BREAKING – FIRST REPORT: Financial Crisis forces Closure of Lakewood’s Yesodos Bais Yaakov High School For Girls

Yesodos Bais Yaakov High School For Girls has announced it was forced to close due to a financial crisis.

See the letter below sent to parents.

There were approximately 60 girls in the school.

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49 COMMENTS

  1. I feel so bad for Rabbi and Mrs. Green maybe we can ask Rabbi R* from LA to help in this case. I know he helped numerous amount of schools all around the world just last year here in Lakewood.

    *hiding his name for privacy

    Hopefully this would help.

    • Please don’t rely on asking for help. Maybe the schools should have fundraising instead of relying on others for help. Think raffle, Chinese auction, bake sale. Hope that helps.

  2. This is horrible news. School is starting in a bout a month. The askanim of this town need to step up and help us. Where are they hiding? They promised the school that all will e good. That they will help. And now what? No schools are fighting to take an extra 60 kids. And what about the 12 grade? There are 22 amazing girls that now won’t graduate? It’s just not fair. This is how problems with our girls (and boys) start. It’s when people turn their back on them. It’s when they feel unwanted. Mrs shwimmer and mrs green have loved these girls for 4 years!!! They were treated Amazingly. How is ir hakodesh going to help us?!?!

  3. Lakewood is not made for girls that dodnt fit into the lakewood box that’s the sad reality of lakewood. I would urge anyone that is not a typical lakewood family to think 10 times before they move to Lakewood as they will have a very hard time finding the proper schools for their children it’s not worth selling ur children to to get an affordable house there are many nice communities out there that will embrace u.I am talking as an insider that knows allot of people that have had horrible experiences here in Lakewood with the school system

    • What abt the ppl that moved here b4 their kids were even born? Do they not deserve to go to a school? Just because the school is out of $. I remember in the previous years seeing ur name, offering to help schools. Why can’t u help this 1?

  4. Muti Klien
    I hope u r not making the assumption that the girls in Yesodos do not belong in a bais yaakov in Lakewood. I really really hope it not. And if you r you should know that the girls are very good good girls.

  5. There is a new girls highschool opening in Savannah GA this coming year under Rabbi Slatus (the Rav of savannah) it might be a nice option for some of these girls

    • How about you send your child away. why would you expect these families to be separated because the Lakewood school system is broken. The community needs to be responsible for it’s own first.

  6. Very sad, and this is not a fundraising ploy!

    This is not a problem of the girls or of the system in general. A school needs funding to exist. Yesodos has not been given the support it needs.

    I’m not a giver so I cant blame anyone for preferring to give their $ to either their own schools or to larger schools that service more kids. I just think its counterproductive to make this about the “families” “those girls” or the “system. This is a $$ problem. A school needs at least 500k and 60 girls cant bring in that much

  7. Yes, but there’s also a lot of amazing schools. It’s always hard for girls who don’t quite fit the mold. And there are some schools in Lakewood that have that profile. The school still needs to be run professionally. How about a school needs a business plan before it opens??

  8. This is AWFUL news! Mrs Schwimmer is an INCREDIBLE minaheles and Rabbi & Mrs Green have done everything imaginable to make Yesodos a wonderful school with a top quality curriculum taught by the BEST educators in town!!! Money is definitely the issue here- a small school still needs to pay its teachers and rent, office supplies and cleaning help… my heart goes out to every single one of the beautiful young ladies who have lost the opportunity to thrive in this uniquely warm, nurturing environment. What will become of OUR daughters and these future n’shei Yisrael?!? I only pray something can be done to reverse this situation…QUICKLY!

  9. Now there will be 60 more girls that need to get into a school this year. Are the other schools prepared to take in more girls? Something will have to be done.

  10. @Avi Georgia is very far away! Why should in-towners (regardless of their “type”) need to send their kids away from home? We need to keep an eye on our kids… We’ve embraced so many other cultural changes in Lakewood (expensive clothing stores, mega houses, upscale bakeries)
    why are we still reluctant to accept schools that don’t fit the mold? I’m not saying Yesodos is “different”. I honestly don’t know it at all I’m just paraphrasing what is being posted.

