UPDATE: After approximately a week-long closure due to financial issues, the Bnos Penina school in Lakewood has announced it has opened for the school year:
They issued the following letter to parents last night:
“Dear Parents, We have exciting news to share, ב״ה! School will be opening tomorrow! Although we have not yet fully reached our goal, we are taking a leap forward and beginning the school year. We are confident that our devoted parents will continue to step up, and we ask those who have not yet sent in the $2,000 School Opening Fund to please do so today. We are overextending ourselves to make this possible, and we know that together with our amazing parent body, we can ensure a strong and successful start to the year.
We are excited to greet your daughter tomorrow morning and to begin a wonderful year together!”
UPDATE: Some children were left sitting outside, reportedly denied entry for non-payment of the school opening fund or tuition.
See photo below of the children allegedly denied entry.
A parent of a child denied entry submitted the following:
“Bnos Penina refuses people who haven’t paid the school opening fund fee of $2000. My kids are in the car, but there are also other kids waiting outside as they are denied entry. Shaming people and embarrassing kids just because they don’t have money to pay.”
UPDATE: Multiple sources tell TLS the parents were denied entry for failure to pay the base tuition.
Should the schools be doing this, or allow children in even if the parents cannot afford to pay?
Should school not open the whole year because couple parents don’t have money or should they open and tell those parents that did not pay to fundraise it or pay up?
Yoi think every parent has the time, connections or know how to fundraise? Should their kid be out in the streets? Maybe its time the wealthy in this city cared about those who aren’t as lucky even if its not the “in thing”? There is so much money for everything but helping children stay in school
The wealthy don’t know who needs if you don’t tell them. If the wealthy called the school to assist, but the adminstrator desided that it’s lashon hara, what should the wealthy do?
This is the kind of school known for not a wealthy parent body. The wealthy should just give the school the 200K it needs to open. Its not about picking which children its about covering the shortfall for a very vital school
Where do you think they all will get the 200k? Will they take it from all the other Tzedakos they give? If there are parents struggling, who for whatever reason aren’t getting the funds themselves; the administartors and leaders should reach out to the wealthy and tzedakah organizations to give them assistance. They are probably have a chiyuv to do it.
Ideally the 200K can come from one fancy shmacy pool side party with Avraham Fried. Just one less party. I’d imagine the admins would love to reach out but if its not a fashionable cause its tougher
This is chutzpah on another level
A school that can do this. Is not a school where you wanna send your kids…. stay far away from such school
I was wondering if it was lashon harah to post the name of the school. at first i assumed it was a toeles for the school so people could help support the school but i see its still lashon harah as people are bashing the school.
Horrible!!
i agree! if your first gut feeling when you see young, innocent, children sitting outside like that in shame is “disgusting” then no matter what you read after that….its disgusting. I dont care what anyone says about “well what else should be done” or “its the parents fault for sending them”, its not in our blood, our dna as yidden to allow such a thing!! period!! if that was my daughter she would be MORTIFIED and so rightfully so.
Hate to say it but instead of 300k dolar weddings and thousands spent on gashmius, some giviur in lakewood should have put a retainer down of 50k dollars and said that you threaten the parents that they cant send the girls but between me and you heres for the ones that dont come through.
AT VERY LEAST KEEP THE KIDS IN AN OFFICE OR SOMETHING TILL THE PARENTS ARRIVE!!
The only one shaming these kids is TLS, the school was very clear that they were only admitting kids who had admission cards.
You are factually wrong in your assertion because TLS has deliberately blurred the faces of these young, innocent girls. Additionally, it seems a parent submitted the picture and the situation to TLS ‘so that’ it can be put out to there and not to cause negativity against any one person or the school but to bring awareness to the situation and perhaps someone out there has an idea how to remedy this. So not sure why you are going off the cliff..
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
blurring the faces doesn’t help enough if you know who the kids are. if i knew those kids i would be able to recognize them from the picture. why publicize their shame? so sad
and a family who doesn’t pay up is probably suffering in other ways already.
TLS can decide not put in the picture, even if a parent sent it in. It is up to TLS to decide. The people that need to know in order to offer help probably already know what is going on here. It is not a secret. Don’t forget here in Lakewood there is something called “the hock”. People are concerned “hocking” about what is going on. Do not forget here in a second think that the people have means do not know what is going on. I am sure the school went around to gevirim to help raise money.
