Skyrocketing gas prices and a wobbling economy might make parents a little warier of the extras and add-ons that come with funding a private school education, but educators are finding that parents still consider Bay Area Jewish day schools worth the extra money — and the commute.
Despite the recent economic downturn, enrollment at several local Jewish day schools is up, and there is resilient enthusiasm for the special programs and individualized curriculums that are unique to Jewish day school education, educators say.
At Kehillah Jewish High School in Palo Alto and Contra Costa Jewish Day School in Lafayette, for instance, admissions officers have taken note of the growing stacks of applications on their desks.
“Our school is actually experiencing a 20 percent increase in enrollment compared to last year,” reported Amy Wittenberg, the CCJDS admissions director. “We’ve been in an exciting growth period.”
Added Marily Lerner, director of admissions for Kehillah, “We’ve attracted a record number of families from the public schools [this year] … we’re enrolling the largest class we’ve ever had.”
High gas prices have not deterred families from choosing day schools, despite the often considerably longer commute.
“Once [families] are committed to getting here, they’ll get here by hook or by crook,” said Amy Coty, chief financial officer for Tehiyah Day School in El Cerrito.
“I have families coming [to Lafayette] from 40 minutes away, as far as Pittsburg, and they are still planning on commuting,” Wittenberg said. “The rise in gas prices has been really rapid … [but] it hasn’t affected us yet.”
However, Wittenberg did note that CCJDS encourages families coming from further away to carpool — she even has several students ride with her.
Other schools have other options, as well. Tehiyah, for example, offers bus service to children in Berkeley, Oakland and Piedmont, while some Tehiyah students use AC Transit, or BART followed by a nine-minute bus ride.
Why day schools seem to be thriving in the unsteady economy might have something to do with a budget — but not just the family’s.
One possible explanation, Lerner said, is the recent proposal by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to cut $4.8 billion from statewide education spending, forcing public schools to cut programming and lay off faculty.
When comparisons are made, Lerner said, Jewish day schools that offer sports, arts, drama and music programs come out favorably. “Many [people]… are seeing an amount of uncertainty about what the public schools will be able to offer in the future,” she said.
One point of special concern for day schools is the affordability of student trips to Israel, which are still on the calendar at the majority of the schools.
Brandeis Hillel Day School, with campuses in San Francisco and Marin, hopes to see all 66 incoming eighth-graders make it on the school’s annual trip to Israel this year — despite the increasing complications of overseas travel, including the dollar’s plunge in value against the shekel and skyrocketing airfares.
“[The trip] will absolutely continue,” said Chaim Heller, head of school at Brandeis. “What we’ve been able to do is offer significant scholarships to families through the Jewish Community Endowment Fund. Families who wouldn’t be able to send their kids to Israel otherwise are able to go [with help from the fund].”
He added, “It’s a high priority for our school … The students come back dramatically impacted.”
Lerner, at Kehillah, noted the importance of preserving the Israel trip experience in the Jewish day school curriculum. “It becomes more difficult … because
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people are more cautious about spending the money, but we are still planning to go ahead with a trip,” Lerner said. “It is such a great culmination of experiences.”
As costs continue to climb, however, day schools are trying to ease parent’s financial woes as much as possible. “We’re trying to have a more robust budget for financial aid,” Lerner acknowledged. “Requests have been higher than we anticipated.”
Coty, of Tehiyah Day School, added that local day schools will be affected by the recent economic squeeze in some way, even if the consequences aren’t visible yet.
“What you feel in the street is really what you feel here. We’re not insulated in a Jewish day school — people are just trying to do what they can,” she said.
But in a time of uncertainty, some have suggested that Jewish day schools are thriving because they provide a comforting environment for students and their families.
Wittenberg said that for families, more than ever “it’s about being part of a community … [and] feeling connected to common values” that has parents adding a Jewish day school education to their budget.
“We like to think that people are really recognizing that even though it’s not the most convenient choice logistically, the excellence in education and Jewish environment we offer are worth the sacrifices,” Lerner said.