  11. It is very sad. I have two girls in the school. Someone commented that a school with just 60 girls is not financially viable. This is true. For this year’s ninth grade class they were only getting 10 girls. You need at least 25 per class to come close to breaking even.
    In the meantime, another one of the larger schools opened an extra class for the ninth grade, this brings their enrollment for the ninth grade to 240 girls. I think the Vaad needs to step in. Rabbi and Mrs Green along with Mrs Schwimmer run a beautiful, warm school. The way lakewood is growing, Yesodos is needed but it needs help to continue.
    The teachers and the people who run the school are amazing, dedicated and caring. We should all be looking for ways to help this amazing school whether this storm and increase its enrollment so it can thrive. This is important for Lakewood.

  12. Its really sad that many people who have nothing to do with this school could be so judgemental about that type of girls that go there. I know for a fact that many of the girls in that school are very good students, have very good middos and are just like any other Bais Yaakov girl. That being said as in every school there are a few out of the box kids. So does that mean right away they should not be allow into our schools? Why do you think that so many of OUR children today go off. These girls need our support just like all the other girls in Lakewood schools. So please everyone stop with the comments that these girls all have problems and should just go out of town.

  13. Very well said ‘sad mom’- perhaps its us, the women thwt understand better and need to take the bull by the horns and let a school like this thrive. Lkwd has evolved in other ways there is absolutely no reason a school with “not the typical mold” Shudnt exist here. And shame on those that think that way…

  14. Please explain why you feel that it is normal to post this ??? how about some sensitivity in this time of crisis ??? Time to start thinking before every post

  15. Most people DO think a thousand times before living in Lakewood. But at the end of the day, regardless of cheap houses, people have family here and jobs and that’s what you need when building a family … your comment is extremely judgmental

  16. If it is indeed true that there would habe been only 10 incoming 9th graders, then perhaps what needs to be considered here is the message that Lakewood was sending to Yesodos. Two new schools opened in the past two years, with classic yeshivishe hashkafos. They have sufficient incoming classes. Yesodos has been open for a few years, but has been known as a more open minded school. The girls are good, growth oriented and pleasant. The staff is warm and friendly. But the struggle with such a “that type” name in Lakewood is veru difficult. While there are definitely MANY girls who would succeed in Yesodos, their parents push for them to go to a school with a better name. I see this decision by the school as a financial decision based upon past experience coupled with looking ahead. Most schools start out small but then grow, so they ultimately become financially viable. But if there are not enough parents in Lakewood willing to invest in Yesodos by sending their daughtets, then that is a referendum right there.

    • It is not the Rovs job. Yes it is amazing when he steps in to help but Lakewood has to find a better alternative. think of ways to raise money not bashing. I would like to help can we set up a fund me page? Can we step in and think of ideas to help? Instead of bashing the school, and the systems.

  17. Yesodos is needed and we need the girls to continue to thrive in a safe comfortable school. Anyone who can help and jumps in shud be gebentched.

  18. If a school needs help there are things they can be done to help fundraise. They can ask the parents to help with that too! To me this letter looks like some kind of point the school is trying to make. Like it’s not their problem. I think they should take responsibility for their students and make sure without any doubt this school opens on time!

    • The Green’s took over the school a few years ago when the previous owner was going to close up. They have done everything in there power to sustain the school. A parent told me that following story: During last years registration time Mrs. Green asked an elementary school principal to send her 10 very good girls and it would help boost the school. Instead of helping the school this principal sent a new high school 10 very good girls. From this story you learn that if this principal doesn’t even want to help the school then how are they suppose to survive.

  19. With the houses,gasmiyus etc in this town there is plenty of money right here for what ppl feel like there should be .Rechnitz doesn’t have to fix Lakewood’s issues.Leave him alone.

  20. Attn. Lakewood residents;
    After hearing this terrible atrocity, can we [myself included] honestly face Rabbi & Mrs. Green and say “Yadeinu Lo Shofchu Es Hadom Hazeh!?? Now you may be wondering Why are you blaming the public? Well, think hard- it’s the Three Weeks, let’s all make a Cheshbon Hanefesh….

