Today, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America (“Orthodox Union”) – the nation’s largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization – commended the Louisiana Legislature for passing educational tax credit legislation (HB 969).

House Bill 969, which was introduced by Rep. Kirk Talbot, authorizes a rebate for taxpayers who donate to certain school tuition organizations that provide scholarships to students entering non-public schools.  This program is a win-win for students—who are able to have a choice in their education, and for taxpayers—who are able to receive tax credits for funding these scholarships.

Under HB 969, scholarships are provided to students whose family income is less than 250% of the Federal poverty level, and who are entering Kindergarten or transferring to a nonpublic school. Meanwhile, taxpayers receive a 100% tax credit for their donations.

The final bill leaves the program uncapped after the House refused a Senate amendment to cap the program at $300 million each year. By comparison, Florida’s tax credit scholarship program – currently the largest in the country – provides a maximum of $175 million.

The Orthodox Union praises the Louisiana Legislature for increasing school choice opportunity for all, and is especially thrilled for the positive impact the legislation can have on tuition affordability.

Jesse Hervitz, Orthodox Union Deputy Director of Political Affairs stated:

By approving this legislation, the Louisiana Legislature has signaled its commitment to offering parents and children the educational choice they deserve.  This legislation will impact the availability of funds for Jewish day school students and families who are otherwise struggling to keep up with educational costs.  We commend the Louisiana Legislature—Rep. Kirk Talbot in particular—and Governor Jindal for their efforts in ensuring final passage of HB 969.

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For decades, the American Jewish community has debated the advisability, constitutionality and necessity of government aid to Jewish (and other faiths’) parochial schools. But with the United States still experiencing tough economic challenges, the American Jewish community finds its schools under greater financial stress than ever. This reality, alongside the solidification of court rulings upholding government aid programs and a current of broader education reform, has positioned 2012 to be a year in which we see signs of a sea change within the Jewish community over this perennial issue.

Since the mid-1950s, the majority view within the Jewish community has opposed government aid to parochial schools on the grounds that it diverts funds from the public schools, breaches the “wall of separation” between religion and state, and runs counter to the communal responsibility to support our own institutions.

On the other side, the Orthodox and other conservative segments of the community advocated for public sector support for Jewish schools. This admittedly minority camp contended that as a matter of economic fairness, citizens paying taxes that support local school budgets are entitled to some support in return; that First Amendment principles did not bar carefully crafted and religion-neutral state aid programs; and that in the absence of full communal support for our schools, resorting to state support was warranted.

In a series of U.S. Supreme Court decisions rendered in the 1990s and 2000s, the constitutional question was clearly settled in favor of state support programs and against the “strict separationists.” The high court approved state-funded special education teachers in parochial schools, state-funded textbooks and technology, and more, culminating in the 2000 ruling upholding Cleveland’s school voucher program as constitutional. Under the program, publicly funded vouchers could be spent on parochial school tuition.

The liberal camp has also, essentially, lost the argument about the “diversion” of funds.  The historically political champions of the traditional public school systems — Democrats — are deviating from longstanding orthodoxy by strongly backing charter schools, which are publicly funded but privately administered (and free from unionized teachers). Inner-city mayors and reform-driven governors are denouncing the social injustice of low-income children trapped in failing public schools and pursuing an array of initiatives to offer opportunity to these children. The debate line is no longer over whether to support “school choice” but simply how expansive that choice will be.

This leaves as the last argument standing the question of necessity, and in the context of the economy of the past five years, America’s Jewish day schools desperately require more support — and it is not within the community’s ability to provide it alone. Today, Jewish day schools (of all denominations) amount to more than a $2 billion enterprise annually, according to the Avi Chai Foundation.  A conservative estimate assesses annual scholarship awards at more than $500 million, and that is nearly twice the amount that was being awarded five years ago. Requests for scholarship showing no signs of abating.

If the Jewish community is going to fund its educational system by itself, we have yet to identify where the funds will come from, let alone the will to make the decisions to secure or re-allocate those funds. The need is clear and present.

And so we get to 2012 and several signs indicating a shift in the debate. One prominent sign is the essay recently published in The Wall Street Journal by Peter Beinart making the “Jewish case” for state funding for Jewish education.  While Beinart’s latest book featuring intense criticism of Israel generated a tidal wave of tough responses from Jewish organizational leaders and pundits, Beinart’s Wall Street Journal column received virtually no comment from the community’s liberal stalwarts.

A second notable sign of shift is the recent political debate in Louisiana in which a new and ambitious school voucher program was enacted into law — with the explicit endorsement of the Jewish Federation of New Orleans — making it the first federation in the country to embrace a school voucher proposal. This action in the Bayou State follows on the JCRCs of Baltimore and Greater Washington endorsements of legislation to create a Maryland state tax credit for contributions to school scholarship funds, and active support for analogous public support programs from Jewish federations in Pennsylvania, Florida and Arizona, where they are already in place.

