the Board of Finance and the Town Council (the only entity who actually votes on it).

    CT by law does not allow a municipality to fund their Public Schools at an amount less than the previous year (without an act of the legislature….example a major employer leaves town and the school population drops more than 10%).

    There is no school tax in CT, only local property taxes which support the entire municipal government. I used to own a cottage in the Catskills that was assessed fro $800. The property tax was $12 per year, but the county school tax was $600. I let the inherited shack go for back taxes.

    #1220409
    yehudayona
    Participant

    lesschumras, AFAIK school choice doesn’t mean private/religious schools are publicly funded the same way public schools are. I’m no expert, but I believe the idea of vouchers is that part of the tax money that’s allocated for each student follows the student to the school of the parents’ choice, whether it’s public or not. Please correct me if I’m wrong.

    Even without vouchers, private schools have to meet certain standards. Otherwise, they parents could get in trouble for not sending their kids to (a real) school.

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