If the parents knew the school policy before, and still dropped off their daughters, then they were the ones who left their girls to be shamed. Whether they like the policy or not, they knew they were putting their school in a tough spot. The school just called their bluff and now they’re indignant.
Exactly what my point was, this is not on the school, they are already in an extremely tough spot and the parents aren’t helping by playing chicken with the school.
Terrible!!! The school should be ashamed for shaming these children!!!
I hate when people compare things to the Holocaust bec we will never really understand the horrors and the suffering, but this is the modern day Jew walking through the Lodz Ghetto with a string around his neck attached to a sign saying “my parents couldn’t come through with the money”…. despicable
Who mentioned the holocaust… but now that u said it having little school kids singled out like that, does have some shmack of resemblance standing there with a list calling off names and making sure no one else gets in!!!
Shame on the school
when I opened the link on the Lakewood scoop an add for chinch atzmo popped up it’s ironic that we are funding bussing for children in isreal, children that would otherwise have an education and not be put through trauma but we give so that they have a religious education but in our home town there are children that are actively being traumatized by the school
makes no sense
They also have socialized medicine and free college… We’re sending billions and scraping to get by.
My heart goes out to these young innocent girls who have to suffer this embarrassment. Can you imagine when these girls do eventually make it back to their classroom the rest of the classmates will know exactly why they missed the first day or days of school and it’s unacceptable.
While not minimizing the schools predicament here, but putting these young girls through this is just wrong. Better the school shouldn’t have opened till it’s 100% resolved than putting even a few girls through this horrible and unfortunate situation. We all know the story with יהודה and תמר. Shouldn’t we be taking lessons in how we act to one another from the heilige תורה?
I once worked in a school that if that month’s tuition wasn’t paid the kid was pulled out in the middle of class and sent home. Everyone in the class knew why the kid was sent home. Isn’t this considered המלבין פני חבירו ברבים כאילו הוא שופך דמים?
the girls wont be embarrassed when their father drops them off in a new BMW no one will think its for non payment…..
It is heartbreaking…but sadly there is no other way.
No school wants to do this but when you are on the brink of closing down the school you have no other option.
And honestly the parents knew that their child wouldn’t be allowed in, so why would they send them without working it out first? the ones that shamed the kids are the parents themselves.
Rather close down than shame children. The gemara teaches us that shaming someone is equivalent to killing them. dont you think we would close down every school in lakewood to avoid killing a child?
I’m guessing you’re not in the school that was closing. As a parent in the school it’s an individual responsibility of the parent to get it paid
I dont need to be in the school to know whats right or wrong. In fact, my not being involved in this school means that I am unbiased. The fact that you couldnt dipute my points and only responded with an “appeal to authority fallacy” shows me that I am right.
Point well taken but not every parent can do more than what they already pay. Its really a community reponsbility. There is so much wealth out there. Can’t they give a little to a “not cool” “in style” cause that helps out your own community
The ones that shamed these kids is only the school. It’s clear the parents could not come up with this money before school started and I’m sure many tried hard to put the money together to avoid this embarrassing situation.
The shame and embarrassment isn’t just when the kids are standing outside and not being allowed in, and I’m sure for that reason some parents chose not to send their kids, the shame is when the girls return to school and their classmates will know exactly why they missed some days of school. This is 100% on the school and only the school.
This is so sad! My heart breaks for these poor children. Nebach!
Embarrassing people in public and right before Rosh Hashana…….shame on them
If the only way a school can open is by shaming children by LITERALLY kicking them to the curb, the school is better off staying closed. Yes, parents have the responsibility to pay for the services they use. That does not justify shaming young children in a way that they will probably remember for the rest of their lives.
Just to clarify as a parent of the school, nobody was denied entry for failing to pay the 2k. It was just those that haven’t paid tuition and were told not to show up. I don’t minimize the pain of these kids and I personally helped pay for some families to get back to school but unfortunately this has been going on for too long and the school can’t function without tuition being paid
Many of these parents are struggling middle class who have no pull and no money even for tution. I know the crowd in this school. So how can the school function without everyone paying full tuttion? The community can help. Do you relaize that one fancy pool side “syuim” can pay for a 200K shortfall in school
That is an absolute lie . I independently verified it with multiple sources they send multiple kids home because they didn’t have an admission card (the only way to get the admission card was to pay) .
