Herb Burack
1564 Sussex Road
Teaneck, New Jersey 07666
Email – Burack4Teaneck@gmail.com
1564 Sussex Road
Teaneck, New Jersey 07666
Email – Burack4Teaneck@gmail.com
April 1, 2009
Dear Neighbor,
As you know, the Teaneck community, just like countless other communities across the country, is facing substantial economic challenges and an uncertain financial future. Far too many of our families are out of work. Those who are fortunate to still have their jobs have seen their salaries frozen, bonuses withheld, and medical benefits dwindle. While our families are struggling to cope with these life altering issues, the Teaneck teachers hit the jackpot, having been granted a whopping 12% increase over 3 years. In addition, the Teaneck school budget, which has already topped $93 million, contains a proposed 4% increase.
What does that mean for us? Simply speaking, it means that our real estate taxes, which are already among the highest in Bergen County, are going up again. The Teaneck schools' spending machine is spinning furiously and turning a blind eye to the fiscal difficulties that have befallen us.
Consider the following - Regardless of whether or not your children attend Teaneck's schools, almost 60% of your tax dollars go to the school system. The cost per student is approximately $18,500 - more than $4,000 per student higher than comparable school systems.
As a member of Congregation Bnai Yeshurun, I am part of a community which at times has been somewhat apathetic when it comes to civic matters. Enough is enough. We cannot sit idly by while the Teaneck schools make bad spending choices with our hard-earned tax dollars. Tough times require tough choices, not business as usual. It is time for a change and it is time to make our voices heard.
As a Teaneck resident, I believe in a strong school system for a strong community. However, the Teaneck school system is failing and its financial decisions are at odds with the economic realities that face us. I believe in a reallocation of resources in order to reduce the achievement gap and improve upon the current failure of middle school students to pass state mandated standards. We need to strive for educational excellence, while at the same time remaining cognizant of the need for fiscal prudence and a sound economic strategy.
I am running for the Teaneck Board of Education because I think that we could do better. I have a pragmatic approach which I believe can help put an end to the free spending practices of the current board. We need to curb unnecessary spending and eliminate the excessive waste that has permeated our school system. We need an infusion of new ideas coupled with common sense values. We need a fresh vision that is committed to bringing about change.
I am therefore asking for your support on Tuesday, April 21st. Please take a couple of moments on April 21st to go to the polls and cast your vote for change, fiscal prudence, and a new vision. Vote for Herb Burack for the Teaneck Board of Education. The
polls will be open from 7 AM until 9 PM.
Thank you in advance for your support, your trust, and your vote.
Sincerely yours,
Herb Burack
79 comments:
Good letter.
Great headline.
Separate church (synagogue) and state, Mr Buracks congregational affiliation statement is inappropriate!
WHAT DO YOU BRING TO THE TABLE OTHER THAN A DESIRE LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE FOR TAX CONTROL AND QUALITY ED
Well I guess I know who I am not voting for.
This is from the other previous post:
I do not see why the Teaneck system cannot model itself on the private systemIsn't that system in a self-described 'crisis'? Tuitions are so high that there is talk of sending those children to public school? Day schools closed? How is that a model for the public school system?
Does Mr. Burack know something about labor negotiations that the rest of the candidates do not? I ask because salaries and benefits is the largest budget item. Mr. Burack's platform rests in part on budget reduction.
(if you are looking to trim the budget - start with the big stuff)
I'm afraid that he is going to get all caught up in the nickle and diming mind-set.
The other part of his platform seems to rest on test scores - yet some of the private schools are horrible when it comes to secular education. How is that a model?
The number one characteristic of private schools, especially high performing ones, is to screen out poor students. Public schools can't do that.
Private schools also screen out the most expensive students - those with special needs.
Private schools also screen out the most expensive students - those with special needs.But there are many times more cost effective means of teaching/training/babysitting the special needs kids then farming them out of district at a higher cost.
The number one characteristic of private schools, especially high performing ones, is to screen out poor students. Public schools can't do that.The PS can do that too. Nothing says that disruptive kids need to be taught in a school room they can be taught at home where they do not disrupt anybody! Also with the money paid to the schools each year $18K/student approx. Teaneck should not have any underachievers/poor students!
Private schools can also expel those who do not meet their academic standards as well as those who are disruptive.
There is something that stops
disruptive students from being taught at home instead of a school room - the law.
Private schools can also expel those who do not meet their academic standards as well as those who are disruptive. True. Isn't it wonderful! There are standards that the schools set forth and they hold the kids accountable for them!
There is something that stops
disruptive students from being taught at home instead of a school room - the law. If sick kids can be taught at home why cant disruptive students? And Tom I am not speaking about special ed kids when I talk about disruptive kids.
Looking at N.J.A.C. 6A:16-10.2 & N.J.S.A. 18A:37-2 schools can remove disruptive kids from the classroom and have them taught at home.
The question is how willing are the schools to enforce their own rules and laws?
Who pays for this home schooling?
