Once again, the Lakewood Mosdos will not be opening their high schools as scheduled, as Askonim work to ensure each girl has a place to go.
The idea of a delayed opening began many years ago by the Mashigiach Reb Matisyahu Shlita.
Schools today, upon the direction of the Vaad, were told to notify al parents about the delayed opening. No opening date was given.
This evening, Askonim are scheduled to meet with Roshei Yeshiva to discuss the placement efforts.
Why does this happen every year in Lakewood???
You would think by know it has been figured out how to avoid this.
David,
It is a “growth” problem, not a static one.
Any “figuring out” from a previous year, will NOT help the following year.
Hatzlacha !
I think his point was that whatever they are going to end up doing in the next few days… they should have gotten down to doing in the last few days. You know you have to settle on taking some you don’t want to take, etc… make the last few days the crunch time instead of waiting for the schools to force to be closed and add pressure and embarrassment.
After all said and done there may be some issues as is inevitable in any system but we definitely live in a beautiful town. One can look and say negatively that we shouldn’t have to come to this or one can be positive and think for a minute to realize that we’re in a unique situation where there’s many different standards across the spectrum. The bottom line is that you have askanim who take the responsibility and work tirelessly with no recognition to ensure that NO JEW WILL BE LEFT BEHIND! A tremendous thank you and may this be resolved real soon.
Well a hs was closed this year. And there are still girls from that school that have not been placed.
Plus I’m sure many others.
Will they be wearing masks
Can the older grades begin on time?
to David
Please explain who is supposed to figure it out. There are about 1400 eighth graders that need a high school. Five years ago there were about 800. You get the idea of the growth This costs huge amounts of money. Who exactly do you think is responsible for this other than all the residents of Lakewood . Boys Mesivtas can open because yungeleit are willing to teach for free or for very little pay. Girls high school teachers won’t work for free and there is a shortage of qualified teachers
I don’t know what they should do. But they are going to do something within the next week or two. Why don’t they do exactly that, one month ago?
I am not blaming anyone for this issue, but the solutions are available, because they are closing schools until it is implemented, whatever it is.
What school closed?
I know some girls and their mothers who are stubborn about going to a specific school…
I have a good solution. Although the optimum class size should not exceed 25 per class, because of the circumstances every school should be required to put at least 30 students into each class. I admit that 30 is too many,but if there is a shortage of space, 30 should be required. I imagine that will solve the problem at keast for the next few years .
YOu must not have a daughter in highschool. Class sizes are at 40 plus
You WOULD have thought that after all this community has been through the past few months sickness, tragedies and death R”L, the basic principle of V’ahavta L’reacha Komocha would have been learnt. Please take these precious בנות ישראל and teach them with patience and love. What a pity, What a pity….
It is not in the best interest of Anyone (especially not the student) when parents insist that their daughter attend a specific school which is not the best school for this child. Even with the best of intentions i.e. all her sisters went there, future shidduchim etc. V’ahavta L’raiacha obligates each and everyone of us to open new schools to accommodate all girls. Did anyone raise hand? Or were you yoitze your obligation with writing a blog?
Been there, done that.
So, with all that you have learned the last few months, have you put in any effort to opening a new school? The reason most of these girls don’t have a school yet is simply because there is not enough schools. Sentiments like yours is a reason why people wouldn’t want to try and open a new school (and new schools is the only real answer).
This has nothing to do with the principle of V’ahavta L’reacha Kamocha. It’s not personal. I am typing this as a parent who recently had to go through what some of these parents are going through now. My wife, daughter and myself never took it personal. I was more insulted when one of the schools called asking me for a check within a week of turning down my daughter, than actually not accepting her.
Fact is that many of these girls are in this predicament because they are holding out for a certain school. There are very good chasuvah schools that would take them right now. It is not right to make it sound like the fault is of the mosdos. This is now conjecture this is fact.
the tremendous growth is a big problem and the fact that every 100 people is different, we are comprised of a million sub groups,this phenomenon does not exist in any other community in the world.
Not sure what makes you think there are only 25 girls per class in high school??? They’re already 30 girls per class or more!!
The high school classes currently have an average of 40 girls per class.
I think the best solution, if one can afford it, is home schooling. Wishing all a mazeldig 5781 to all of Klal Yisrael.
Yes, Glen, as your name would imply, you had one shot too many.
You assume that we have transgressed the positive injunction that you so eloquently states but I am sure you are aware of another one: Daf L’Kaf Zechus
This is not to negate the issue at hand but don’t be so hasty to judge Klal Yisroel.
Besuros Tovos for all…
Having large classes with +30 kids is no solution, it is a recipe for disaster. A much larger percentage of the kids will fall to the wayside, even more than the amount of kids falling up till now.
What can be done though is, that they can add another parallel class. Existing schools should be capable of adding parallel classes. (Unless the girls just aren’t a good fit and it wouldn’t benefit anyone to push them in.
It is a lot of $$ to open more classes more teachers,space ect. Who is paying for it?
There’s no room to add another class. There’s no room for another desk. Please, before you offer up your chachmos visit these schools. 40+ kids in every class!! And now they’ll somehow shoehorn more in. Crazy!
No room to add a class? Shortage of trailers? I believe most shcools cannot use their dinning rooms this year
Instead of complaining, perhaps this should all be a zechus for us. Perhaps Hashem will see that our entire town is sacrificing a couple of days of school to ensure that every yiddishe bas yisrael has a place in our schools. And in that merit, we will all experience yeshuas.
When I read that school was being delayed I cried tears of emotion. Emotion for the girls who are going through terrible pain. But also emotion of joy that the RYs are ensuring that they are not forgotten.