this is a total lie made up by someone, probably someone who has an open balance with the school. However, it’s really sad that someone doesn’t have the money to pay tuition, but what I could tell you is it’s time the so-called Vaad of Lakewood should open a charity page for those schools that have parents unable to pay tuition, instead of some organizations that make millions every 6 months, and the participants are taken to expensive trips as a thank you
Lets face it, this is a school that doesn’t have the wealthiest nor shtulzist clientele. Its much harder for such a school to fundraise than others. Its not the same kavod to be honored by their dinner as it is by some other schools (or for example the MIr dinner) We also know that its extremely hard to get a child into school without pull. This is one of the few schools who generally take the children who don’t have pull. Now to my point, there are alot of wealthy people out there who give tons of tzedaka to all over. Why won’t you give to such a school and help these girls? I get you won’t get the honor and its not the “in” thing to do And yes your child maybe never attends that school because you can afford a different kind of school. But do you realize that this is almost like mes mitzva? These girls have nowehere else to go and the school isn’t the type that attracts wealthy high end people. Don’t you care abiut these yddisha kids? Like you can’t come up with a half million to help them?
With friends like you, who needs enemies? You seem to care deeply about these girls, but by making them and their fellow students into nebach cases, you are embarassing them even more.
I am not a parent of this school . But I am defintley a middle class parent with no pull and who wouldn’t be able to get into most schools. I am proud of being an honest middle class simpleton who struggles to pay my bills and doesn’t show off. Its not nebach unless your goal in life is to live with the jones. This is the way the system is and I don’t mind being associated with people who don’t have pull. It shoould be a pride and not a nebach that we live like simple jews. So no its not a nebach. But at the end of the day my sales ‘pitch isnt a money makler for the school
I am in that middle class bracket. There are a lot of schools suffering financially. This is not the first and only school with a clientele that are unable to pay tuition. It is amazing to me how often the wealthy are blamed. How do you know what is going on in their lives to know that they can pay for every school and tuition needed for people. A lot of people who you think are wealthy are struggling as well but it is not public knowledge because one it is nobody’s business and two it is a bizayon. Also how do you know that they are not helping out with helping to pay for people’s tuition. If you know someone who could help approach them and ask instead of blaming all of the wealthy in public.
I happen to know the girl school scene. Sure alot of them struggle financially. But most (without assigning names) have a certain core parent body or certain connections to help. And so of course they struggle but they have those strings to pull. There are very few girls schools who really serve the less connected crowd. Thats the metzias. This school is one of those with really very few well connected.
Re your other question, how do I know that there are alot of wealthy people? Well look at the volume of pool side parties, lavish houses and fancy simchas. That’s not free. There is obvioulsy money. You don’t have to know much to see if Freid comes to your pool side party you are wealthy.
Did you ever consider that these wealthy people have or are already are helping others pay tuition? Why are you jumping to conclusions that wealthy people need to help, maybe they already are. Another thing like I said before it might look like they are wealthy but they are not and they have to make it look like they are. I have heard in different speeches about how a person did not want people to think he had no money because he wanted to be able to still give to people that came to him so he took out a gemach loan. It is hard to really know who is wealthy and who is not, only Hashem knows. I am by no means anywhere near wealthy. I live paycheck to paycheck , if even that. However, I do not envy the wealthy because just like being poor comes with its own difficulties so does being wealthy. How do you know who is paying for the pool parties? Did you go look into their accounts to see if they really are financially stable? I just do not like how klal yisroel judges each other and blames each other for all the problems that go on. We are in galus and we are all struggling in one way or another. Please be Dan Lkaf Zechus. This blaming and shaming causes so much pain to Hashem. Please I beg everyone, I am talking to myself as well, let us focus on the good and positive in everyone so that by doing so Hashem will see our ahavas chinum and we will be zoche to the geulah and finally Hashem’s shechinah will no longer be in tzar.
Even if the wealthy person is already paying others tuiton, they can afford to give more. Or cut down on the fancy party a bit and give more. re people who do it just to look rich, yes if I was talking about one person, then yes you don’t know how and why they do it. But on a macro scale, you can’t say that all of them are just putting on a show. On a macro scale you can say there is so much going on that the streets are paved with gold and generally the uppewr class have plenty to give. Not referring to the yachid. So do i konow “who” is paying for the pool party? No But someone is. In aggregate there is alot of money out there for everything under the sun. Why not for this
Horrible.
נח לאדם שיפיל עצמו לכבשן האש, ואל ילבין פני חבירו ברבים.
The school should’ve closed down, rather than shaming someone, especially an innocent kid.