The local BOE would pay just as they pay when a kids is at home due to illness and gets instruction at home.
18A:37-2. Causes for suspension or expulsion of pupils
Any pupil who is guilty of continued and willful disobedience, or of open defiance of the authority of any teacher or person having authority over him, or of the habitual use of profanity or of obscene language, or who shall cut, deface or otherwise injure any school property, shall be liable to punishment and to suspension or expulsion from school.
Conduct which shall constitute good cause for suspension or expulsion of a pupil guilty of such conduct shall include, but not be limited to, any of the following:
a. Continued and willful disobedience;
b. Open defiance of the authority of any teacher or person, having authority over him;
c. Conduct of such character as to constitute a continuing danger to the physical well-being of other pupils;
d. Physical assault upon another pupil;
e. Taking, or attempting to take, personal property or money from another pupil, or from his presence, by means of force or fear;
f. Willfully causing, or attempting to cause, substantial damage to school property;
g. Participation in an unauthorized occupancy by any group of pupils or others of any part of any school or other building owned by any school district, and failure to leave such school or other facility promptly after having been directed to do so by the principal or other person then in charge of such building or facility;
h. Incitement which is intended to and does result in unauthorized occupation by any group of pupils or others of any part of a school or other facility owned by any school district;
i. Incitement which is intended to and does result in truancy by other pupils; and
j. Knowing possession or knowing consumption without legal authority of alcoholic beverages or controlled dangerous substances on school premises, or being under the influence of intoxicating liquor or controlled dangerous substances while on school premises.
18A:37-2.2 - Offense by pupil involving assault, removal from school's regular education program does provide for the possibility of home instruction but only on a temporary basis until a more suitable placement in an "alternative educational program" is available.
Similarly, NJ Administrative Code Chapter 16 - Programs to Support Student Development does include provisions for home instruction. There are three cases. The first essentially a temporary solution as in 18A:37-2.2 above. Thjeeducation program can be found. The second for suspensions, long and short term, where the student is expected to return to the school. The third is when it is ordered by the court. The last is the only case where it is a long term possibility.
Not exactly, "disruptive kids ... can be taught at home where they do not disrupt anybody!"
This Burack guy is right on the mark. I read in the Suburbanite that the high school was going to fire one of the (many) assistant football coaches and end the cross country program (I assume that is a track team).
Because the students showed up at a meeting to protest, suddenly the decisions were reversed.
Burack's first job is to end the wasteful athletic programs. There are 52 athletic teams and more than 90 clubs and activities. All of these should be immediately eliminated unless they can be self-funded.
I see an article about how THS baseball players are willing to help townsfolk with spring cleanup for $10 an hour. That's the way to do it!
Cut the waste. New Jersey has "core curriculum standards." That is what we should strive to provide, not all this additional waste of taxpayer's money.
So far Mr. Burack is the only candidate to make it clear that he is serious about cutting the budget.
out of Rightfield,
You're an idiot. Tom, feel free to delete this message, but I'll keep putting it up.
Anyone who thinks that all athletic programs and clubs should be cut unless they can be self funded is an idiot - I don't care if they are talking about public or private school.
I'm reminded of one of my favorite movies (Mr. Holland's Opus) when they cut the drama program and the principal tells the music teacher (Mr. Holland) how what he cares about are the 3 "R's" (reading, riting, rithmetic) and Mr. Holland's response is "if you keep cutting they won't have anything to read or write about".
This country is DOOMED if we start cutting all of the athletic programs and clubs. These are as integral a part of education as reading, writing, arithmetic and all the rest.
(and fyi. I am an orthodox jew in town and while I believe there is plenty of waste in the school budget, I am 100% behind the public school system)
Great quote is right. Seems like the Teaneck system spends lots of money for little education. You said it right, Tom.
Anon,
You are correct that there is plenty to cut in the public schools, but the real problem is that a bunch of educators on the board of ed aren't going to want to cut anything.
How many mechanics do you think are on the board of GM? How many copy clerks are on the board of xerox? They have suits in those jobs for a reason - they can find out what is needed from the 'boots on the ground' and make a plan that isn't rooted in an inherent conflict of interest.
The modus operandi of the board of ed goes something like this:
The public demands cuts. They propose cuts that even the public would be against and then the public outcry goes away without them having to cut anything. I can't blame them, it's been very effective in the past.
For the record, I have no problem with the Teaneck school system spending more money on education than any other school district in the State. But, and this is a bit BUT, they had better have the best scores in the State as well. Hell, I'd at the very least expect the best scores in the County.
We are throwing money at a problem that needs real solutions. More of the same isn't going to cut it.
On April 21st, I hope that everyone will vote no on the budget and send the council a clear signal that cuts are necessary - not in sports and other 'nickel and dime' programs, but in the administration.
For those who somehow take the publishing of this letter as an endorsement of it's views, I will point out that unlike Mr. Burack, I will be voting for the budget and I encourage everyone else to vote for it. I will also not be voting for Mr. Burack. I hope he comes in last!