  21. My friends,
    1)Why are people who open schools,have to run it,raise money,etc at fault for the fact Lkwd grows faster then its capable of ?!
    2)why is someone obligated to take someone they don’t want to their school?!3)why don’t you open a school ?,no! let someone else do the dirty work and then you tell them etc what to do ?! 4)You want to dress like a… be disrespectful to everyone else ,but then when your shafela is not taken everyone is the bad one.Maybe your being disrespectful and hurting so many?! cover your knees in public in a frum grocery!,dont wear clothing that are about to rip on you so tight in frum stores!,etc ! before saying how people have no midos,etc,where is your midos in way you dress publicly?! thank you!

  22. Just wondering is it “Lakewood’s” responsibility to accept all children. How about if they live in Jackson or Tom’s River? Also if you would move to Kiryas Yoel would they accept your child without expecting you to conform to the rules?

  23. As everyone stated here Lakewood feels only responsible for the people that fit into Lakewood otherwise as Jewish people we dodnt have an achreyis to each other this sentiment exactly underscores what I stated earlier that Lakewood is not unfortunately a town for people that dodnt fit into the Lakewood box,go to an out of town community where they will embrace u for being a frum person

    • You’re a hypocrite. Why take only frum Jews, why won’t the out of town also accept non frum Jews? Oh right, because they don;t fit the “frum” mold.
      See, you do the same thing you accuse Lakewood schools of doing.

    • Last year when a girls school was closing, u said no one should be without a school. If u live in Lakewood u shld be allowed to go to school in Lakewood. Why did u change ur mind all of a sudden?

  24. So we shut down a good school like Bais Yaakov, and before long an article will appear where the writer says there aren’t enough schools in Lakewood

  25. Reb Motty, it sounds like you have some issues with Lakewood, maybe you had firsthand problems.
    There’s definitely truth to your words but there’s also thousands of open minded non judgmental people in Lakewood. You can’t just run from issues “ out of town” also has plenty of downsides.

  26. If what was said is true- about Mrs. Green reaching out and trying to recruit a class with a good core for next year to no avail- that is a slap in the face. I believe I remember hearing that the Greens agreed to run Yesodos with assistance from the Vaad to HELP THEM BUILD UP THE SCHOOL with quality students. They were successful the first year. If that would have continued for just a few more years, the school would be on a path to success

  27. Sam I am talking from first hand experience and I have been told by many professionals and people in chinch that lakewood is the
    Worst place for girls that dodnt fit into the lakeowod box and Manu of these girls end up off the derech and taking drugs.

  28. Why are there so many tiny schools in the area and none within walking distance of students? Why not build one or two really large girls school and one or two really large boys school pre-12th grade everyone is eligible to attend? Or even better two really large schools with separate wings for boys and girls so a family can support just one school instead of several no matter the ages and genders of their kids. Does there really need to be a principal and secretary and nurse and VP for every 60-120 kids?

  29. To Kristine

    Most of the girls high schools are very large. In addition, we educate our kids on a budget that is already about a third of what the public schools spend per student and we do this for a dual curriculum day that goes from 8 30 till 5 . The schools already have the leanest budgets possible . There is no room to cut costs meaningfully even if you created a monster large school. Our schools have very small administrative budgets and 90 per cent of the budget is just for teacher salaries which just increase as you add classes so there is no meaningful savings .

  30. I have never ever written a comment to a news article on this or any site, but I really need to say something.
    Surely the same Am Yisrael who just raised $2000000 to save the life of a little girl in Florida can raise some money to save the lives of 60 in Lakewood!
    Not literally obviously, but please don’t tell me that I’m exaggerating and being ridiculous because I honestly can’t even imagine what it must be like to be a high school girl a month away from the first day of school and have no idea whether you have a school to go to. Yeah I know that there are so many people who need tzedaka and so many different causes but even if every person who reads this article would find it in their heart to give $10-$15 to help this school it would already make a difference.

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