I’m happy for the kids, not having a school is terrible. But putting the onus on parents to come up with even more money sounds very questionable. A lot of people are starting to be very curious about some of these schools and how they are being run. May need some outside consultation or oversight. Or more
Here’s a suggestion. The students whose parents are behind should be brought in to the school and spend the day in an empty area, like the gym. Leaving them outside, whether it’s the fault of the parents or of the school, is both harmful and heartbreaking.
The problem was not the 2000. Tuition was not paid over a long period of time. Over the long haul that is unsustainable
Honestly, it’s a shame what people are writing here.
The parents knew their kids wouldn’t be accepted if they didn’t pay off the old debts.
The school was already running a big deficit, who’s supposed to cover those debts?
Either the school would shut down for everyone, or the parents who didn’t pay (and some of them enjoyed all the trips while not paying tuition) would finally have to pay up.
The only shame here is on the parents who didn’t pay and caused a delay in opening the school for everyone.
Nobody was ever asked to pay a dollar more than their own tuition debt.
who should cover the schools debt? There is so much wealth out there. why can’t they donate to this vital cuase. One fancy pool party can pay for it
Intresting picture of the girls. Do u mean that everyone else paid? As somone who sends there i can tell you that they haven’t filled the gap fully at all. The fact that 5 kids out of the entire school weren’t alleged in is puzzling. The parents are scrapping what they could together. Im wondering if these are not poor people but people refuse to pay their dues. Yes before paying for extras pay your tution. Ever school has a couple of these. I know that there were parents that have no money and gave what they could and were allowed entry. Just wondering what the details were. The hanhallah needs to have bills paid. They are understanding though of people’s needs. Please get your facts straight
Yes, school should do this because too many vacation trips or spending too money on unnecessary activities is draining your money. For example not buying fancy clothing or a more necessary amount. Don’t feel ashamed about what you wear and just realize that we are paying tuition and no fancy luxury trips. Tuition comes first. Do not spend too much money. Your kids will suffer because you are spending too much money on their clothing or shoes or whatever they really want. You need to teach them that spending money is way too expensive and must be more careful in their spending. I am a parent and I want many things to be done but I know what is more important now.
Please let me know – does this happen in other places besides Lakewood? I’ve never heard of this type of thing (embarrassing children) in other communities?
I was removed from the classroom as a child, in public. I was told I was being punished.
Sad on both ends.
Can you post a link so we can donate?
3rd Grader Not Sure She Can Shake Off the Rust After Week-long School Closure
Upon learning that her school is reopening for the school year after a week-long closure, Lakewood 3rd grader, Suzy Feldenburg, told reporters that she’s not sure she’ll be able “to shake off the rust in time for opening day!”
“When opening day gets pushed off by a week, it can set back my school performance significantly,” the visibly anxious 3rd grader lamented. “And, as a team player, I’m concerned that my offseason rustiness will effect the entire class’s performance as the season progresses.”
“Typically, I’m able to field any question that the teachers throw at me and hit ’em out of the ball park,” she said, “but this year, with the offseason being extended, it’s gonna take some time until I return to optimal form.”
“Hopefully my classmates will fill in the gaps for me until I’m able to shake off the rust and return to being the team player I’ve always been,” she said. “However, I’m also fully cognizant that, as the unofficial captain of this class, it is incumbent upon me to shake off the offseason rust quickly, otherwise, when the season comes to an end, and the finals arrive, we will almost certainly fail the ultimate test and lose big time!”
A third grader is not that articulate or possess 8such a vocabulary. I know this is satire, however, there are people who may believe it:)
Additional note: I didn’t see the latest update when I wrote that.
I hadn’t seen the latest update till now. Oye.
“And gone is from the daughter of Tzion all her splendour; her princes were like deer who did not find any pasture……”
The parents knew their kids wouldn’t be admitted without paying tuition. These kids were brought in just to get a photo-op of them sitting on the steps. It’s a deliberate attempt to make the school look bad.
I can see both sides of the story, but having your kids pose for these photos just isn’t right.
I may be wrong to say this but I am calling on every gevir and every baal tzedaka with funds in Lakewood (and region) to go to the school immediately and ask for which students were not allowed in and give either an interest free loan or pay the admission of these students before they send another penny out of Lakewood.
Each child denied entry today whether they showed up or not went through worse than retzicha. This is disastrous.
I am confused and don’t understand the velt!
