Dear VIN News,
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In recent weeks, frum magazines have focused on the latest “crisis” — low teachers’ salaries, and a shortage of quality Mechanchim.
First let me say this is a very big deal. Even families with high incomes struggle like crazy, certainly people in chinuch. Plus, it is crucial to have mechanchim and mechanchos who are experienced and talented–not just whoever is single and young and willing to work for food.
With that said, the outrage seems mostly directed at Mosdos. People say that “administrators, directors, and principals” need to understand that good teachers are a commodity. Does anyone think that mosdos are sitting on wads of cash and hoarding it, rather than offer a few extra bucks to teachers? Most yeshivas are struggling with their monthly budgets.
The issue is not that they don’t value teachers, it’s that they don’t have the funds!
This reminds me of the secular world (l’havdil), when every so often someone gets annoyed that basketball players earn millions, while public school teachers can barely afford rent. The argument goes: “Who contributes more to society–someone devoting their life to educating youth? Or someone who can dunk a ball in a hoop?”
It’s basic capitalism. The athlete generates millions of dollars for his team, while teachers don’t generate money.
I don’t mean to diminish the value of teachers chas v’Shalom. I have the utmost respect and believe they are WAY more valuable than other working people.
But the bottom line is–we cannot manufacture money from thin air.
Yes I agree there is a crisis. And I don’t know the solution, but in my opinion, it starts with a fund that is specifically dedicated to teachers, so that we can give them the compensation they deserve.
— A pragmatist who deeply respects Chinuch
The views expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect those of VIN News.
I’m not buying the lie that you’re trying to sell – the money is out there, it’s just that Rabbonim and teachers are at the very bottom of the priority list – and I’ll prove it!
Imagine that during this winter, in some yeshivah or bais Yaakov, the boiler system broke. Absolutely no heat in the building, and to repair or replace the system would cost half a million dollars. What do you think would happen?
I’ll tell you exactly – the work would be done and completed within 48 hours. The school would reach out to not even 3-4 supporters, who would fork over their credit cards faster than you could say”no heat in the school!” The money would be secured instantly, and the heating system would be operating within days.
Why? How?
Because a broken boiler is an EMERGENCY – drop everything and fix it now!
But a Rebbe who can’t pay his rent, get a new suit or hat, buy his kids clothing – that’s not an emergency.
A morah who needs to borrow from 3 gemachs to make payments on her 4 maxed out credit cards – that’s not an emergency.
And teachers are a dime a dozen. They don’t like what they’re being paid? There are hundreds of Seminary girls and kollel members who are ready to step in.
The system is irreversibly broken, and unless teachers are willing to band together and strike, nothing will stop their emergencies.
So please don’t insult our intelligence with your ” we just don’t have the money” foolishness.
Maybe the principals and administrators should make public how much they make compared eith how much the teachers make
This opinion piece is riddled with accuracies.
Sadly, there are some rosh mosdos that are simply ‘business men’ who couldn’t care less about the Chinuch in as much to how well the school is funding their pockets.
It used to be le’shem shamiyim. That’s long gone.
I’ve seen it with my very own eyes. And not just one or two.
The houses they are putting up and the cars they’re driving. You’d think they’re working on wall st.
The solution would be to have schools run by a Rav that has no interests in the school as well as financial decisions.
Sadly, that will never happen. And so our crisis continues.
Any honest discussion needs clarity on salaries of executives and administrators. I have heard some shockingly high numbers.
I’ll agree but only after each mossad opens its books for view.
Which brings us back to the seemingly old argument of where to spend our money. Being in chinuch myself there was absolutely no choice but to live very frugally. Lavish simchas,Pesach programs etc were never a consideration. I cautioned my own children not to go into chinuch and they didn’t.
We’ll said.
Here is part of the problem.
Many people can’t or won’t pay full tuition. That puts the mosad at a great disadvantage.
That being said, there are a lot of great tzedaka organizations that are very necessary and do a great job fundraising.
However, people don’t look at their child’s school as a tzedaka. No glory there or sob story.
Whether paying full tuition or not, if people would dedicate their Ma’aser or at least part of their tzedaka expenditures towards the yeshiva/Bais Yaakov of their child, the mosad may be in a better place to offer the salaries appropriate to the “stars” of the Jewish world.
There has been for a long time , that there should some kind of overall umbrella org supported by gvirim who should help out the mosdos. Giving money to be mechanech children by rebbes and teacher is a high priority tzedakah. Or come up with another idea because teachers are also allowed to to live , especially because teaching can be a thankless job. Nothing more important than our children’s lives.
Ask David greenfield his “tzedaka” pays him $450,000
Did any school ever say “don’t pay the water bill we just don’t have the funds for it”? The issue is only about the money once we can recognize the need for the funds. Once we understand that we must pay Moros a befitting salary only then can we work on figuring out how to come up with the funds. Don’t throw in the towel on a vital need cuz “mosdos aren’t sitting on wads of cash”.
I don’t understand the line
“while teachers don’t generate money”
How is this not generating money teaching kids math, science, teaching to read etc…
You need to Know these stuff to start a business.
Nothing is going to help, because the Law of ‘supply and demand’, won’t budge.