I suspect his supporters will be bullet voting as he is the only anti-public school candidate running. I would encourage everyone else to vote for the three candidates who they feel are best qualified.
I will be voting for David Diuguid, Gervonn Rice and Howard Rose. They all have all worked for Teaneck and shown their support for public education. Pat King-Butler has also but I only get three votes.
Porfirio Rodriguez appears to support public education, but he like Herbert Burack has not even shown enough interest in the schools to vote in the school board election in the last five years. Now he'd like to be in charge.
Tom, you have some nerve calling Burack "anti-public school."
Read his letter one more time. He is anti-waste!
With a close to 100 million dollar budget, the Teaneck School system should be run by professional CFO's and MBA's not housewives who sold cup cakes.
Which of the three people with doctoral degrees on the Board of Ed are housewives and sold cupcakes?
What waste is Burack against? What cuts would he make? How would a man who has never voted in a school election and never showed up at a school board meeting know about what to cut?
Swiggle,
I don't know if your post was to me (anon re: Mr. Holland), but I agree with you for the most part.
I have little doubt that there is real waste in the school budget that can/should be cut. Simply cutting sports and clubs (which I would not call 'nickel and dime' as I'm sure they add up to a lot) is not 'waste', but cutting out the heart of a school system.
People like OOR (and maybe mr. Brurack) simply want to cut because many/most don't believe in the public school system at all.
I think it is rather humorous that many in the Orthodox community are demanding cuts because of the economy - yet I doubt that there is a SINGLE Yeshiva that will be cutting its overall budget and in turn its tuition for the upcoming year. Bottom line we're all willing to spend on our own and say the hell with the other kid.
It is a selfish attitude that is a good deal why this country has the economic mess we do - selfishness and greed.
Most years, I have not voted on the budget at all. It is not because I don't care - it is because I don't have enough knowledge about the school system to make an informed decision. I have little doubt that OOR knows even less than I do about, but he/she/it has decided to vote against it and would do so no matter what.
While government run enterprises are rarely models of efficiency, Teaneck's schools are generally in line with state averages in most areas. So while there is always some waste to be cut, there is little to indicate that Teaneck is doing an especially poor job in this regard. The one clear exception area is teacher compensation, where Teaneck continues to place in the top 5 in teacher compensation per student year in and year out.
Tom, I resent that any criticism of Teaneck's public schools is characterized as being "anti-public schools." Opposing off the charts teacher compensation is not anti-public schools. This year Teaneck had to cut junior teaching positions to continue to feed the compensation structure endorsed by the BoE over many years. For the privilege of having gym teachers making over 100K a year, we have to increase class sizes (replacing one of these teachers with a junior teacher would have just about saved one of the cut positions). Criticizing the inability of the BoE to confront the teachers' Union over many years is actually the greatest favor Teaneck residents can do for the students of Teaneck - the fact that reigning in teacher compensation will help taxpayers as well, just makes it a win/win. Right now, the teacher's contract remains open for negotiation. Unless we say enough, additional teacher layoffs next year are a sure thing.
From another pro-public schools person with a child in the TPS: Amen. Perfectly said!
Tom, Does this mean that Ms. Butler-King did vote in previous school board elections? In a past post on the election, you left a comment indicating that she had not voted and might not be registered. Perhaps you have already addressed this somewhere and I missed it. I would be grateful if for some clarification on this issue.
At the Lowell and BF PTOs, Pat Butler has a reputation as an extremely difficult person to work with.
I think it is rather humorous that many in the Orthodox community are demanding cuts because of the economy - yet I doubt that there is a SINGLE Yeshiva that will be cutting its overall budget and in turn its tuition for the upcoming year.Don't be too quick. While you're probably right that this upcoming year will have few cuts in the Yeshiva system, there have already been several meeting (with more in the future) discussing topics ranging from charter schools to bare bones programs.
The bottom line is that the situation is only going to get worse. Birth rates tend to follow economic trends and people have started to have fewer children in years past. The Teaneck public school system has already started to see the trend manifest itself in reduced enrollment and when that trend meets the current (dare I say the word depression) the further reduction will lead to a large number of teachers being laid off.
The time to act is now! Reducing administrative costs is the place to start. If the BOE isn't willing to do it, I hope the Council will.
Vote no on the budget and tell the Council exactly where you want them to make cuts to the budget. You don't need an Masters in Education to see that the current board has a large conflict of interest when it comes to fashioning a budget.
OK, let me ask this question to cut the baby right down the middle...
If the TPS system was the #1 system in Bergen county, would you still oppose the budget and be looking for cuts?
As my name implies, I have kids in the Teaneck public schools and support public education, but I resent the notion that school budgets are untouchable.
Unfortunately, the situation in Teaneck has become so polarized that the only people I've seen run for BOE who are interested in controlling expenses have been from the Orthodox community and were arguably only been interested in cutting taxes. This seems to be the case with Mr. Buracks and was absolutely the case a couple of years ago when there was, in effect, an Orthodox slate of three running for BOE.