The school told parents don’t send your daughter unless your past due tuition is paid up. Yes, we are all aware there are parents who cannot afford tuition. No one is denying that it is an issue, and it is a truthful one. If parents can’t pay, they need to be up front before they put their child into the school and work out a payment plan with the school. If they ch”v fall on hard times, reach out to the school to adjust the tuition or work out a payment plan. Try. Pay half of the tuition this month. If you can’t pay $75 a week or even $50 a week. Don’t ignore your duties as a parent. The school cannot function without income. Other parents are not responsible for that child. If someone is able to sponsor an additional child in their school, Kokl hakavod! Ask the school if they have any sponsorships available!
Parents ignore their chiyuv of schar limud and rack up bills with large open balances in each school over the year. Don’t let that happen to you. Work it out and make small payments, showing the school, you really do care (for those that do!) and iy”h you will clear the balance bez”h.
The school told parents with past balances don’t send your kid in tomorrow. We can’t run a school without money coming in. The parents had and do have options. Fundraising is a possibility. One doesn’t need connections, just yidden around you. Yidden are rachmonim and do open their wallets. $5 plus $10 pus $20…etc. does equal $$$. It doesn’t have to be big connections for $1000’s at a time. Just keep the balance in your child’s school system moving down, not up (don’t ignore the fact that you owe the school money). Would one not pay their electricity bill. Do all the parents, that did not pay up their past tuition, avoid eating chicken or fish all week long, they only do so on shabbos so that they are able pay SOMETHING towards schar limud that week. Are all those parents buying their clothes in 2nd hand shops (which are bh available in Lakewood) are they saving every dollar possible for their child’s education. (If yes, those families should be on a scholarship in their school, but they need to ask the school to help them get one before they sign their tuition contract.)
Let’s take responsibility for our own mistakes by not letting these bills run high and being unable to pay those monstrous bills.
Show the school you care. Bring a few dollars every week… don’t ignore it because you don’t have 10,000 this year. One can’t sign a contract with a school agreeing to pay a set amount and then ignore it. It is a hischayvus and runs into shaylohs of Ganeivah.
With much halzlacha to all of Klal Yisroel. May we see the geulah fast in our times.
No, the parent’s did not avoid eating fish or chicken.
They got it for free from Tomchei Shabbos…
You also missed the point like past commentators. The embarrassment that these girls will endure is not so much whether they showded up at school today or not- and I’m sure some opted not to. It’s when they finally return to school it will be a very humiliating and uncomfortable experience for these young and innocent girls- something that should have been totally avoided. Again – it’s what they’ll have to endure on their return to school. And for that reason, I say better the school didn’t open before resolving all the issues so to have avoided what happened today..
I am confused and don’t understand the velt!
The school told parents don’t send your daughter unless your past due tuition is paid up. The parents are at fault for letting their kids go to the building without working it out with the hanhalah.
Yes, we are all aware there are parents who cannot afford tuition. No one is denying that it is an issue, and it is a truthful one. If parents can’t pay, they need to be up front before they put their child into the school and work out a payment plan with the school. If they ch”v fall on hard times, reach out to the school to adjust the tuition or work out a payment plan. Try. Pay half of the tuition this month. If you can’t pay $75 a week or even $50 a week. Don’t ignore your duties as a parent. The school cannot function without income. Other parents are not responsible for that child. If someone is able to sponsor an additional child in their school, Kokl hakavod! Ask the school if they have any sponsorships available!
Parents ignore their chiyuv of schar limud and rack up bills with large open balances in each school over the year. Don’t let that happen to you. Work it out and make small payments, showing the school, you really do care (for those that do!) and iy”h you will clear the balance bez”h.
The school told parents with past balances don’t send your kid in tomorrow. We can’t run a school without money coming in. The parents had and do have options. Fundraising is a possibility. One doesn’t need connections, just yidden around you. Yidden are rachmonim and do open their wallets. $5 plus $10 pus $20…etc. does equal $$$. It doesn’t have to be big connections for $1000’s at a time. Just keep the balance in your child’s school system moving down, not up (don’t ignore the fact that you owe the school money). Would one not pay their electricity bill. Do all the parents, that did not pay up their past tuition, avoid eating chicken or fish all week long, they only do so on shabbos so that they are able pay SOMETHING towards schar limud that week. Are all those parents buying their clothes in 2nd hand shops (which are bh available in Lakewood) are they saving every dollar possible for their child’s education. (If yes, those families should be on a scholarship in their school, but they need to ask the school to help them get one before they sign their tuition contract.)
