The Teach Coalition Office of Jewish Education Policy and Research released a study last week on enrollment in New York Jewish Day Schools. Enrollment growth has slowed, and after exploring multiple potential causes, they concluded that a primary driver has been Florida attracting young families:
"We therefore conclude that slowing enrollment growth in New York is likely because Jewish families are moving to other states…We cannot definitively answer why Jewish families appear to be leaving New York. However, since 2015 we have observed the highest Jewish kindergarten enrollment growth in states with a combination of lower cost of living, lower tuition costs, and/or government sponsored K-12 scholarships. It therefore seems likely that the high costs of living and Jewish education is driving young families out of New York…Indeed, California – which like New York has cost of living and tuition rates considerably higher than the national average – also saw a decline in Jewish kindergarten enrollment since 2015."
I suspect this trend is just getting warmed up. I’m aware of reports of families moving to Arizona from California and elsewhere in part to participate in K-12 choice programs. Governors have competed fiercely for companies for decades, but now that competition has trended to include a competition for residents and taxpayers.
The governors of Alabama and Texas have announced their support for taking their states green on the above unofficial “rubusto choice” map. If you are the parent of young children, and you find yourself in a gray state, a readily available solution would be to move to a state that is willing to put you in the education driver’s seat. Life is short; best to take control of it.
Rabbi Moshe Matz, front row, third from the left, marches with other education choice advocates in a rally at the state Capitol in spring 2010.
Editor’s note: To read a recent news story featuring Rabbi Matz, click here.
On this episode, Step Up For Students president Doug Tuthill talks with the executive director of Agudath Israel of Florida, the local arm of a century-old advocacy organization committed to protecting and advancing the interests of the Orthodox Jewish community.
The two discuss the importance of education choice within the rabbi’s community and the Hebrew understanding of education as a lifelong endeavor that defines the community as a whole. They also discuss HB 7045, a landmark education choice bill passed this week by the Florida Legislature, and how expanding access to choice programs will greatly benefit Florida and the Orthodox Jewish community.
"I think the options we have in terms of education choices we've developed here in Florida are definitely a magnet for people ... This is a central part of what our community really needs for its growth."
EPISODE DETAILS:
· Rabbi Matz’s history as the son of refugees from the Castro Revolution in Cuba and the grandson of Holocaust victims
· The role that education choice plays in the Jewish community and how it protects its culture and traditions
· How choice scholarships such as Florida’s allow large Jewish families greater learning opportunity
· The passage of HB 7045 in the Florida Legislature and how Rabbi Matz sees choice unfolding in Florida