I wish we had some people with kids in the public schools who were wiling to take on the hard job of controlling salaries and benefits, but we don't -- and no, I'm not enough of a masochist to run for BOE myself, so you're free to call me a hypocrite.
I won't be voting for Mr. Buracks but probably will vote against the budget this year, for the first time, I might add. I do not understand why our school budget cannot be brought under control when local and state governments all over the country are cutting back.
If the TPS system was the #1 system in Bergen county, would you still oppose the budget and be looking for cuts?Zev,
I'm a fiscal conservative but I'm not going to cut off my nose to spite my face.
Since the NJ numbers are already split in a way that creates an apples to apples comparison for all schools in the State, I think that the State average as opposed to the County would be a better metric.
To answer your question - I would certainly be making sure that we were spending the money wisely, but no, if we were the best ranked in the STATE, I think that there would be a valid argument as to WHY the money needs to be there.
As is however, we spend too much and get too little.
Actually the size of the district is one of the fascinating bits of numeric acrobatics that the BoE has engaged in on a yearly basis. Until this year, the BoE consistently forecast an increase in the number of students in the district. This practice continued despite the fact that enrollment decreased every year and despite the absence of any demographic data to support the forecasted increase. Why this odd practice? Just a guess - but the Comparative Spending Guide (which does not include Busing, Special Ed or the Charter School) is calculated on a per student basis and by artificially adding more students to the calculation, they were able to drop Teaneck a few places in the spending rankings.
This year, in order to help their argument for teacher layoffs, they suddenly "discovered" that "low and behold" our district is shrinking and needs less teachers (curiously, the shrinking district did not justify layoffs in years past). BTW, the current budget forecasts a dramatic increase in special ed students - hard to see how the numbers can surge so dramatically in one year, but at the same time it is also difficult to figure out what gaming this number will accomplish. But the games certainly do continue.
These budgetary games would be amusing if they did not directly impact the education of our public school students and the affordability of life in Teaneck.
Here are some cold hard facts available on the New Jersey Dept of Education website. Teaneck places 98th out of 105 statewide school districts with more than 3,500 students in spending per student, spending $18,600 per student, $4,000 more per child than the state average. The state has an "adequacy budget" which the state uses to determine the aid that it gives to each district. The state says that Teaneck would have an adequate budget at $59 million while Teaneck's actual budget is $80 million (excluding debt service and capital, ist is actually $95 million including those items). This is not only outrageous, it is scandalous!!!
Vote no on the budget and tell the Council exactly where you want them to make cuts to the budget.I wish there was someone out there who knew enough about the budget to know what to cut.
What scares me most about Burack is that he campaigns for cuts but knows nothing about the schools or its budget. As the title of this post summarizes, he's all about swinging the budget ax with lip service on how to make the cuts or how it will affect education.
My kids are in Yeshiva and my tuition bills are all skyrocketing in line with Teaneck. A homogeneous single focus school offers little as an example for any public school, least of all for Teaneck, and Burack has nothing to do with running a yeshiva.
I would have alot more respect for the guy if he had any ideas about what should be changed. Anything more than "CUT!, CUT!, CUT!" would give him a shred of credibility. Anything.
That the man has never showed up at a school board meeting is disturbing. That the man has never bothered to vote in a school election, which means he has never voted for or against a school budget or for or against any of the 9 members of the Board of Ed should send a strong message about where he stands.
I will not be voting for Herb Burack.
The first step to fixing a problem is recognizing there is a problem. Nobody on the current board of ed or any of the candidates running other than Herb Burack even recognize that the Teaneck board of ed budget is way out of control compared to all state measures. I am certain that once Mr Burack is elected he will do whatever is necessary to bring the out control spending under control while maintaining educational standards I will only vote for Herb Burack as the others fail to recognize there is even a problem
Voting for a guy who is going to cut the school budget with no idea of what to cut or why is as irresponsible as continuing to dump money in.
Any wonder why our taxes are so high? Both sides are irresponsible!
Now I know of 2 people I will not be voting for - Brurack and Diguid. I don't support people who consider it acceptable to show up at my house when I'm not home and leave me his 'flyer' (aka LITTER) underneath my doormat.
What right does any candidate have (or his reps) to leave unwanted papers on my property?
I am certain that once Mr Burack is elected he will do whatever is necessary to bring the out control spending under control while maintaining educational standardsThis same misplaced blind faith has led us down the garden path before and we would be foolish to follow it again. People who crawl out of the woodwork with single issues like this generally belong in the woodwork where they came from. Someone who can't bother to show up to vote once in five years or be bothered to attend meetings doesn't belong running for office or being elected.
We won't get fooled again this time.
Does this mean that Ms. Butler-King did vote in previous school board elections?I did not quite say Ms. King-Butler was not registered. I said, "Patricia King-Butlers name does not appear on the list [of registered voters]. I suspect there is a simple explanation, but if she is not a legally registered voter, she cannot serve on the board."It turns out the explanation was simple. Patricia King-Butler is registered under the name Carol King and has voted in 4 of the last 5 school board elections.