Let’s take responsibility for our own mistakes by not letting these bills run high and being unable to pay those monstrous bills.
Show the school you care. Bring a few dollars every week… don’t ignore it because you don’t have 10,000 this year. One can’t sign a contract with a school agreeing to pay a set amount and then ignore it. It is a hischayvus and runs into shaylohs of Ganeivah.
With much halzlacha to all of Klal Yisroel. May we see the geulah fast in our times.
Shame on whoever posted the picture really not necessary
There are tons of schools in lakewood where there are many kids who dont pay tuition. Bnos penina made a cruel choice that the other schoold didnt CHOOSE to make. Hashem should have mercy on the souls of the staff of the school who were involved in this decision! Shame on you!
Not true by far. The schools that allow parents not to pay are far and between. The ones that could do it are the ones with extra funding to compensate. This school was not tough on tuition and people were taking advantage big time. This school takes in kids that others won’t. Its a true community school. The parents appreciate the school and understand there was mammish no money. A big difference where most of tuition comes in by forced let’s be fair.
And thats the poiint. They are very few community schools. others wouldn’t take in these families. Yes there was no money. Why can’t the wealthy askanim help?
I have helped many people with $ before school starts.
A parent if you don’t have the funds for admission get a third party involved.
while I have seen what happens to these kid
that are put in this position ,usually end up on drugs and don’t marry a Jew.
The Schools need to know they have clean hands. Close your school if you can’t deal with these parents.
I know 1st hand a lakewood boys school that is carrying 350,000 past due tuition that hasn’t denied entry to anyone. Feel bad for them as they are really struggling because of it. Wish I can write the check. Kudos to them
What I’m about to write is about all schools- not just this one.
Honestly, most of the time school is used as a glorified babysitting center.
lots of busy work and forcing children to sit behind a desk for 8+ hours.
students are annoyed and come home unhappy. Parents are forced to pay for that.
something has to change.
if everyone is unhappy then perhaps a half day or more part time schedule should be available.
this will ensure that the students actually learn in the shortened hours without wasted time and it will cost much less.
School administration cannot continue like this.
parents, children, teachers and the administration will be much happier with a shorter and more affordable option.
for those who want their children in school from morning till evening, they could have the option to pay for that. It’s unfair to force everyone to keep this schedule and pay for it too.
ARE YOU KIDDING?? When there’s no school,the parents complain complai. Complain that schools are taking advantage!!
There was a makeshift board put together Some parents of some of the attendees at the school. I confirmed 100% there are kids in The school that cannot afford tuition and have not paid tuition. The kids outside with the parents that ignored the school phone calls and some didn’t even send the registration papers, assuming that the school is some sort of automatic entry just by showing up. Those parents are negligent and are 100% at fault
Just to confirm, yes there are kids in that school today that have not paid tuition that we’re allowed in
Yours truly
a parent of the school
Bottom line is
The time has come to kiss all organizations that collect yearly with crowdfunding millions of dollars for all other reasons, and start with our very own kids first
So basically what you are saying is organization such as Bonei Olam, Chai Lifeline, Tomchei Shabbos, hatzolah, bikur cholim, etc should stop raising funds to help the people that desperately need their help?
One more thing I want to say is BH that you have this problem with tuition for your child. Why do I say this and you are probably thinking how cruel a comment. Just realize there are thousands of couples who have no children and would do anything to find themselves in a situation that they had children and had to worry about tuition. Instead these couples have to find hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay for fertility treatment. Would you trade places with them? I know from experience. I did not have kids for years. Bh I now have my own 2 beautiful Bonei olam children. I too struggle with tuition but bh it is that now and not having to find the enormous amount of money for fertility treatments. Count your blessings.
As a administrator here I’m baffled. Parents that need to send to camp and pay in full do so. If not u dont get a bed. I have watched parents have no issue borrowing 20 k to pay their camp fee. They pay it out in installments. Same for wedding halls. Even if you have no money you dont pay fully u dont get a wedding. I feel schools should do the same. Pay us upfront the entire fee which will be prorated based on income. We can even charge less if we know that more money is coming in. Then parents will find the excuse to chase and amex why they cant pay. Yes there are real poor people. People that can’t make ends meet. I know you try your best. Its the middle class attitude of just because I hsve the money it doesn’t mean I need to give it. Fact is unless we are tough we dont get money in. No buissness would stay open if they had customers like we do. Im talking base tuition. Not extra fees. Let’s start paying our fees so this doesn’t happen again. I took a 30 percent decrease in my salary and no bonuses this past year. Please pay up your balances quickly
deference is
Wadding halls & camps don’t make yearly charity campaigns
And also,
A school isn’t a business; maybe in Lakewood it became one, but anywhere in the world, it is NOT
You get plenty in government grants, you can look up on ChatGPT for each school how much came in
If we charge what they get we can stop campaigns. Let’s just charge 10k plus busses and fees like camps and we won’t need campaigns
Nj.doesnt have the grants like NY. That why tution is much harder. We dont have vouchers. The special education services are bare minumum. We dont receive many programs. That’s why in bp in the last three years 5 new yeshivas opened. The NY Schools have not shut down as much as here. They have it easier. Its still not easy though there. Just easier.