By the way, this has nothing to do with self interest. My family has never had to go through the gehenom of rejection from schools.
who exactly is the vaad? names please. all the names please.
Umm, my dtr’s school has more than 40 girls per class. And the Vaad is asking for each class to take 2 MORE. Shes been crying about going to HS with such a large class …there are no easy answers.
The situation is totally insane.I don’t have any high school kids but I really can’t imagine sending to any of these high schools. Why are they coerced to take so many kids? It’s cruel to everyone involved. Those pushing these girls in need to use their magical powers to open new schools instead.
This should address both your comment and many above.
Its easy to say open a new school and send girls there. Its also easy to see don’t be policy and send your girl to a new school. And this works nicely for elementary school children entering primary , 4 yr olds. However, you do all realize that we are dealing with 14 year olds entering 9th grade. How do you think they feel when friends got into the school of their choice but not them. They have to go to a new “nebach” school for kids that don’t get in anywhere else. You may not feel that its nebby but they in all likelihood do. For that girl she feels like a failure and let down.
Larger classes hurts others and are not wise either. The most optimal solution is for exiting schools to open new classes. I don’t believe space is that much of an issue. Grab a few more trailers etc.. Are dinning rooms and social gathering rooms even permitted this year? That’s extra space for a classroom too
to Busy Mom
Thats hard to believe. I thought the girls schools stop at 30. How can the Vaad expect them to take more than that. Why doesn’t the Vaad just create another school ?
Dont blame ridicule and make into evil people the hard working mosdos
GO OPEN YOUR OWN SCHOOL before you put blame on them! fact is several people just move here,do as they please,dress as they please and THEN DEMAND schoolS for their children .
ITS NOT A ONE WAY STREET ONLY .STOP PUTTING ALL FINGERS AT PEOPLE WHO TOIL TO GET SOME PENNY TUITION OUT OF YOU AND WORK TIRELESSLY RUNNING MOSDOS. DON’T LIKE IT OPEN YOUR OWN SCHOOLS!
have hundreds move, keep building, dont open your own schools , and then say not enough schools and blame people who have them,
just blame state as they do with traffic
@RebRambo. There is No Inyun of (Daf: look who had one too many ) Dan Lkaf Zechus on רציחה.
to Glenn livet
I agree about the retzicha. The question is who is doing the retzicha. Is it the person who sweated hard to build a school that has room for 30 in a class and already stuffed that class with over 40 and has kids sitting almost on the teachers desk and doesn’t have any more funds or koach to keep borrowing money to build new buildings to expand. Or is it the rich internet blogger who never lifted a finger or donated even one dollar to make a new school.
@Mike. The רציחה is on the ones than can take in the extra girls but feel they are not “good enough” for their school, the same ones that hang up on the רבנים that call on them to take these girls.
Beautiful Mike!! Exactly how you put it!!
The pain of not having a school with accepting friends and supportive mechanchos is indescribable. If a school does accept a girl, but really doesn’t want her, the girl will be pained for years if not for life. The example they set to their students of how to snub and denigrate, passuls the chinuch. the Torah itself cries.
Have a heart. Keep your mouth zipped. Be patient. Do not judge. This is the nissayon. Parents know their children’s needs. Have a heart.
kesiva vechasima tova
While I think that this could have been taken care of easier in the summer to save these girls from the pain, I applaud the Vaad for making sure that Schools won’t open on time! These beautiful girls deserve at least that.
I thought the school just closed and these girls just found themselves with nowhere to go. Are you asking why no one used their powers of nevuah?
And you really believe that allowing no one to attend school makes sense? They didn’t make the school shut down, this isn’t on them!
to Been there
How exactly could it have been taken care of easier in the summer ? If schools already had in excess of 40 per class in the summer ,then how can they fit more into those packed classrooms. I heard there are somewhere between 75 to 100 without a school . How exactly do you fit them all into already packed classrooms ? I have heard from sources that this year it could drag on forever. There just is no space left.
My heart goes out for all these girls. But there really isn’t enough space for everyone. It’s a real problem. Still, I am proud to be part of a Frum community where all of us care about everyone else and don’t open until there is some kind of solution.
But we need a long term solution!
What’s the solution? Economics. If high schools would make enough money, more people would open them. Then there would be enough room for everyone.
To Harry
It was meant to say earlier. Somehow the schools find the space or at least they qork it out every year once they close the schools. Why wait until the last minute. Do it earlier
to Been there
According to your logic the schools will always find the space, no matter how full their classes are and no matter how many unplaced kids there are. I’m not sure i understand this logic . In previous years ,class sizes were between 30 and 35 and there were 20 kids left to to place. So somehow it happened. My understanding is that this year class sizes are 40 and even higher ( I can’t really understand how anybody can teach with those numbers )with close to 100 kids yet to place . Please explain exactly how you expect them to work it out without new schools or construction of new classes, both of which take a lot of money which the askanim and Vaad don’t seem to be able to supply.
Classes have been 40+ for a few years already. There’s very little learning happening. And the new high schools keep closing. This is nuts!
How come I saw Bais Shaindel girls in uniforms today??? Did they start????
Is it 8 or 9 girls as in recent letter from a “Rosh Mossad” or is it 40 ??
the letter regarding 8 or 9 is regarding elementary schools. . High schools have a severe shortage of seats between 75 and 100 . There are only a handful of girls high schools. Too expensive to run high schools compared to elementary schools .
beis shaindel didn’t open. they had book day.
Hope that the schools opening tomorrow mean that all girls are accepted into a school. Hatzlacha to all.