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Dear YWN
I would like to bring up a point which I feel is of utmost importance. Recently there was an article published in a local paper about a company called “catapult Learning”. Catapult Learning will be hired to provide special education teachers to teach in the frum Yeshivos and Bais Yaakovs in NYC. They will provide services to children who need additional assistance in subjects such as reading, math, social skills, etc. These Special Ed teachers will be experienced educators who have the knowhow to relate to (our) children of different ages, to help them pull through.
Many of us may know someone in Lakewood, NJ who works in special education for Catapult Learning. Catapult is known for EXTREMELY underpaying their teachers. Salaries range from $15 – $20 per hour for experienced teachers with a masters degree, not much more than what we pay our cleaning help. This salary is barely a parnassah. I feel that if Catapult Learning offers these wages to the NY teachers, they will not attract the experienced teachers that we want for our children. Many of them may be currently working elsewhere and earning a decent salary. Instead Catapult will be forced to hire teachers who may be “second best”, who don’t have other job offers. This will cause our children to lose out because they will not receive the help they need.
Some principals are aware of this, and are trying to resist the pressure to hire them. Most principals are not aware of what they are getting themselves into. Spread the word. They are a ruthless company (ask any Lakewood teacher), but together we can fight them!
We have already been through this in another thread.
However, I wish to clarify a statement in the letter above:
“Catapult Learning will be hired to provide special education teachers to teach in the frum Yeshivos and Bais Yaakovs in NYC. They will provide services to children who need additional assistance in subjects such as reading, math, social skills, etc. These Special Ed teachers will be experienced educators who have the knowhow to relate to (our) children of different ages, to help them pull through.”
The frum yeshivas and BYs in NY ALREADY receive these services from the government, regardless of whether Catapult is the provider. The difference is that currently, the teachers actually get paid, including government benefits.
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