Just curious what happened BCE (before covid era). How come schools for some reason didn’t close down as much? Tution was affordable then. I am an old enough to remember those times (And yes 9/11 too!) How come you were able to afford it then? This all changed over the past 3 years. why?
U must be super new to lakewood. Many schools closed down.
I am around for a while. I don’t recall this kind of tuition pressure on parents. It was cheap too. But to my main point, I think if you ran tomchai shabbos for example, you wouldn’t demand that the recipient not send his kids to camp. I think if push comes to shove you don’t realy want that a child should be home alone staring at the walls a whole summer while all his/her friends go to camp. So what about schools? Well that the thing yeshivas and BY’s should be community tzedaka based (thats what chasdim do) Its not easy for tomachai shabbos to take all the needy and not easy for you either. But thats what it is. Unfortunately there isn’t enough money in the pot for everyone to pay their full share. Klal yisroel is sadly somewhat a sociialist system where the rich pay more. It can’t function any other way. A school has the capabilty to fundraise and that should be what it does first. Of course parents should contribute too and not game the system. But its not fair to say a child shouldn’t go to camp bec of it. (yes fnacy houses and cars is another story)
He should go to camp. What I’m saying is the reason you pay up is you have no choice.By tution we need to run after yiu5
I think my comment lost. But listen Ill say like this. If you ran tomachi shabbos. Would you demand that none of its recipents send kids to camp? To you really want a child to sit home and stare at the walls while others are in camp? So whay about schools? Schools are community tzedaka (chasdim outright do that) Your outlook should be that you raise money and run your mosad via fundraising like every charity. Tuitions are there to cover a good part of that. This is the way yeshivas always existed. In the olden days in america when Rabbi Newhouse zL of BY of willmasburg convinced parents not to send to oublic school do you think he charged them big bucks? Thats how schools run. And unfortantly its hard to live as a frum jew and pay for everything so yes we are a bit of socialist soceity. This doesn’t mean parents should take advantage of things. But sending to camp shouldn’t be your yardstcik and your outlook should be I am mossad
The reason why we need to ask for more is we dont have the same donor base that kehilla schools do. Can’t compare. People from kehillios that have schools here get funded from that kehilla from other towns. Its harder for me to get money from a wealthy brother of a struggling parent that lives in lakewood. The fact is People dont feel a responsibility to all schools in town? Ask yourself do I fundraise for a school that isn’t my kids?! You cant compare.
Camps are often a greater necessity than school for some kids. Most middle income parents that i know borrow heavily to pay for weddings. You can’t borrow even single year.
The issue with basing tuition on income is, that then you squeeze the middle class. A guy comes to you and says he earns 200K. You are probably like wow this guy can afford it. But you forget that after taxes and helath insurance its 125K. Then you compare it to the guy who only earns 90K. And you are like I need to give the 90K a discount. But you don’t see that the 90K family gets SNAP & HUD. In ceratin feilds they get free grociers, discounted shitels and clothing, free chol homed and summer trips etc.
You see its not that the middle class think they can stiff the school. its that we get squeezed the hardest and are drowning
Are camps be mschanech your kids like schools do? Where is your priorities? If we would have this paid up in full we would not have to send these letters. Try sending your daughter to seminary and not paying. Same thing. Its a priority things. Schools are last.
Yes often at time sthe chinuch a child gets from camps they grow more than in shcools. Not every child fits the box and camps offer that. I myself maybe learned more from camp than schools at times. Its also very dangerous for a child to be home doing nothing., Seminary is different than school. Schools are not #1 because they generally serve a community and when the biils just line up, if you can fundraise, and I can’t pay my bills its only fair. yes sometimes cmap goes go first
do you really think that writing so detailed with pictures fit in Toeles
Thanks avi
Thank you to TLS for your generous offer to try to get those kids back in school.
