Talk about planning!

EliB

Mon, Jan 22 2018, 4:59 pm

Hi all, So I have 3.5 year old boy and live in Northern Westchester NY (Somers). I have been looking for Orthodox grammar schools for him and was told of only 2 in the area. Westchester Day school in Mamaroneck and Westchester Torah Academy in New Rochelle. I spoke to a teacher who told me that about 5 years ago he was offered a job at Day school and thought that the later grades weren't very good but that was hearsay and wasn't sure. He did not recognize Torah academy. Does anyone have any thoughts about these schools per se, or maybe have thoughts about other ones in the area? I work full time in Armonk and am a single mother. My father takes care of my little one for now so I am very lucky. But I need to start planning for his future as I don't want to be surprised.

Thanks!

amother

Ginger

Fri, Jan 31 2020, 2:44 pm

EliB wrote:

Lots of politics here...

Westchester Day School (WDS) is an established school using teachers to teach. As with most yeshiva's tuition rates grew out of control.

Westchester Torah Academy (WTA) is a relatively new school that uses a computer based learning program. The students learn via computer programs and the teachers are supposed to evaluate what the computer reports and assist as needed. Replacing a teacher here and there with a computer reduces tuition costs.

When WTA started it undercut prices at WDS and WTA managed to attract a lot of students that would have gone to WDS. In response WDS just last year changed their tuition to an income based model and tuition for the early grades (for most families) is now less than at WTA. I heard that more than 25% of WTA's students left and that WTA had to offer tuition breaks to a lot of families to attract new students. Even with a few dozen new students enrolling this year at WTA their total enrollment dropped.

WTA received a large donation a few years back to buy a campus. About a year ago WTA took out a $3.5 Million loan against the property to build it out. The hope is that with owning a campus instead of operating in a rented space that students will flock to WTA. The build out is taking longer than expected and now WTA is carrying the cost of rent and payments on that $3.5 Million loan and is struggling to raise money to keep the doors open.

WDS has a beautiful waterfront campus. WTA's campus is 'eclectic' with a mansion that was on the property connected to a new prefab concrete building being installed.

Given both WTA and WDS are roughly the same in price for the early years and both have a campus, IMHO, WDS would be the way to go. WTA just has too much turnover of students and faculty alike with 1/2 the staff leaving every two years.

I would not submit my resume to a company where half the employees leave every two years. I would not send my children to a school where half the employees leave every two years.

To WTA's credit though they did drive tuition prices down in the area but unfortunately did it by offering a lower quality education. WDS managed to lower their tuition rates by being on the receiving end of a large endowment from Avi Chai. It should not go unnoticed that Avi Chai chose not to fund WTA any further.