Yeshiva Sanity: SACS and the Township, Part 2

Thursday, June 14, 2012

SACS and the Township, Part 2

The charter school application was written about on both Teaneck Patch and in the Teaneck Suburbanite. Suburbanite Staff Writer Howard Prosnitz has never hidden his disdain for our community and this article was no exception. However, he outdoes himself in absurdity when, in this article he states the following:

"In an email to Teaneck Suburbanite, Finger wrote that the 92 students from Teaneck who would be attending Shalom Academy in September could be absorbed into Teaneck public schools with minimal increase, if any, in average class size. He noted that no new teachers would be hired "

Minimal increase, if any. So there might be no increase in class size and definitely no new teachers hired despite having 92 additional kids. That makes a lot of sense.

At the end Prosnitz writes, "Raphael Bachrach, lead founder of Shalom Academy, did not reply to an email by press time." I hope he holds his breath waiting for that reply.

What caught my eye in the Teaneck Patch article was the statement "State education officials have said they would review Shalom Academy again before July 15 to determine if the school can open in the fall." That contradicts the email from SACS that I published yesterday that states that approval by Teaneck BOA is " the only thing standing in our way for final charter approval." Someone has their facts wrong.

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Impressed · 667 weeks ago

Either way, if this happens, I am very happy for the 92 children that will get a solid public education. If some of them are currently from Yeshivot and the families considered this a better option, due to quality of education at existing school OR costs, so be it. However, this is no different than a Mandarin Charter School, which does not cause major protests and community strife. I wish SACS success and that this is just one solid option available to all parents of Teaneck, whether their child is currently in parochial, public or private school. The more good educational options, the more our kids benefit.

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Hoof · 667 weeks ago

The number of 92 is wrong. I have 2 children registered for SACS but I have no intention of sending them there

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realist · 667 weeks ago

IMO, you would have to be pretty damn desperate to send your kids to a school that has such abysmal communication skills. If they ever really do open (which I doubt), you will be dealing with some fly by night operation that has lied repeatedly to everyone. Personally, I don't see much difference between SACS and Teaeck Public School.

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Miami Al · 667 weeks ago

I personally don't understand this obsession with administration and communication... I see it around me as well... people ask about the school and then ask about the principal, shrug... From K-12 I attended 5 different schools, I could only tell you one of the principals of the school, but I could name a bunch of teachers that impacted me.

If SACS gets good teachers, the kids will learn and people will be happy with the school. If SACS gets bad teachers, the kids will not learn and the school will fail quickly. At no point does the school's communication skills with you have a substantial impact on your children's education.

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1 reply · active 667 weeks ago

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Yeshiva_Dad 69p · 667 weeks ago

Hard to know if they have good teachers when you don't know who the teachers are, who's hiring them or where they are in the hiring process
-YD

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Bias? · 667 weeks ago

YD - we are 2.5 months away from He'Atid opening. Have they sent out a list of their hired teachers? Have parents met the teachers? SACS is not a private school...it is public and as they have not gotten sign-off from the Teaneck BOA on building / parking use as a school or final sign-off from State, perhaps SACS should be more focused on getting through those hurdles at this time.

It is funny that 100s complain that yeshiva costs are out of control. Many say they would send to PS, but not TPS. Now something may happen to be a possible solution to consider and people rather bash it before it even opens.

Let us give SACS [if approved] and He'Atid 1-2 years to perform and then decide what their status should be in our community.

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Mr. In-tuition · 667 weeks ago

Unfortunately, SACS squandered its most important asset: trust. He'Atid has avoided that mistake with relatively decent and prompt disclosures, although some legitimate questions remain. But SACS and He'Atid will each have their own customer base, some looking for free education, others for low-cost. Either way, Jewish families in BC will have more options and opportunities to give their children some form of Jewish education, either during or after school, without bankrupting themselves.

Some schools will fail, others will succeed but overall some form of Jewish education in BC will be more available and affordable to more families. That is a good thing.

Mr. In-tuition

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Yeshiva_Dad 69p · 667 weeks ago

<div class="idc-message" id="idc-comment-msg-div-381725349"><a class="idc-close" title="Click to Close Message" href="javascript: IDC.ui.close_message(381725349)">Close Message Comment posted. <a class="idc-share-facebook" target="_new" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u =http://yeshivasanity.blogspot.com/2012/06/sacs-and-township-part-2.html#idc-container#IDComment381725349&t=I just commented on Yeshiva Sanity: SACS and the Township, Part 2" style="text-decoration: none;">Share on Facebook or <a href="javascript: IDC.ui.close_message(381725349)">Close MessageBias,
There's no comparison between SACS and He'atid in terms of communication. There is no secret on who the teachers are. Anyone can speak directly to the Principal or Business Director to find out who's teaching their children. They have made themselves available at multiple school functions and they return emails and phone calls. They are sending out a formal letter to the parents with a list of the teachers and their bios but it was never a secret. There were pictures of the teachers at a training session that was emailed to all the parents. And even without knowing who the teachers are, having met Rabbi Gralla parents can be assured that there is someone who knows about education who is doing the hiring.

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I've Had It · 667 weeks ago

So glad that Chump is moving......Wasn't SACS his "savior of the Jewish educational system"????

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Miami Al · 667 weeks ago

"Unfortunately, SACS squandered its most important asset: trust."

No, SACS's most important asset is a state granted charter. If TPS are as bad as y'all make it sound, then they will have no problem filling their school. Whether they fill it with MO Jews or caring parents that want out of the TPS system, they'll be fine.

They have a charter that allows them to extra per-student funding from Teaneck and Englewood parents, that's SACS's biggest asset.

SACS may have been founded as an affordable MO option, but have no fear, you are not special, if SACS can fill their school, it really doesn't matter what you think about them and their communication skills.

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Michael · 666 weeks ago

Yeshivat Heatid sent out full-blown bios of all of their teachers. I am super impressed at the teachers they hired and at the level of communication with the parent body. So far so good.........

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1 reply · active 666 weeks ago

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Michelle · 666 weeks ago

Does it say why they are switching to teach at He'atid or if they believe in the teaching philosophy and model?

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Guest · 666 weeks ago

It gives bios of the teachers including where they worked previously. There's statements by some of the teachers at the end where the teachers discuss why they are joining He'Atid. Some mention the blended learning program. It looks like a good group of people.

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