I do not base my characterization of Mr. Burack as anti-public school based purely on this letter. I have been to two of three forums that have been held. Mr. Burack does not talk only about money in front of those audiences. (Nor does he bring copies of this letter.) He does talk about the public schools in terms that he understands. He talks about the public schools as if it were a dying patient with "renal failure." Knowing nothing about the schools or education, he talks in terms of things he does know. His distaste for the public schools feels palpable.
There is one more forum being held Sunday, 2 PM at the Darul Islah's Mosque, 320 Fabry Terrace. Come and here the candidates speak for themselves.
Anon. 6:39 --
Brace yourself. Chances are good you'll get more candidate flyers at your house before Tuesday. If fact, if you haven't received them in previous Board and Council elections you must be new to Teaneck or way off the beaten path (in which case credit the candidates' volunteers for making the effort to keep you informed.)
One thing you may not know is that by federal law, flyers are not supposed to be put in the mailboxes of homes or slipped into mail slots, as they are reserved exclusively for postal mail. This often leaves us flyer distributors with a dilemma of how and where to leave the flyer. If it won't roll up under the door handle or fit between the screen door and main door, sometimes the best place is partially under the door matt, so it won't blow onto the lawn and become real litter.
If I were you, though, I'd lighten up a little and cut the candidates and their reps a little slack. This is grass roots democracy after all, and they're interested in your vote.
"a whopping 12%'...of what? How can we judge whether the increase in teacher salaries was justified if we don't know the salary before the raise?
This kind of playing with numbers is despicable. I definitely will not be voting for any candidate who writes such an irresponsible letter.
I happily support public education, even though I do not have children and most likely never will. I don't want to live in a world of stupid people. Remember, these kids are going to be in charge one day when we're old.
Does anybody know the cost per pupil at the day schools? I've heard that the average tuitions of $15,000 per pupil does not cover actual costs forcing the schools to do a significant amour of fundraising. Can someone provide some information on this question?
Here are numbers from one of the local yeshivas that has pre-school through eight grade. The average tuition is $13,000 per child. The actual costs is about $12,000 per child as the difference goes to scholarships for parents who cannot afford the full tuition less money that is fundraised from other sources. $12,000 per child versus our public school cost of $18,600-somthing smells in the public school sysytem
The average tuition is $13,000 per child. The actual costs is about $12,000 per child as the difference goes to scholarships for parents who cannot afford the full tuitionYou're excluding the millions that are raised at dinners, from scholarship fundraising and from building funds, as well as application fees and any other fee that can be dreamed up and tossed onto the bill but not called "tuition".
If you take all of the yeshiva revenue and divide by student, you get a far better comparison showing that each spends about the same. Your public school taxes include textbooks, speech therapy, computers and other materials, as well as millions on transportation for students attending the yeshiva that actually spends far more than $13,000 per child for education.
As a model for cost savings, yeshiva tuitions are going up just as fast as anyone elses. Yeshivas have been no better at controlling salaries or other expenses, despite having total free rein to do so and having no teachers union to deal with or limits on firing teachers. They are no model for cost savings and efficiency as touted by Burack.
I look forward to the day when the bosses who run the yeshivas and set policy in smoke filled rooms let the parents vote on a budget, like the public schools offer to every resident.
As I am writing this I am looking at the actual financial statements for the local yeshiva and including all revenues (tuition, building fund, dinner, other contributions, scrip revenue, etc) dividing by the total number of students in the school actually comes to less than $12,000!!! And the yeshiva is proposing not to increase tuition next year due to the econimic crisis!!! Please get your facts straight
Please also remember that the public schools, in an effort to create an apples to apples comparison does not include all costs in the 'cost per student' number.
Trying to compare the costs of Yeshiva Tuition to public school would be futile without a similar distinction in where the money is being spent.
One thing we do know is an apple to apple comparison is the Teaneck cost per student compared to the statewide average for other public school districts. Why are we spending $4,000 per student more????
The question we should be asking is why are we spending $4,000 more and not getting the State average let alone the best grades in the State?
Spending money is never popular, but not getting your money's worth is just stupid. We can keep throwing money at the problem - just vote yes on the budget if you think that's the best plan - or we can tell the Board of Ed that they have enough money and what they really need to focus on is spending it in a wiser fashion.
The difference between the public schools and the day schools:
52 varsity sports teams vs maybe one or two. (Remember, that means 52 paid coaches and who knows how many assistant coaches).
A large football field vs no football field.
90 clubs and other school-funded extra-curricular activities vs only parent-paid after school activities.
Hundred thousand dollar gym teachers vs much lower paid gym teachers.
Low SAT scores vs high SAT scores.
Waste vs frugality.
You are forgetting the most important issue. It is my responsibility as a citizen and taxpayer to educate your children in the public schools, but it is not my responsibility to provide bells, whistles, proms, football uniforms or anything more than the state's core curriculum.