We need to remember that the Churban came (the final straw) because of the Bizyonos of one person, Kamtza Bar Kamtza. When the Churban came, all the schools and all the Yeshivos got closed.
I do not think pictures should be taken of those children denied entry despite the fact that you blurred their faces. What is the point of the picture? Stating the facts is enough. Another thing is it permitted or is it considered Lashon horah to write the name of the school? How does it benefit anyone to know the name of the school? The parents that send there and can’t afford to pay know who they are. They are not finding out here that they are denied entry. I would think saying the name of the school is motzei Shem rah.
Penina caused pain and embarrassment to Channa and Chazal said that she meant it 100%
לשם שמים
Even though Penina’s intentions were for the good and she meant well, still it did not help and she got punished.
I don’t blame the school at all. As many attested, it is thr people who the school reaches out to numerous times and they just ignore!! Everyone looking to cut down tuition. Did anyone think that for one less hour a week of a cleaning lady, you would be able to offer your school $800 more instead if asking and asking for breaks.. ($20 x4 =80$ a month x 10 months = $800)
Or cutting down on dips, or flowers, or pizza or a cheaper shoe or suit….
The people who say they don’t use cleaning lady, or dips or flowers, are usually the ones who make a pet plan, however minimal it is towards their tuition. Majority of people who ignore and send their kids when they were clearly told not to,are thr ones who don’t think and swipe and spend, but nothing for the school!
Disgusting!!!!!! These people shouldn’t be in the chinuch line, maybe more in the government line where they just steal money from people. Chinuch is not embarking kids and letting everyone know who paid and who didn’t. What the world has come to
They could have just closed like another school in lakewood did. What would happen to the girls then??
None of you seem to care that six little girls were left locked outside embarrassed no one who has it in their heart to do such a thing to CHILDREN and cause them so much pain should bot be involved in any school or chinuch institution and there is no condoning such a thing it’s not abt shld the school not open or who should give the money it is shameful that such a thing occurred shame on them this is not ok and this says so so much about the state of those in authority of the schools we trust our kids with and the horrible way that some of them can get away with treating kids I’m speaking on this matter and from my own experience things have to change these people are murdering these children
it’s all the governor’s fault he takes the property taxes and then goes and smiles for pictures as if he really cares, the whole state capitol in trenton is full of people out to get rich and become famous instead of coming out into the street to see if there is anyone in need of some real help, which they are able to give just that they are way too removed from the reality of responsible government.
If the parents don’t care, why would anyone else care? Parents have to take responsibility for their actions. If they don’t pay tuition, and are told they’re kids won’t be allowed in, WHY IN THE WORLD DID THEY DROP THEIR KIDS OFF??
Adina. Just wondering if you would take your kids shopping. Go to register and refuse to pay. Then blame the store for embarrassing your kids?! These are not poverty stricken parents. These are parents who refused to make a payment plan or explain what they can give if not the full amount. As you cam see from the picture it’s a handful of kids. That’s impressive. And you as a ignoramus person validate the so called victim. The person that took this picture was offered to make a payment and a payment plan and her kid’s will have entry immediately. She refused and decided not to. There was no many cars in the parking lot. Just a entitled person who refused to pay. I owe plenty and made a payment plan. Tge school worked respectful. As you can see there are very little kids outside for this reason.Adina you should ask for Mechilla from the entire hanhallah. This school takes in the kids that your kids school won’t. The staff there doesn’t take huge salaries. They opened this school to fill a void. Adina you have not researched the facts. I am a parent and was present when the picture was taken. I guess anyone that crys victim gets immediate sympathy.
(moderated) in Brooklyn used to do this.
I remember the administrator!
why don’t you call the mayor of this town and ask what has been done at the executive level to alleviate this no way out situation?
or the state,
or the federal,
they got your money and left you with the problem!
I thought of a few ways that families can save money and use it towards tuition.
No. 1 : I noticed nowadays that the supermarkets have a bunch of aisles full of nosh from the floor to the ceiling.
Maybe cutting down on nosh can help save up $.
Number 2:
Many Simchos nowadays have 🍾 bottles and bottles of wine, liquor, 🥃 bourbon, schnapps, Vodka, tequila and etc. And etc..
Maybe the Parnassa that Hashem promised us on Yom Kippur, maybe it was meant for tuition and not to offer everyone the option and ability to get high and partially drunk at our Simchos.