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Weighing The Options

Jewish parents face crucial decisions in the light of public school budget cuts.

Yeshivah Beth Yehudah, which serves
about 800 students in early childhood
through 12th grade, has the largest enroll-
ment of any of the local day schools.
Rabbi Eli Mayerfeld, the school's executive
director, said the Yeshivah does not release
specific enrollment figures.
"For our prospective parents, public
school education is not a viable choice —
they know they want a Jewish day school
education for their children:' he said.
Mayerfeld said he has seen younger
people in the Orthodox community moving
back to the Detroit area. Within the past
18 months, the Yeshivah has completed
renovations at both the boys' school in
Southfield and the girls' school in Oak Park.
"The issue we are facing now is a short-
age of space in our early childhood and
preschool programs:' he said.

Head of School

Steve Freedman

greets students at

Hillel Day School.

Diana Lieberman
Special to the Jewish News

M

ichigan's public schools have
been fighting the budget battle
for years. The amount received
from the state for each student has
dropped while enrollment has declined.
At the same time, the cost of everything
— from paper to fuel to insurance — has
increased.
Meanwhile, Michigan's recently signed
2011-2012 school budget includes new
cuts of $340 per pupil.
Jewish parents with children in area
public schools have watched with con-
cern as districts have closed schools, cut
services and raised class sizes. Some are
considering transferring their children to
Jewish day schools.
However, day school administrators
have yet to see these concerns translate
into rising enrollments.
"I do not think there is panic among
parents in the general community," said
Steve Freedman, head of school at Hillel
Day School of Metropolitan Detroit, "but
we certainly have a steady stream of appli-
cations from families who had formerly
sent their children to public schools."
Hillel, a K-8 community day school in
Farmington Hills that also offers early

childhood education, is close to adding
another section of kindergarten for 2011-
12, Freedman said. Hillel's maximum class
size for kindergarten is 16; grades 1-2 is
18; grades 3 and up, 20.
"I do not want to build Hillel on the
backs of the public schools:' Freedman
said. "I think public schools are crucial
to our democracy and our country. It
behooves all of us that they remain strong,
even if we are not sending our children
there:'
Hillel had 550 students this year and
expects about 520-525 in September. These
numbers are deceiving, Freedman said,
because the 2011 graduating class of 73
eighth-graders is the last large class in a
population bump; the norm for each of the
coming classes is somewhere in the 50s.
At the Jean and Samuel Frankel Jewish
Academy (FJA) of Metropolitan Detroit,
the community's only multi-stream Jewish
high school, Rabbi Eric Grossman reports
an increase in applications.
"Parents are concerned about the
increasing class sizes and slashing of
programs in the public schools:' said
Grossman, head of school at FJA, located
in the Jewish Community Center in West
Bloomfield.
"There are several projects in the works
to expand the school:' Grossman said.

National Stats
Nationally, cuts in public education fund-
ing have not caused large-scale migrations
of Jewish families to day schools, said
Donald Sylvan, president of the New York-
based Jewish Education Service of North
America (JESNA).
"People tell me anecdotally that their
"We have seen a huge increase in applica-
schools are seeing more applicants:' he
tions this year, and we anticipate that this
said. "But I don't want to make it sound
fall we will admit the largest number of
like a rush. It's only a few here and there:'
students ever in the history of the
For April Adelson of
school:'
Huntington Woods, a mother of
Aim Van Prooyen, admissions
four, moving her children from
director at FJA, said the school's
the Berkley Schools to Hillel at
enrollment for 2010-2011 totaled
the start of the 2010-2011 school
208. While projected enrollment for
year was not a result of dissatis-
next year has risen somewhat, it's
faction with the public schools.
Sidney Katz
too soon to give out a figure, she
Instead, it was a desire for a
said. "Last year, 23 came in during
more intensive Jewish education.
the summer."
An unanticipated benefit was
At Akiva Hebrew Day School in
what she sees as a more advanced
Southfield, which serves children in
and integrated curriculum.
nursery school through 12th grade,
"After having the kids at Hillel,
enrollment has remained steady at
I realize that they come home
about 275 for the past three or four Rabbi E
after a half day having learned
years, said Sidney Katz, executive
more than they did in the public
Mayerfe
director. He estimates an increase
schools in a full day',' Adelson
of about 3 percent, amounting to
said.
seven or eight students, for next
Noah Arbit of Bloomfield
year.
Township, a 10th-grade student
Because of Akiva's philosophy
at FJA, transferred from Andover
as an Orthodox Zionist school,
High School in the Bloomfield
families who enroll their children
Hills School District this year.
Rabbi E ric
at the school are less likely to look
His twin brother is still very
Grossm an
at a public school education as an
happy at Andover, said their
option, Katz said. "You really have
father, Steve.
to be fully invested in a strong Judaic tra-
"It wasn't about school funding or
dition and in the importance of a Jewish
Andover itself:' Steve Arbit said. "For Noah,
education:' he said.
the curriculum at the Academy is simply a

Weighing The Options on page 12

10 June 16 • 2011