Hillel, JAMD to raise
tuition significantly;
increases likely at
two other day schools.
DIANA LIEBERMAN
Copy Editor/Education Writer
T
wo Detroit-area Jewish day
schools have announced sig-
nificant tuition increases for
the upcoming school year.
In late January, Hillel Day School of
Metropolitan Detroit and the Jewish
Academy of Metropolitan Detroit
(JAMD) each announced tuition and
fee increases for the 2002-2003 school
year Hillel's top tuition charge will be
$9,900; the JAMD will go up to a
maximum of $12,500 — both up
$1,000 from last year.
Representatives of other local day
schools, which have not yet decided
on next year's tuition, said they are
likely to raise their costs as well.
At Yeshiva Beth Yehudah, an 88-
year-old Orthodox school educating
nearly 800 boys and girls at facilities
in Southfield and Oak Park, tuition
this year is $5,500 for grades 1-5 and
$5,750 for grades 6-8.
At Yeshivat Akiva, a 38-year-old
Orthodox day school in Southfield
with 267 students, tuition ranges from
$4,200 for kindergarten to $8,200 for
grades 10-12.
Yeshivas Darchei Torah, a Southfield
Orthodox day school, could not be
reached for comment.
Despite their recently announced
increases, Hillel and the JAMD contin-
ue to be priced below similar Jewish
day schools in other parts of the coun-
try, according to an expert from the
Boston-based Partnership for
Excellence in Jewish Education (PEJE).
At Hillel in Farmington Hills, those
who pay in full by July 15 will receive a
$200 discount. The Conservative-affili-
ated school charges the same tuition
regardless of the student's age, from
kindergarten through eighth grade.
At the JAMD, a multi-stream Jewish
high school housed in the West
Bloomfield Jewish Community Center,
tuition will be discounted by $500 for
those who make a commitment by
Feb.15 or, for a new student, March 15.
Representatives of both schools said
they would strive to offer as many
scholarship opportunities as possible.
In addition, Hillel will continue its
"tier" system, which reduces tuition
according to adjusted gross income.
Those in the first tier, families with
adjusted gross incomes of more than
$120,000, will pay the full $9,900 rate.
Families in the second through seventh
tiers will receive tier discounts of
between $1,200 and $4,500, with indi-
vidual consideration given to families
whose income is less than that in tier
seven. Sibling discounts vary per tier.
Hillel also requires each family to
contribute to its "Give and Get" pro-
gram in the form of the purchase of
tickets, journal advertisements or mer-
chandise scrip, or as a direct contribu-
tion. For the 2001 2002 school year,
"Give and Get" was $450; for 2002-
2003, it was raised to $550.
-
For the current school year, Hillel
received $598,375 from the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit.
lesson. "We need to learn the biblical
lesson of using the good years to pre-
pare for a downturn in the economy,"
he said. The reason we haven't created
Rainy Days -
all these reserve funds is we've tried to
Founded 44 years ago, Hillel belongs
keep tuition increases to a minimum."
to the Conservative Solomon
Hillel has about $2 million in endow-
Schechter movement. Its 2001 2002
ment funds, largely from the Goldman-
enrollment stands at 765 students in
Hermelin and Shiffinan foundations.
grades K-8. Of these, about 10-15 per-
"So we put into our budget that the
,,
cent are self-identified as Reform Jews,
spin-off from that should be 6-7 percent,
while about 5 percent are Orthodox,
said Dr. Smiley. "But, lo and behold, the
said Dr. Mark Smiley, Hillel's head-
spin-off on that was closer to 0 percent."
master for the past 14
The school's budget also
Opposite page: Alec
years.
assumes year-to-year expan-
Levine, 7, of Franklin,
"We've become a center
and Rachel Brickman, 6, sion of enrollment. Instead,
for families that want their
of West Bloomfield, listen the past three years have -
child in a value-based,
seen almost flat enrollment
to teacher Tamar Traub
Jewish-based program with
during their Hebrew class figures, Dr. Smiley said.
a quality general studies
"Most other independ-
at Hillel Day School.
program," Dr. Smiley said.
ent schools, and most
Like other day schools, Hillel normally
other Solomon Schechter Schools, are
increases its tuition every year. In an aver-
much more conservative in the budg-
age year, Dr. Smiley said, this increase
eting area," he said. "But we keep our
would be about $400.
tuition down a few hundred dollars
But this has not been an average
because of these decisions."
year. Because of the poor economy,
In addition to the tuition increases,
the school found itself facing very low
Hillel is cutting expenses by. $400,000.
returns on its endowment investments. Most of these cuts will be made by com-
And Hillel had not created a "rainy-
bining administrative duties, he said.
day" fund.
The school is in the midst of a five-
"To some degree, we had the 'perfect year, long-range plan whose goal,
storm,'"' said Hillel parent Jim Berger
according to Dr. Smiley, is "to main-
of West Bloomfield, who heads the
tain the excellence we already have."
board finance committee. "Everything
The current economic crunch will
that could have gone wrong, did."
require that Hillel "pull back a little from
Dr. Smiley said the events of the past the five-year plan," he said. "We're still
six months have taught the school a
COST CRUNCH on page 16
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2002
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