It's graduation time and Sherwood offers an outstanding selection of gifts always 30% off most mfrs. Plus... we'll gift wrap it for you at no Charge. With that in mind you can't go wrong! FINE FURNITURE • ACCESSORIES • GIFTS 0 • e 8a1U108 6644 ORCHARD LAKE ROAD JUST S. OF MAPLE WEST BLOOMFIELD • 248 855.1600 MON & THUR 10-9 • TUE-WED-FRI-SAT 10-6 • SUN 11-4 COMPLIMENTARY GIFT WRAPPING Skyline & The Back Street Horns The Jerry Ross Band •Rumplestiltskin •EUSA •Nightline •Persuasion •Cassens Murphy Band -Simone Vitale Band •Intrigue •Sun Messengers 'Radio City Visit our web site www. Iorioross.com New Task Force Federation to focus on educational needs. A lthough national trends point to dwindling funding for Jewish education, pre- liminary figures from the 2005 Detroit Jewish Population Study show Detroit ranks third in a nationwide review of Federation support for congregational schools. The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit has formed a Jewish Education Visioning Task Force to study the community's current resources and projected educational needs, and also to look at new models of funding. Beverly Liss, Federation vice presi- dent, and Gary Shiffman, a Federation officer, will chair the task force. Detroit has six Jewish day schools, 12 congregational and communal- based supplementary schools, nine preschools and an extensive special education program that alone serves 700 children. In total, the education system serves nearly 6,000 children. Through its Alliance for Jewish Education, Federation additionally supports lifelong learning, through both formal and informal educational programming. With support from Federation's Annual Campaign, the community's Jewish education services directly receive almost $2.6 million annu- ally for allocation to day schools and grants to congregational schools. In addition, the Federation's Alliance for Jewish Education assists these schools in areas they could not otherwise afford to fund, with special needs grants, technology, Jewish family edu- cational programs and professional development opportunities. The Federation also provides annual support to schools through recently created Millennium Funds, such as the Hermelin Davidson Center for Congregational Excellence and the Mandell and Madeleine Berman Millennium Fund. "In spite of all efforts to increase financial resources and support, the funding for Jewish education has not kept pace with our community's growing needs:' said Peter M. Alter, Federation president. "The Federation needs to articulate a community vision that clearly identifies standards of excellence in Jewish education, viable models of educational institu- tions and what role Federation will play in achieving the educational community's goals." The task force will focus on three areas of critical importance: tuition and its impact on enrollment and school finances, synergy between schools, and perceived value of educa- tion. Policy recommendations and a strategic plan for formal Jewish educa- tion is expected to be implemented starting in the fall of 2006. For more information on the committee and the process, call Judah Isaacs, direc- tor of Federation's Alliance for Jewish Education, at (248) 205-2530 or email Isaacs@jfmd.org. ❑ Newsmaker Hot Ice Joyride 1010 ROSS STEALING INTIATIIIHMINT Call for free video consultation Since 1972 248-398 9711 18 June 22 2006 11240 4 0 Peter Alter, Federation president The Federation needs to articu- late a community vision that clearly identifies standards of excellence in Jewish education, viable models of educational institutions and what role Federation will play .. .