The UJA-Federation of New York is the federation entity with the largest number of Jewish citizens and day schools within its jurisdiction, so it is a significant sign when it hires a new staffer into its Albany lobbying shop tasked with “day school advocacy,” as it did earlier this year.

Finally, a sign we see down the road is the upcoming convention of the JCPA that will launch a renewed examination of communal policy on the topic of government support for Jewish education.  JCPA, the umbrella entity for national and local Jewish organizations throughout the U.S., last “examined” this topic 15 years ago, but those of us who participated in that discussion thought it a sham, with rejection of all forms of state support a foregone conclusion. This time, with the economic landscape at hand and the federation entities directly participating in state aid programs, we have a hopeful sense that the position adopted by the broader community will not be reflexive and dogmatic but appropriately sensitive and nuanced.

As the Jewish calendar has turned from Passover toward Shavuot, we turn our attention from achieving Jewish freedom to understanding Jewish purpose. The fact that our ancestors’ exodus culminated at Sinai is a lesson to us that our central purpose is the transmission of Jewish knowledge and commitment. Today we do that best through Jewish schools, and we must ensure their viability to ensure the next generation. The permissibility and necessity of state support to make our school system viable are clear, and in 2012 we are seeing signs that we might indeed make this prospect a reality.

Today, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America (“Orthodox Union”) – the nation’s largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization – commended the Louisiana Senate on passing of the Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence Act (HB 976).  The Senate version of the bill is now back in the House of Representatives where it is scheduled for concurrence later today.

House Bill 976, introduced by Rep. Steve Carter passed the House of Representatives on March 23rd.  With the Governor’s signature, HB976 will create a program to allow low income students who are currently in under-performing districts to use vouchers to attend accredited schools of their choice.

Last week, OU Deputy Director of Political Affairs Jesse Hervitz, in conjunction with the New Orleans Jewish Federation, led a mission to Baton Rouge to advocate in favor of Governor Jindal’s school choice initiative—a package that includes the voucher bill and a separate bill (HB 969), currently residing in the Senate Committee on Revenue and Fiscal Affairs, that would create a scholarship tax credit program for non-public schools.

The Orthodox Union praises the Louisiana House and Senate for increasing school choice opportunity for all, and is especially appreciative since this legislation can assist in tuition affordability

Jesse Hervitz, Orthodox Union Deputy Director of Political Affairs stated:

By passing this legislation, Louisiana is allowing all students – regardless of income – to have an opportunity to choose the school that will provide the best education for them. This is especially important for the Orthodox Community, as day school affordability is the most serious domestic challenge facing our community. We would like to thank the entire Louisiana legislature for their hard work on this legislation and implore the Senate to continue progress on HB 969—the tax credit program.

Left to right: Jonathan Lake, Chairman of the Federation JCRC of New Orleans; Speaker of the House Chuck Kleckey; Dr. Bob Berk, Head of School, New Orleans Jewish Day School; Jesse Hervitz, Deputy Director of Political Affairs, OU

Dr. Bob Berk, the Head of School for New Orleans Jewish Day School and Jonathan Lake, Chairman of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of New Orleans, joined Jesse Hervitz in Baton Rouge to demonstrate their unified communal support for the educational voucher and tax credit proposals, both of which passed the House this past week.  Both proposals will now be considered in the Louisiana Senate.  Additionally, they proposed changes to both pieces of legislation that would better help our community participate.

The group had the pleasure of meeting and discussing these legislative items with: Lieutenant Governor Jay Dardenne, Representative Neil Abramson, Speaker of the House Chuck Kleckey, Representative Stephen Carter, and Senator Conrad Appel—Chairman of the Senate Education Committee—which approved the voucher bill on Thursday and will hear the tax credit bill this upcoming week.

OU Deputy Director for Political Affairs Jesse Hervitz stated:

“These meetings were an incredible opportunity for the Jewish community in New Orleans to express their support for school choice legislation in Baton Rouge and move one step closer to forming a united voice in support of Jewish education.  The OU looks forward to continuing our work with the New Orleans Jewish Community and the leadership of the Louisiana legislature on this extremely important issue.”

L to R: Jesse Hervitz, Deputy Director of Political Affairs, OU; Jonathan Lake, Chairman of the Federation JCRC of New Orleans; Conrad Appel, Chairman of the Senate Education Committee; Dr. Bob Berk, Head of School, New Orleans Jewish Day School

L to R:Jesse Hervitz, Deputy Director of Political Affairs, OU; Dr. Bob Berk, Head of School, New Orleans Jewish Day School; Jonathan Lake, Chairman of the Federation JCRC of the New Orleans; Lieutenant Governor Jay Dardenne

Today, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America (“Orthodox Union”) – the nation’s largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization – commended the Louisiana House of Representatives for passing educational tax credit legislation (HB 969).

