Monday, July 10, 2006
City Adds Funds For Jewish Schools
The New York City government is starting quietly to fund local parochial schools.
The City Council is allocating $1 million of taxpayer money in this year's budget to purchase school buses for Jewish schools. Last year, the City Council paid $2.5 million to put computers in Jewish and Catholic schools.
Because the money is tucked into the council's thick budget, and because the amounts are small relative to the $15 billion a year spent on the city's public schools, most public school advocates and education experts said that they had not heard about the funding.
Critics call the money pork-barrel spending and argue that any available dollars should go to the public schools, which a New York judge, Leland DeGrasse, has ruled are $23 billion short of the funding they need to provide a sound basic education. Religious school officials argue that they are saving the state money by keeping children out of the public school system, and that it is to the city's benefit to ensure that that the religious schools continue to operate. Jewish schools have long complained that because their school day starts earlier and finishes later than public schools they need additional transportation.
Under state law, the city is obligated to provide the same transportation for parochial school students as for public school students. The city this year is giving an Orthodox Jewish group, Agudath Israel of America, $1 million to distribute to Jewish schools to buy their own buses.
The funding for the buses came at the behest of a Democratic City Council member, Simcha Felder, who represents the heavily Jewish neighborhood of Boro Park in Brooklyn.
"We want to break though the walls that do not allow private school parents to get a few benefits similar to public school parents," Mr. Felder said. "I've asked the administration to pump in money on their own…We would like the administration to make a commitment towards creating a level playing field for nonpublics for those services that don't call into question or jeopardize the separation of church and state."
http://www.nysun.com/article/35680
The New York City government is starting quietly to fund local parochial schools.
The City Council is allocating $1 million of taxpayer money in this year's budget to purchase school buses for Jewish schools. Last year, the City Council paid $2.5 million to put computers in Jewish and Catholic schools.
Because the money is tucked into the council's thick budget, and because the amounts are small relative to the $15 billion a year spent on the city's public schools, most public school advocates and education experts said that they had not heard about the funding.
Critics call the money pork-barrel spending and argue that any available dollars should go to the public schools, which a New York judge, Leland DeGrasse, has ruled are $23 billion short of the funding they need to provide a sound basic education. Religious school officials argue that they are saving the state money by keeping children out of the public school system, and that it is to the city's benefit to ensure that that the religious schools continue to operate. Jewish schools have long complained that because their school day starts earlier and finishes later than public schools they need additional transportation.
Under state law, the city is obligated to provide the same transportation for parochial school students as for public school students. The city this year is giving an Orthodox Jewish group, Agudath Israel of America, $1 million to distribute to Jewish schools to buy their own buses.
The funding for the buses came at the behest of a Democratic City Council member, Simcha Felder, who represents the heavily Jewish neighborhood of Boro Park in Brooklyn.
"We want to break though the walls that do not allow private school parents to get a few benefits similar to public school parents," Mr. Felder said. "I've asked the administration to pump in money on their own…We would like the administration to make a commitment towards creating a level playing field for nonpublics for those services that don't call into question or jeopardize the separation of church and state."
http://www.nysun.com/article/35680
Comments:
on what basis wil they distribute the funds?
P.S. kudos to simcha for serving his community well.
P.S. kudos to simcha for serving his community well.
Comment Credit ---This article posted by 
: July 10, 2006 10:24 PM
: July 10, 2006 10:24 PM
most probably it will be a lottery. also its not only jewish schools, but private ones and catholic ones as well
Comment Credit ---This article posted by : July 11, 2006 6:39 PM
: July 11, 2006 6:39 PM
We are talking here of about 11 buses in total.
This is only the start of City funding private schools.
I heard of a friend of mine in goverment that the buses will be distributed via a lottery
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This is only the start of City funding private schools.
I heard of a friend of mine in goverment that the buses will be distributed via a lottery
Comment Credit ---This article posted by : July 13, 2006 11:31 PM
: July 13, 2006 11:31 PM