Ester:
There is a Jewish Standard article, Committee to discuss day school without ‘bells and whistles’ that touches on tuition costs at local Yeshiva's.
It says, "... the Moriah School in Englewood, a K-8 school where tuition is an average of $15,000 per child. Bergen County has 12 Jewish elementary and high schools, while many area students travel to schools outside the county as well. Tuition varies by school, and can reach $30,000 per student for one year, if not more. For kindergarten through 12th-grade, parents typically look at costs of at least $200,000 per child."This would be about $15.4K per year if it covers 13 years.
Jeff,
'lighten up'? why? candidates want my vote so that gives them the right to drop their litter on my property? I think that shows how little regard they have for the constituency they want to serve. What they want is my vote at all costs to serve their own purposes - that is the message I get. And yes, it has been happening for years. Doesn't make it right.
OOR,
You are the epitome of the phrase "better to say nothing and not prove them right". If yeshivas have 'higher' SAT scores it is because they teach to the SATs and not much else. My son's friends probably couldn't name 10 U.S. Presidents or 2 Supreme Court Justices. Many have no idea what it is like to play on a team (and the skills learned) because the yeshivas do not offer much of this.
To produce well-rounded children who are prepared to become the next round of leaders of the country will take well-rounded education.
Better not to talk about yeshiva SAT scores!
I HAVE THE ANSWER:
SCHOOL VOUCHERS...we live in a town where it seems a majority of people believe in a woman's right to choose...why can't we also have a family's right to choose the school they send their children to?
There is an important phenomenon that hapenss in Teaneck that most people will not address: approximately 65% of the municipal and school taxes come from people who do not send their kids to public school...and it is not only Jews, its retirees, people with grown children, etc..
In the current economic climate, we need to make tough choices. Corporations and even small businesses all across the country are cutting positions, reducing spending...and looking at all avenues to control expenses. The sad truth is government is not doing this. From the Federal level, to the state level, to the local level, we see nothing but increased spending. Its time to STOP SPENDING MONEY
I don't care what color or religion someone is...and no matter what, its human nature that people won't agree on everything. Some feel sports should be cut while others feel you should increase classroom size instead.
Bottom line...we are getting to a point where peole will no longer be able to afford to live(literally) because of the tax and spend policies of our government and school board
I appreciate your publishing a letter from a candidate with whom you disagree. It helps the rest of us make educated decisions.
I do not appreciate the cheap shot you took in choosing the title for the letter, however.
Do you want us to consider all the views, or do you want us to laugh dismissively at those views with which you happen to disagree? In a free debate among equal citizens, we all owe each other a certain level of civility.
@Jervis
I understand that "choice" sounds like a nice slogan, but like many others (for example, "reform"), they really mean destroy. The majority of those on the "choice" side of the argument don't really care what happens to the system or the other students. Narcism is the reason government is involved here. Jefferson, and many others, viewed a free public education to all citizens as essential to preserving the republic. Actually, a Constitutionally-Limited, Representative Democratic Republic, to be precise.
Let there be no mistake, vouchers would not only cause public education to fail, they would cause those who cannot either get into the "good" private schools (for several reasons), or those who are too expensive for the private schools to accept. Also, vouchers wouldn't pay for the ENTIRE school tuition, so if you couldn't pay the "good" private school (top schools tend to be more expensive in that environment), everyone else would go to a less elite private school, or would be in an underfunded public school filled with the same. It is idiotic to assume that vouchers are the answer once the entire picture of what would happen is evaluated.
What we need is an improved result from the current public school system, partially from improvements at HOME, and partially from the standpoint of curriculum. Something which will NOT come from gutting the public school and eviscerating funding. Creating a solution for those who are Orthodox and would like to attend, the ability to meet their Religious needs as part, or an extension to the current Yeshiva system. And most importantly, increase WAGES and personal economic conditions for the middle-class, which is partially responsible for effect on the public schools to begin with. As I have continually said, these issues that effect the Teaneck Public Schools are not simply a budgetary fix. These issues are entrenched in 30 years of national economic policy that INTENTIONALLY was created to "starve the beast." So forgive me if a candidate that runs on a platform of "fixing" the public school by simple cutting, and that will magically make it better. I am not saying that there is no pork or waste, on the contrary. But when you have no skin in the game, or no real personal experience associated with it, I find it very hard to have faith in the decisions that will best serve the students and the community.
A couple of issues on vouchers from the NEA:
• Public schools make a commitment to ALL children, regardless of background or learning capabilities, private schools do not.
• Because 90 percent of school-age children in the U.S. attend public schools, education reform efforts should focus on those schools that will benefit or help themajority of children.
• NEA’s goal is to make sure the EVERY child in EVERY community can attendquality public schools.
• Vouchers are not a guarantee of acceptance into the private school of your choice.
