The End Of High Tuition And Property Taxes

By A. Lang. The solution to our high property taxes is also the solution to the tuition and the funding problems. It gives every child equal access to the privileges granted to any resident of this district. 
A student no longer has to set foot into the physical plant of the public school to be entitled its services. School districts in New Jersey have the option to run a distance education program either online; through non-internet hosted servers placed in the home, community centers, girls’ schools, and boys’ schools, either nonmainstream or outside Lakewood; and to deliver supervision and instruction to the child.
 
Each student that spends a minimal amount of time on schoolwork, as determined by district policy, counts for full state funding. This amounts to $17,000 for the majority of children, $10,000 for the rest, and an extra $10,000 for each special education student. One hour of live teacher instruction per student per week will cost 36 X $45 =  $1,620. Additionally, every included special education child receives full services; no longer will residents need to squabble over dividing Title I federal money.
 
Once the Lakewood Board of Education resolves that all children count, that the only way to fix the district is to make it serve the citizens that elected them, millions of dollars of new state aid will flow into the school district, eliminating the need for local property taxes above the local fair share.
 
The Constitution allows the child to be provided the lesson, teacher and material, wherever he or she is located, as long as the purpose is secular and it is offered to a broad base, preferably to all residents. If the individual student is presented with the lesson while in a public or private space, it is by his or her own choice. The student directly receives the benefit.
 
The district will not turn around until citizens have equal opportunity. Only then, students in Lakewood High School will hold their heads up and say, “We are somebody;” they will be taking part in something important to the people. If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a town to build up its schools.

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15 COMMENTS

  4. Vouchers? I do not believe they are funded totally in every district. In fact I believe it is only in a few…and for a very few locations.
    I also do not believe this will have a positive effect on the education of those attending public schools….especially in Lakewood!

  6. I like how mr lang blased the BOE. If its a local issue than we would pay for it locally! From our own tax dollars! If this is a state funded dream, then it needs to be approved by the state not the lakewood BOE!

  7. The district provided a complete program of English studies last year to the student at home for full state funding at no cost to Lakewood taxpayers.

    Also, special education students were accommodated by the district to receive full services.

    The distance model is a legitimate means of delivering education. See Neptune Township Educational Association v. Neptune Township Board of Education, OAL DKT. NO. EDU 392-99.

    We can get full state funding. See N.J.A.C. 6A:8-5.1(a) 2.

    Also, students may take less than the minimal amount of schoolwork, such a single courses for credit. See Alpert v. Wachtung, 13 N.J.A.R .110, 119 (1986).

  8. Aron Lang’s analysis is correct and up-to-date, though just a little ahead of most of us. The tzibbur, and the BOE, need to catch-up, quickly. The most powerful point is that his approach can and will provide a solid general studies education to hundreds more of Lakewood’s deserving youngsters, without further burdening our mosdos and our parents.

    let’s hear from the BOE on this proposal. The ball is in their court now.

  9. Mr. Lang is a frum, experienced public school teacher/administrator who is just completed his law degree.

    He knows what he is talking about.

    He has developed a serious proposal, albeit one that needs some ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking by mechanchim to see if this is workable in our Mosdos.

  11. Our distance program was featured on the Scoop last year:

    https://thelakewoodscoop.com/2011/11/lakewood-high-school-enters-second-year-of-its-virtual-program.html

    So far, the courses have only been accessible through the internet. . We can begin to provide them through hosted servers without using the internet. Servers cost about $900 each. Ten of them in different locations can provide education for scores of children.

    I like to see one or two hours of live instruction for each student who take two or more courses. FIve students can then pool their hours for a full English program.

  12. Mr.Lang your article is very unclear.
    How exactly would this proposal provide more funding for private schools and help the “Tuition crisis”?
    From what I glean in the article, the funding will only come if I provide my child ” distance, secular learning at home, on the internet”. ( Hell will freeze over before I allow that for my kids)
    So I’m really not clear at your point?

  13. Mr Lang :

    If this will only work in a hom e setting ,then it probably will go nowhere . If however this could be allowed in a school setting ,then i suggest you call a meeting of all the Non public schools and give them a clear understanding of how this would be allowed under current Nj law so that we can move forward

  14. A Lang should be congratulated on his cutting edge idea. I believe the basic proposal is as follows. Our children can be enrolled as public school kids and will then elect to receive their instruction online. Kids that receive online instruction will do so under the guidance of a real live teacher. If many kids do this in an organized fashion then we can even have them take their classes in an organized fashion in their own yeshiva. This will enable yeshivas to spend $0 on their secular program and perhaps can even use some of these funds to provide a proper forum for the instruction. This would solve the problem many Lakewood parents face of how to provide a proper high school education to our boys in yeshiva.
    Several Lakewood teens have already taken advantage of this program on their own.
    A question I have on the program is to what extent the live instructer can be involved. Can we make this into a part live classroom and part online instruction or will this remain an online experience?
    Whatever the answer, this proposal creates a lot of promising possibilities and many in the community can gain from such a proposal. I congragulate A Lang for breaking ground on this issue. Keep up the good work!

  15. This sounds like a very interesting proposal. As a public school teacher I also think it would offer the chance to bring the different communities in Lakewood together.
    One major question I have is; I assume that if these students will be considered public school students then then they will have to be instructed by teachers who are certified in education by the state of Nj. Can frum students only be taught by frum teachers of the same gender. Or for secular studies would they be allowed to study from a non frum teacher. I wonder how many male members of the frum community are certified to teach.

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