The more people want to become rebbes, the lower their salary will get.
Why can’t they learn from Yosef and his brothers, who understood that at a certain age one must leave Shem V’ever, and become a shepherd.
They must learn to move on, and get out to the world.
It’s TRUE that majority of teachers and rebbes are underpaid. Most mosdes can’t afford to pay more. The theory that people say that schools rake it in, is sad. Most schools dont, most schools struggle.
The school where I send my kids to, tries to give all they have towards raises and bonuses, and I know it’s not easy for them. No, the administrator doesnt rake it in either.
I know it’s easier to blame the school that you entrust to give your kid an education than having to shell out a 10k donation instead of your winter vacation.
No gevir-school-foundation is coming to the rescue. Just cancel your nice little daydream now before it wastes any more of your time.
The fact is some parents simply can’t afford full/any tuition. The ones that do pay, at best help the school make ends meet. In order to provide the schools with enough money to pay teachers an additional 20-25k, you would need each set of paying parents to pay an additional $2000 annually per child.
Can it be done? Yes. Will it? I don’t know, maybe the teachers need to strike. Is there any way to solve it without making some people super cranky? No way.
My starting salary in 1974 was $11,000. We ate up our chasuna money to survive. Next year, we moved to another city and grossed $15,000 yearly for 3 years.
The disrespect exhibited by the board caused me to leave that dorf and move to a makom Torah.
The power that is in the hands of the board is corrupting. Yes, corrupting.
Do they deny their families what their employees have to deny? Do they look at their mechanchim and mechanchos as angels that don’t need to eat 3 full meals a day.
Part of the problem is that our holy schools are privately owned by idealistic people who like being in control.
Maybe there should be a union. This question has to be revisited.
Another question is how can we trust our heritage to untrained teachers who don’t have teaching skills , as dedicated as they are. The older teachers, if not burned out , need every minute to deal with their own issues. The principal has to judge the neophyte to see if he can remain staff if he/she can’t deal with that minor problem.
I recall that when my kids misbehaved, he was sent to the office. That was becaue the teacher did not begin to understandwhat he was dealing with.
Today
Every yukel decides to open a shul. Every person who dies has a Torah in his memory. We don’t need every flavor of shul, and a shul doesn’t need more than 3-4 torahs. Why does a shul need $750k worth of Torahs??? The madness has to stop.
Schools should sell teacher naming to donors, like universities sell chairs to their top professors. Perhaps then people will give more money.
Sadly the reason I think rebbes are forced to accept these low wages is because many men in kollel can’t or don’t want to join the workforce and many turn to teaching.
I think people E
REALLY iught to take a cheshbon b nefesh
How mant weekday pairs of shoes do I own?
How many Shabbos shoes?
Clothing
And more galore
BUT YOU WONT PAY THE TEACHERS WHO TEACH YOUR PRECIOUS CHILDREN A COMFORTABKE SALARY ?
SHAME ON YOU
It is really a matter if the decisions makers ( Machers ) at the schools value the dedication some or most of the teachers have for the betterment of their students/talmidim. Why should they be relegated to having only chicken on shabbos or having hand me down shoes for their children.
The schools have plenty of avenues all legal to raise substantial money for salaries. Many have EI and pre-K programs. Going through an agency ( who of course take 30-40% of funds ) to “manage” the programs hurts the potential for enough for everyone. But of course the agencies pay between 30-70$ per hour for services rendered but bill NYC BOE ( yes that is you and me ) $110-135$ for that session.
I for one religiously donated to Yeshiva Ohel Shimon, every single month, after Rav Yochonon made a plea for the benefit of his Mosodos!
The Frum should try working with the Non-Frum to fund the schools. Perhaps if not so antagonistic to the non-Frum you’d see they’re willing to provide support.
It’s wrong to generalize
There are some schools that charge insane tuitions and pay decent salaries while the parents pay or leave. Occasionally they give people a small break.
Some schools are forgiving and flexible with tuitions and have much less money to work with as well as a less wealthy clientele so they become the not in style school
Some schools charge a lot and pay a top heavy administration half of whom are related to the principal…. Possibly also not qualified but who can complain?
Some schools are run by rabbis who don’t take a cent but also don’t manage money well.
There’s no one way it’s done.
And I don’t think it’s fair to make a organization to raise money for schools and just keep dumping money into them – when one school is spending $20,000 per child and the other is spending $5000 per child. And they’re both lacking funds. It’s definitely not an equitable system. PS my husband works as a rebbe and gets paid around $60,000 a year. It’s a half day job and he has another job in the afternoon. It’s a high tuition school with lots of community support but the rebbes don’t get great salaries…
This letter is nonsense. The Girl schools should be doing better fundraising, I’m pretty sure the executive directors of these girls schools bring home a “decent” income comparable to Executive directors of boys schools. If most yeshivas today were successful in raising salaries for Rebbeim why cant girls schools do the same?. As a parent I can say we arnt paying less tuition at the girls schools…… the yeshivas have the same operating expenses if the teachers in the girl schools is so low why is the tuition so high???
Functional girls elementary schools run a surplus. Fact
It’s not a secret….