[Below is a copy of an excerpt from an email sent today by Rabbi Meir Hertz to members of the Igud]. Dear Friends/Colleagues: You will recall that earlier this school year our Mosdos were approved to receive an additional $1.2 Million in Title 1 funding for summer tutoring program, as in prior years, by Waiver from the State. However, more recently LBOE administrators admitted that by their error of oversubscribing hundreds of ineligible public school students for tutoring, they depleted the Public Title 1 Supplemental Education Services (SES) budget prematurely. They are now under pressure to recapture the funds previously approved by the State for our mosdos. The Mosdos, our children, and the State DOE – -are now caught in the middle due to the District snafu.
The Igud, assisted by Rabbi Josh Pruzansky, of Aguda has been monitoring this situation and protecting the interests of our educationally disadvantaged talmidim(os), who need, and were counting on, this tutoring over the summer. The Igud’s position is as clear as it is simple. It is not fair to rob Peter to pay Paul. The nonpublic students who were counting on these funds for their summer tutoring programs, as approved by the NJ DOEd, should not be forced to bear the burden of bailing out the District, and to
sacrifice their own essential tutoring needs. They did not create this problem, why should they have to fix it?
I will try to keep you posted of developments. I must add that I am not at all thrilled with those in the District who would characterize this latest instance of LBOE incompetence as a “racial and religious divide” in a clumsy, effort to cover-up this latest District fiasco.
To their credit, our fresh team of LBOE members is trying their best to do the right thing. Thank you Yoni Silver, et al!!
As always your input is invited.
Sincerely,
Rabbi Meir Hertz, Chairman
Igud Committee on Grants & BOE Affairs
The truth finally comes out. It was not the sudden surge in eligible public enrollment. They just overspent their budget on ineligible public school students.
Thank you TLS for reporting the story accurately, and thank you Rabbi Hertz and Rabbi Pruzansky for fighting for justice.
what made these students ineligible?
As a member of Lakewood teaching staff and a member of the Orthodox Community, I remind those that we are frum Jews. We are to conduct ourselves with respect and to avoid a chillul Hashem. Those who hold opposing views of the LBOE, then arrange a meeting where the facts would be presented. Why don’t you also confer with teachers of both the public and non-public relm. This would afford you the view that you have the facts to support your view.
I too have children in a special ed program; their program is in dire need of funds. How would you lend a supportive hand to them? Please let’s cooperatively work together. Good Shabbos
I hope your subject isn’t English
My kid was one of those “approved ” for summer help. I feel like she was harrassed and bothered to the point of actually trying to push this on us so they could get the money . No we declined this extra help. Our kids go to school ten months a year its enough torture. For sholom bayis give the money back to the Public Schools. Its the summer and these kids aint interested in learning English now anyways. I know peoples parnossas are counting on this, but this Special Needs Emergency is all a hoax to provide a parnossa to the teachers and the companies that provide these Summer Services. Cancel the special needs and lets keep our tax money . Am I right folks ?
You wrote “Those who hold opposing views of the LBOE, then arrange a meeting where the facts would be presented.”
There are regularly scheduled public meetings of the LBOE for just this purporse. It is scheduled for public comments at 8. They don’t get to the public session until well after 11, more than 3 hours later, by which time most exasperated people have given up and left. If you stayed and waited your turn, you are cut off after precisely 4 minutes.
Just who are you kidding?
Correct me if I am wrong.
Originally there was enough money to tutor all eligible public AND nonpublic children.
Then the District blew the public budget on ineligible public students. Now there is not enough money for both.
Why don’t public and nonpublic parents rally together on this great racial and religious unifying issue to force out the incompetents who are hurting their children equally?
And I thought all the District’s problems were over since the new business administrator started in February 2008. Guess not. Oh Well, business as usual at the BOE.
Please don’t be fooled by the non-sense. The funding being sought for non-public school summer tutoring has NOTHING to do with ineligible public school students being approved for SES which supposedly blew the LBOE’s budget for such. Fact is there are ELIGIBLE & ENTITLED public school students (based on state and federal guidelines) who have not received the services, due to abrupt termination due to “exhaustion of funds”. The same argument exists on both sides (public and non-public) — “Lakewood Board of Education where is the money?????”
The state said give the money back to the public school children and that’s a fact. If funds are not returned that’s breaking the law.Also a fact and it becomes a criminal matter
S.E.S. MONEY is for PUBLIC SCHOOL KIDS only.
It is to my knowledge that the money was there for the tutoring of the kids, the problem is every year this money wasn’t utilized and was given away. The board didn’t anticipate that this year so many kids would sign up for tutoring that hey gave the money away before the PUBLIC SCHOOL KIDS could utilize it. When the board realized that they had made this drastic error they abruptly stopped the PUBLIC SCHOOL KIDS tutoring, saying that the funds were exhausted. This is not fair to the PUBLIC SCHOOL KIDS who were looking forward to this extra help, because we should remember; these are kids from the “failing schools”
So, someone tell me what would you do if you were one of the parents whose kid was in this program.
And let’s be real clear about all the fact. The real reason why these children were signed up to receive this tutoring this year and not in the past was because the BOE never informed the parents of the service or even helped them get enrolled, which happens to also be in the guild lines for SES. It’s another violation of theirs. What the parents don’t know, they can’t ask for. Had they known more about it in the past, these parents would have used it. They were informed this year by outside sources, that is why the numbers went up. And every child signed up WAS eligible.
The fact that this money that by law is ONLY for public schools use and has been give away by the board attorney year after year is a crime. I’m for ALL the children in this town, but the rob Peter to pay Paul that some one refers to, seems to have taken place, but it’s the public school children that are the victims. The State has spoken and this money must be returned to the public schools by Aug 30th.
The laws in this Country and State must be followed by everyone, there should be no exceptions.
The U.S. Constitution restricts public funding of private schools, so instead of everyone throwing out comments without knowing all the facts they should use this internet for something good and look up these Federal laws.
The sad, sad fact is that only 2 people ever know what’s going on – the business administrator and the board attorney, and they’re not talking. NO ONE else knows until years later, when an audit report is issued. That’s why all we ever have is rumors and conflicting theories.
Good luck guys putting this house in order.
Both SES and nonPublic Title 1 were administered by Catapult. They won no matter who got the money – public or private. When Catapult was forced to give up its monopoly, and there are now 3 nonpublic providers, suddenly the money reverts back to Catapult, I mean public school use. Just follow the money trail. Its really quite simple.
This is a disgrace that this kind of nonsense take place at the expense of the kids.