House Bill 969, which was introduced by Rep. Kirk Talbot, authorizes a rebate for taxpayers who donate to certain school tuition organizations that provide scholarships to students entering non-public schools.  This program is a win-win for students—who are able to have a choice in their education, and for taxpayers—who are able to receive tax credits for funding these scholarships.

Under HB 969, scholarships are provided to students whose family income is less than 250% of the Federal poverty level, and who are entering Kindergarten or transferring to a nonpublic school. Meanwhile, taxpayers receive a 100% tax credit for their donations.

The Orthodox Union praises the Louisiana House of Representatives for increasing school choice opportunity for all, and is especially thrilled for the positive impact the legislation can have on tuition affordability.

Jesse Hervitz, Orthodox Union Deputy Director of Political Affairs stated:

By approving this legislation, the Louisiana House is moving one step closer to providing an excellent opportunity, not only for students to choose the best educational options, but also towards incentivizing private financial assistance for scholarships.  This legislation can impact the availability of funds for Jewish day school students and families who are otherwise struggling to keep up with educational costs.  We commend the Louisiana House of Representatives, and specifically Rep. Kirk Talbot, and look forward to working with the Louisiana Senate to ensure the bill’s final passage.

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In most years, with the New York State budget deadline quickly approaching on April 1^st it would be incredibly difficult to gain the attention of any member of the legislature let alone leadership. However, this year has been markedly less controversial allowing us to garner some notice in Albany of the Orthodox Union’s advocacy efforts. We have been working to remediate the formula by which CAP (Comprehensive Attendance Program) is mistakenly calculated, costing our day schools millions of precious dollars each year.

Since enacted, CAP, a critical mandated service for day schools, has been underfunded based on a flaw in the original legislation which created it about a half dozen years ago. Along with others in the Jewish communal organizational structure, we have aligned in these efforts with the New York State Catholic Conference and have jointly proposed the necessary budget language alterations to ensure that this issue is corrected in future fiscal years.

Unfortunately, there is an underlying reality that most legislators in Albany and their staffs are completely unaware that a day school tuition crisis even exists, a reflection of our community’s lack of presence in Albany over the years. While there are certainly a number of orthodox legislators or those who represent predominantly orthodox communities who are very much engaged on our issues it is clear that we need a much broader coalition in order to achieve long term, game changing gains.

Over the past few weeks I have spent countless hours meeting with legislators who are not from our community building relationships and educating them as to the severity of the problem day school parents’ face.

This effort has met with a very positive initial reaction. Just a few weeks ago I attended the Black, Latino and Asian Legislative Conference – the first and only time a major Jewish organization has been represented in its decades of existence. Besides having an opportunity to have access to dozens of legislators who will have a large role in deciding our long term success, we demonstrated that as a community we are not just asking for help, but we are looking to build the long term, mutually beneficial political alliances necessary to have us seen as relevant actors among those who control the levers of power.

It is critical however that our own community becomes more politically informed and active if the legislature is to respond to our long term efforts. I will make sure to keep you up to date on our activities as we continue to build the community and political infrastructure necessary to achieve our goals.

P.S. I would also like to mention that we have recently constructed a questionnaire for day schools as a guide to the resources already offered by the various levels of government. This form, the first of its kind, can serve as a checklist for administrators to ensure that each school is aware and taking advantage of every opportunity government has to currently offer. You can access this form through the Orthodox Union website. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or if you would like to go through it together.

Today, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America (“Orthodox Union”) – the nation’s largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization – commended the Louisiana House of Representatives for passing the Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence Act (HB 976).

House Bill 976, which was introduced by Rep. Steve Carter, creates a voucher program where low income students who are currently in under-performing districts are now able to use these funds to attend accredited schools of their choice.

The Orthodox Union praises the Louisiana House of Representatives for increasing school choice opportunity for all, and is especially appreciative since this legislation can assist in tuition affordability.

Jesse Hervitz, Orthodox Union Deputy Director of Political Affairs stated:

By passing this legislation, Louisiana is allowing all students – regardless of income – to have an opportunity to choose the school that will provide the best education for them.  This is especially important for the Orthodox Community, as day school affordability is the most serious domestic challenge facing our community.  We praise the Louisiana House of Representatives, and specifically Rep. Steven Carter, and look forward to working with the Louisiana Senate to ensure that this legislation becomes law.

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To the Esteemed Members of the Assembly Budget Committee,

My name is Josh Pruzansky. I am the New Jersey Director of Political Affairs. On behalf of the Orthodox Union, representing more than 1,000 Synagogues and Day Schools in the United States, including 100 here in New Jersey, I would like to thank the Governor for partially restoring the technology funding for non-public schools and for keeping the rest of non-public school funding intact for the coming fiscal year.

