5 Towners flock to Albany to lobby for yeshiva cash

As the state’s budget negotiations intensified with the April 1 deadline approaching, representatives from six Five Towns schools headed to Albany last week to raise awareness among legislators of the community’s number one need: Tuition relief for yeshiva families.

“It’s important to me to advocate on behalf of our community,” explained Cal Nathan, a HAFTR (Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway) parent and Woodmere resident, who with his son Mathew joined 12 others in boarding a van from Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst to Albany. “There are many things that I could have been doing, but whatever business I had for the day stood by for the day.”

Nathan pointed out that even with both parents working, each with their own salaries combining for a $200,000 income, after taxes, yeshiva tuition, food and clothing, it’s a challenge to make ends meet.

This is the first time the OU has done a regional-specific mini mission, said Jake Adler, associate Director For Field Operation of OU Advocacy-Teach NYS. Other areas going to Albany include Brooklyn on March 18, and Manhattan, Riverdale and Westchester on March 19.

“The OU … is asking the government to reimburse us for the mandated expenses,” Nathan said. “We need to fix this issue, the community needs something to change on a State level, [to deal with] the onerous burden of tuition. We pay taxes, we vote, it’s an equity issue.”

Nathan said that all of the elected officials the Five Towns delegation met were supportive.

Jeff Leb, New York director of OU Advocacy and a resident of Cedarhurst, outlined four issues of concern for the community in the new budget:

•The CAP (Comprehensive Attendance Policy) and MSR (Mandate Services Reimbursement) programs provide funding for mandated services required by private schools. CAP pays schools to take attendance at the beginning of each period, ensuring every child’s safety and security by making sure they are in school. MSR provides funding to schools for providing vaccination information to the State, administering State exams and other types of required services.

•The educational tax credit is a tax credit given to donors for their contributions for scholarship funds for day schools or yeshivot, providing a 100 percent tax credit for up to 75 percent of their tax liability.

•As for universal pre-K, “right now it is very difficult for schools to be allowed to open a UPK class.” The legislation will facilitate UPK, “It is probably going to happen. In our area kindergarten is required,” said Leb.

•As for the Smart Schools bond referendum, “the Governor is proposing a bond referendum, a $2 billion bond, that allows schools to upgrade technology. Private schools are not included now; we are pushing that the $2 billion covers private schools as well.”

“It was an incredible trip to Albany,” said Leb. “I do many missions with different groups every year but this Long Island mission really stood out. The legislators were impressed by the group, the sophistication of the students that came and the community leaders and administrators. They met with different legislators and they were very receptive.”

They met with Lt. Governor Robert Duffy, Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, Speaker of the Assembly Sheldon Silver, and Senate Education Chairman John Flanagan, and many others.

HAFTR, HALB (Hebrew Academy of Long Beach), Yeshiva Darchei Torah, Midreshet Shalhevet, Rambam Mesivta and Schechter of Long Island sent representatives.

“The Five Towns Jewish community needs to mobilize and be seen in Albany,” said Adler. “Instead of one giant mission, we have one after the other from across the State, a full court press.”

“It will definitely keep awareness of the issues that effect the day schools and yeshiva community on the table and be impactful on the budget negotiations currently ongoing and by the end of the month,” said Leb.

“It brought further awareness to the issues and made an impact. The legislators came over after and told me how impressed they were. It was a good trip, a good mission.”