• Not every child gets a voucher—and not every child who gets a voucher gets into a privately run school. With vouchers, it’s not the parents that choose, it’s the privately run schools
• What about those students who are behind grade level, those with special needs, or those with limited English proficiency? What about those kids in the middle, those who aren’t outstanding athletes or students? Or those who live outside major cities? These are the students who are most likely to get left behind with vouchers. We can’t abandon these children.
• There are hidden costs to private schools that vouchers do not cover, including additional expenses for transportation, books, meals, and activities. These costs put private schools out of the reach of many families, even with vouchers.
Zev,
There is a large gap in your logic. Your argument presupposes that the only children entitled to an education are those that attend public schools. It's not a hard path to find, it's the status quo and with the majority of the public sending their kids to public schools, they certainly don't want to drain any resources from their trough.
The crux of your argument goes something like this (tell me if I'm wrong):
1) Public School children are entitled to a paid education.
2) Private Schools are not entitled to public funds.
3) There's a certain amount of money going into public schools.
4) Vouchers will divert money away from the public schools.
What if instead of vouchers taking money away from public schools, we gradually increased the tax levy until the public is paying for all school age children in the district? Would you STILL be against vouchers?
But, suppose for a moment, that we look at this from another perspective.
As in our Health Care system, public funds go toward private institutions, even religious one's just as they go to public.
Why is that industry different than our educational system? i would argue that this is a basic 14th amendment question. There has been a systematic due process violation for children that have State Mandated educational curricula that are not being funded.
The same way that busses are funded for public AND private students, school books and teachers (at least for the 'public' portion of the day) for private school students should be met with public funding.
@swiggle
Your argument presupposes that the only children entitled to an education are those that attend public schools.No. ALL children are guaranteed a free public education. However, if they choose not to participate in that institution, and go private, it is their choice to pass up on that opportunity. Just because you want your cake and eat it too, doesn't mean that the government should bailout your private school because it is too expensive.
These schools are private, they control the budget, they choose who to employ and who attends. They can turn away those who are unable to pay, too expensive to teach, or otherwise unwanted. They are also undemocratic (you can't have a vote like we are going to have on tuesday, or the ability to attend board meetings). The salaries are not public and the accountability is narrowly controlled.
The item that you are missing in your argument is the ability for, We the people, to control where the money goes and how it is used. The solution would be what I detailed in the Dutch system. All schools are "public", the curriculum is state mandated, the classes are the same, the teachers are in the Union, and the people have a "choice" of what school to attend... and the "extras", like religion being taught, would be paid for separately by those who choose to attend that school. I think that is what solves any issues with my previous statements, alleviates any 14th amendment issues (although I don't believe that is a problem to begin with), and protects all workers, students, and taxpayers.
Publicly funded health care is given out because, without it, the care wouldn't occur. In addition, we have a system that mandates, by law, that that for-profit companies maximize profits and minimize costs... hence, getting in insurance payments and rejecting insurance claims. That isn't the case with public education.
As far as religion, I am against public funds there. In many cases, I would be against a tax-free designation as well. But that is a different situation.
Without dancing around the subject, what happens to public schools when vouchers and a large percentage of a higher-income population exits the system is the overwhelmingly poor, less-educated, and minority groups within a system remain. This creates a downward spiral that only makes it more and more unlikely to recover from because that same population that exited the system sees said system as expensive and unnecessary. I will say that 95% of those here that are pro-voucher or anti-public school are those who would never even use the system to begin with because of religious or racial issues, perhaps both.
That said, I understand why someone would be FOR those positions. Duh, if you said I would get a few thousand back off my taxes, that sounds good, regardless of how that effects my neighbor; he's not me, right? No one likes taxes. But it is the cost of a free and stable society. And not "seeing" anything from that expense while optionally spending money on your alternative expense, makes you feel like you are not getting your moneys worth. I get it. I don't use the Police or Fire departments directly every day, but I am not upset about spending that money. What Yeshiva's are is optional education choices, we view them as mandatory by modern culture, but that is our choice to send our kids. Because we choose to send our kids somewhere else doesn't mean that the money that would have been spend if the kid had attended public school should be additionally taxed and allocated to the optional choice. In places that this is being done, for example in NYC with "therapeutic schools" (not special needs, mind you), is ridiculous.
The answer is, fix the schools, not destroy them. Taking kids out of a system and leaving those who can't perform or can't afford to get out leaves what?
Zev-
Don't your kids go to a Yeshiva?
@anon6:43
Yup.
Zev-
Why not public school? You seem pretty passionate about it.
@anon1:03
Do I need to in order to be a vocal advocate for Public Education?
I attended the Teaneck Public School system, so understandably I am well aware of the benefits and drawbacks of the schools. Many things have changed since graduating in 1993, but there are many things that can be done to improve the system for all students while cutting costs. Like any student, I had my problems with individuals in the schools, but I feel that TPS gave me the environment to explore my creative nature in more things than just Math and English. It has served me well in my various jobs, and businesses that I have started up. The diversity of student life, as well as subject matter, is unmatched in any private school I have seen. Rest assured, the tools necessary for academic success are available to students if they so choose to avail themselves to it. But there is only so much that can be done in the schools, there must be reinforcement at home, an attitude of achievement required, and early childhood education provided. Broken homes, crime, neglect, economic difficulties (the primary cause), and a culture of thug-ism amongst youth must be overtaken. I reiterate, there are solutions, but that means fixing problems, not just cutting finances.
As far as my own children, we love the school that our kids go to. We feel that the extra cost (which is very difficult) is worth it to have the kids in a loving environment, a dedicated staff, that fosters a love of Limudei Kodesh. But I will say it again, that doesn't stop me from being a fierce proponent of an exceptional Public Education system. There is NOTHING more important for the future of our great country than our youth and the educators who teach them. But, I do make a point in involving my sons with the public school as much as I can with events and sports games to keep the Teaneck Pride alive.
Good answer, Zev, even though I disagree with your support of the public school system.
Zev has a good reason to send his kids to private school rather than public school. The real hypocrites, in my view, are those who, like Al Gore and Barack Obama, send their own kids to wealthy private schools (not for religious reasons) while refusing to give a choice to poor students who are trapped in failing public schools.
I have no problem with rich people making use of their means. I do have a problem with their forcing poor kids to receive an inadequate education.
But Zev, it's not a "bailout" of private schools to give public money to them. If a parent is paying taxes to support the public schools but not burdening the public school system with his child, then he should get at least a partial rebate. In other words, the money that citizens pay for education should go toward the education of all children, not just the ones who attend public school. It's fine to keep a larger portion for the public schools, but if a lot of children are going elsewhere because the public schools aren't so good, their parents shouldn't have to pay full price for both school systems.
I would go even further and say that just as we regulate the secular part of the "private" education, we should meet the responsibility to educate those children with tax money.
If nothing is being removed from the public school budget, it's a win-win. The private school parents get the choice of schools and the commons gets a well educated child.
@Mr. Shulman
Believe me, I understand what you are saying. It makes sense that you feel that way, and perhaps the Dutch solution is a better way of making that transfer of money to "optional" schools accountable, but I know the roadblocks are innumerable. It is a very logical argument that you are making, the kids don't attend, they would have to pay if they went, so pay as if they did. Swiggle had an idea to factor the 50% increase into the entire budget and then issue taxes on that amount and give vouchers for those in the system. I don't like the idea because it is privatizing costs without public benefit. Again, the Dutch way makes more sense, or arguably charter schools (which might be a fundamental restructuring of how we do school systems here- as long as we have Unions). But keep in mind that the costs would be distributed differently between infrastructure, teaching staff, county/state/federal aid, etc.. So it isn't as easy as some are trying to make it.
I respect your position.
Zev,
I certainly wouldn't have objections to requiring the private schools to open their books in order to receive tax money.
Thanks for the comments, Zev and Swiggle. I will have to review the discussion and reflect more before commenting further. It is certainly a complicated issue!
Mr. Shulman - Based on your comments, it would appear that you have nothing but contempt for public education, which is your prerogative.
One comment through: The kids who attend the Teaneck Public Schools are not "trapped" in a terrible school system. Teaneck is not East Saint Louis. It's not Watts.
Kids get an excellent education in Teaneck. I urge you to please refrain from using rhetoric that is unnecessarily divisive and inaccurate.
Kids get an excellent education in Teaneck. I urge you to please refrain from using rhetoric that is unnecessarily divisive and inaccurate.Ether, please can we be accurate. SOME kids get an excellent education in Teaneck
Karin - Some kids fail to thrive at parochial school too. Is it always the school's fault or only when it's a public school?
You are entitled to your own views, Esther, but not your own facts. If you think poor kids are not trapped in the public schools, then you are simply not facing reality. Witness how many of their parents choose to send them to charter or private schools if offered the option.
I do not have contempt for the idea of public education, and I would appreciate it if you refrained from making assumptions about my motives. I am not sure why you like to get personal about the debate, but it's neither necessary nor helpful to learning from each other.
Karin - Some kids fail to thrive at parochial school too. Is it always the school's fault or only when it's a public school?true Esther kids fail at parochial and day schools too. And yes at times it is the schools fault but more times than not it is the child's fault and their parents. Now in regards to the Teaneck schools with the amount of $$ we spend per kid I would expect better results, dont you agree?
But you keep saying that kids get an excellent education at the Teaneck schools Esther. You are the one singing the public school praises, not I. I am simply pointing out that while your kids and their friends may be getting an excellent education at the local schools many kids are not
Mr Shulman - I must be hard wired to go all emotional when it comes to this issue. It's probably because my parents were educators and members of the union, I'm a product of public education, my kids are doing great and loving the public schools and I believe in the mission and promise of public education. I'll try as hard as I can to be more detached.
Karin - You always know how to push my buttons. I wouldn't expect less out of you.
Thanks, Esther. Take care.
Sorry Esther, perhaps you could work on not making generalizations ;-)
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