However, we need more.

When technology funding was eliminated 3 budget cycles ago, I testified before this committee about the devastating effect it would have on the quality of education at our schools and for our children. At a time of fiscal devastation, in schools funded almost exclusively through tuition payments and fundraising, it was near impossible to find the extra funding to keep their technology updated. In a world where technology expands almost daily, three years is a long time to make up.

In today’s society which is technology driven, we must ensure that funding is available for schools to give their students every opportunity to succeed. Therefore, we ask that the funding be increased to its prior level of $40 per student, if not more.

Nursing aid is another category that our schools have seen slashed. We view the health of our students as a number one priority and we hope that the State does as well. Although, due to the decline in the overall non-public school student population has helped close the gap on the funding, it is still behind where it was 3 years ago.

Today’s horrific incident in France, in which Jewish students were killed outside their school, or the tragic incident a few weeks ago in Ohio, underscores the importance of every school having an experienced nurse on staff able to be the first responder on site. That doesn’t even take into account the everyday medical issues that take place in a school, where children have allergic reactions, diabetes, and other medical issues that require someone skilled to provide the necessary treatment.

We request that you restore the nursing aid to its level of $77.20.

We thank you for your consideration of our request.

NEW JERSEY JEWISH DAY SCHOOL LEADERSHIP UNITES BEHIND TUITION REDUCTION

Rabbi Steven Burg addressing the audience

Representatives from yeshiva day schools across New Jersey recently united behind the issue of state funding for non-public schools. The meeting was the first of its kind, organized by the newly formed Community Federation of New Jersey, in partnership with the Orthodox Union and its Institute for Public Affairs (IPA).

More than 70 New Jersey Jewish day school leaders, who combined were responsible for more than 20,000 Jewish school children across the State, attended from Bergenfield, Clifton, Deal, East Brunswick, Edison, Elizabeth, Englewood, Highland Park, Lakewood, Livingston, Paramus, Passaic, Teaneck, and West Orange.

Rabbi Schenkelowski, Rabbi Birnbaum, Michael Arking, Maury Litwack

Rabbi Steven Burg, Managing Director of the Orthodox Union, said, “the only way to succeed in getting more support for our schools is if we all work together as a united group so that we can replicate the success we have been able to achieve thus far.”

Representing the Community Federations, Michael Arking of Ocean delivered a detailed presentation highlighting methods used in conjunction with the OU that ultimately translated into more than $600,000 in technology funding for Jewish day schools in the state.

Sammy Saka, Chairman of the Community Federations, addressed steps for those present; and plans of the Community Federations for a major event that will highlight the unity of all of New Jersey’s Jewish communities in support of our children’s future.

Dr. Simcha Katz, Sammy Saka

Josh Pruzansky, New Jersey Political Director for the OU, hosted a detailed question and answer session, concluding the event by reminding everyone that the key to success in this arena is to vote.  He emphasized, “New Jersey is one of many states where the OU has placed serious resources and staff on the ground and is, in effect, changing legislators’ perception of our schools in a way that brings dollars to parents and Jewish day schools.”

For further information or to get involved, contact Josh Pruzansky at Pruzanskyj@ou.org.

Sammy Saka addressing the audience

In fact, the Rambam states that it is a Jew’s duty to be more scrupulous (“l’hazir“) in the performance of the mitzvah of tzedakah than any other positive commandment. (See The Laws of Tzedakah and Maaser by Rabbi Shimon Taub, Mesorah, 2001.)

How can we, on a communal basis, effectuate the mitzvot of tzedakah and maaser so that our yeshivas and day schools are securely funded and Jewish parents are given some tuition relief?  Here is a three-part solution:

1)      The Jewish Tax Return

The instituting of a “Jewish Tax Return” would involve knowledgeable rabbis and accountants creating a form and worksheet, not unlike IRS Form 1040, detailing income, assets, liabilities, expenses, deductions, and all other relevant financial criteria; stating an amount to be paid as tzedakah and maser, of which a substantial amount would go to Jewish education.

2)      The United Yeshiva and Hebrew Day School Fund

The community needs a well-promoted Orthodox “name and address” to whom philanthropists could direct donations, such as a “United Yeshiva and Hebrew Day School Fund.” In April 2003 a report issued by the Institute for Jewish & Communal Research found that only six percent of the $5.3 billion in mega-gifts Jews donated to individual institutions between 1995 and 2000 went to Jewish institutions. A mega-gift is $10 million or more.

3)      A National Association of Parents

Finally, the community needs a National Association of Yeshiva and Hebrew Day School Parents and Friends to promote the vital importance (and responsibility) of tzedakah and maaser for yeshivas and day schools.

For more information contact Elliot Pasik at efpasik@aol.com