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FROM THE MICHAEL LEVEY FAMILY
Tuition Tempest?
Two area day schools announce price hikes for the fall.
DAVID ZEMAN STAFF WRITER
C
iting the rising cost of
school supplies and qual-
ity teachers, Oakland
County's two largest Jew-
ish day schools have announced
tuition hikes of several hundred
dollars for the fall.
At Akiva Hebrew Day School
in Lathrup Village, tuition for a
family with one child will jump
13 to 16 percent for the 1996-97
school year. At the high end, tu-
ition for high-school students at
Akiva will increase to $5,650, a
rise of $750.
This rise, however, will be soft-
ened — considerably, in some
cases — by a reduction in the fees
parents are required to pay to the
school's building fund.
At Hillel Day School in Farm-
ington Hills, tuition for students
who receive no financial assis-
tance will exceed $7,000 next
school year, an increase of 5 per-
cent.
(Tuition figures at two other
area day schools remain un-
available. At Yeshiva Beth
Yehudah, no decision will be
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Students at Hillel and Akiva will pay more.
made on next year's tuition until
May, Rabbi Eli Mayerfeld said.
Officials at Darchei Torah could
not be reached for comment.)
Akiva and Hillel administra-
tors say they have seen little ev-
idence of a backlash from parents
since the hikes were announced.
"I have not received any nega-
tive reaction so far," said Barry
Eisenberg, executive director at
Akiva. "Parents seem to under-
stand the need for a quality edu-
cation and for quality teachers.
"It takes funds to use up-to-
date textbooks and to run a top-
notch educational program."
Still, at least one Akiva par-
ent, who asked that her name not
be used, said she can barely af-
ford to send her two children to
Akiva now, even with the help of
scholarship money. The tuition
hike, she said, will mean her chil-
dren likely will attend a public
school in the fall.
"I already use all my child-sup-
port payments for their educa-
tion," the woman said. "Akiva has
this $300 dinner coming up and,
to be honest with you, I don't
know where that money will
come from."
Tuition at Akiva will rise from
$3,000 to $3,400 for kindergarten
students next year, from $3,700
to $4,300 for elementary-school
students, and from $4,200 to
$4,850 for middle-school stu-
dents.
To soften the blow, the school
announced that families will be
required to pay $1,000 to Akiva's
building fund next year. That is
a reduction of $300 from what
each family pays this year.
In addition, the school has in-
creased family discounts for send-
ing more than one child to Akiva.
Families sending two to five chil-
dren currently earn tuition dis-
counts ranging from $100 to
$800. In the fall, those discounts
will range from $300 to $1,000.
Families will also be eligible for
other financial aid.
In a letter sent to parents
March 12, Akiva officials said
more than inflation is to blame
for rising tuition. The school's on-
going classroom shortage means
more space will have to be rent-
ed for the fall, the letter said
'We may have to take one or
more grades or the nursery pro-
gram and move to a new location
for one or two years," Mr. Eisen-
berg said. He added that space
has not yet been found.
The school Also intends to hire
a new administrator, purchase
new textbooks for some classes
and new equipment for its sci-
ence and computer labs.
Next year at Hillel, tuition will
jump $350 per student. Students
paying full price will see their tu-
ition increase from its present
level of $6,800 to $7,150.
Students needing some finan-
cial aid under the school's "Tier
2" tuition plan will pay $6,550
next year, a rise from $6,200.
Scott Cranis, Hinds adminis-
trative director, said the school
has more than $600,000 to award
in additional financial aid to fam-
ilies that qualify.
Mr. Cranis said burgeoning
classrooms, a rise in the cost of
school supplies and the need to
hire and retain good teachers ex-
plain much of the tuition hike.
"We've been able to keep op-
erating expenses relatively sta-
ble," he said. "It's basically a
function of salary."
Mr. Cranis noted that the
school's collective bargaining
agreement with its teachers ex-
pires at the end of this school year
and contract negotiations are un-
der way. ❑
c