by Doug Aronin
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are that of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the Union for Traditional Judaism, unless otherwise indicated.
In his Times of Israel blog post, Doug Aronin questions why state support for math and science teachers in public schools may not be expected to reduce Jewish day school tuition.
Over the last few years, it has often seemed like everyone in the Orthodox community has been talking about day school affordability, so Fagin’s mention of the need for tuition relief was hardly surprising. Whatwas surprising was his implicit acknowledgement that even government subsidies — often seen as a panacea for affordability — might not be enough to bring tuition costs down. If a school receives some kind of government subsidy to cover part of the cost that it formerly had to bear without government assistance, wouldn’t you expect that to result in lower tuition? I can understand a school’s waiting a year or two to make sure, given the vicissitudes of the funding process, that it can count on a particular subsidy continuing on an ongoing basis. But at some point — sooner rather than later — one would expect tuition-paying parents to become the primary beneficiaries of such a welcome development. Neither Fagin nor his interviewer, however, appears to share that expectation.
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Douglas Aronin is a retired attorney living in Forest Hills, Queens, who is continuing his lifelong involvement in the Jewish community.
A graduate of Columbia Law School, he practiced law for three decades (including a four-year stint with the New York State Attorney General's office) before retiring.
He served for many years as an officer of the UTJ and was a founding board member of the ITJ (Institute of Traditional Judaism) and editor-in-chief of Cornerstone 2.
Doug’s blog appears regularly on Times of Israel, where he addresses an array of political and religious subjects. His writings have also appeared in a wide range of other print and on-line forums.
Here are some of Doug's blog posts: