Lakewood tuition | Imamother

amother

Rose

Tue, Jul 31 2018, 12:44 am

I pay around $6000 for boys and $5000 for girls

For some reason I find that the boys school is always adding things like dinner, Sunday busing..., so it comes out to a little more than $6000.
The girls school doesn’t add anything and I get a little scholarship for the girls so I think it’s less than $5000.

amother

Ivory

Tue, Jul 31 2018, 9:57 am

We only have children in elementary school:

Girls - 4900 + 5000 building fund (over 5 years) + Dinner - We pay full.
Boys - full just went up to 8500 (large increase from last year) We will next year pay around 7000 (still large increase from last year) + 5000 building fund (over 5 years) + Lunch Fee + Sunday Busing + Summer Program + Dinner

amother

Rose

Tue, Jul 31 2018, 10:06 am

simcha2 wrote:

I don't get how they can run schools on so little.

Can someone break it down for me?

Why? Did you want to start your own school???

Maybe the teachers just don’t get paid as much as other schools do?

Interesting that you want a whole breakdown...

simcha2

Tue, Jul 31 2018, 10:13 am

amother wrote:

Why? Did you want to start your own school???

Maybe the teachers just don’t get paid as much as other schools do?

Interesting that you want a whole breakdown...

.

Pure curiosity. My daughter attends a BY in central NJ, but not Lakewood and I'm paying $14,500. My son attends a MO school and I pay $18,000. I'm curious how schools in Lakewood can run on $5000 a child.

I'm not being obnoxious, I'm genuinely interested how a school can run on that. Maybe there is more fundraising or whatever.

keym

Tue, Jul 31 2018, 11:14 am

Girls- $5000 plus $4000 building fee to be paid over 9 years.

Boys $6000 per boy plus an extra $550 of assorted fees per boys.

But my boys school provides seforim and doesn't send me notes asking for $3 for this and $10 for that constantly like my girls schools.

As to how they make it work:
1) very few free scholarships. Definitely no "kollel/chinuch/klei kodesh" assistance. Rebbeim and teachers pay also but it comes off pretaxed (qtr).
2) Rebbeim and teachers are not necessarily "higher educated". They are good and dedicated, go to training courses and Torah Umesorah courses, but not college educated.
3) To be a successful menahel, one really should have a few wealthy connections. Not for day to day running, but to buy the land, build the buildings.
4) Many schools start off rented in a warehouse building, a couple of classrooms in an established school, or trailers.
They will buy or build a building only when they've raised enough/ been endowed enough.
5) the wedding/bar mitzva hall from the school is a thriving business. Many schools when building will plan and design to rent out the lunchroom or gym for simchos. (Added benefit is parking is there also.)

simcha2

Tue, Jul 31 2018, 12:14 pm

keym wrote:

Thanks

amother

Ivory

Tue, Jul 31 2018, 1:38 pm

1. The schools don't have computer labs, science labs, most don't have gyms.
2. Most teachers have taken courses but are not licensed (some English teachers are).
3. Many schools have some sort of simcha facility they rent out to bring in additional income.
4. In the summer many times they will rent out to camps. Many schools have nice grounds and large pools.
5. In NJ the schools get a lot of resource money. The gov't pays for assistance in teh classroom for reading, match. Smaller, remedial English classes are goverment funded. The schools also get some money toward text books and teacher continuing eduation. I do find the English teachers taking math and Reading courses during the summer and curriculm and classroom structure evolving.

I still find the teachers are fantastic, a lot of senior school staff and a lot of remedial help with tons of options for small self contained classes.

Also my son's school fundraises a LOT. The dinner is very successful and they try to get as much as they can out of parents, employers, friends, family, suppliers.

Personally we give a large amount at the dinner because it is tax deductible (don't know if that is still true) and from our ma'aser reserve. I find a lot of people who can do the same.

the school also has a simcha fund for rebbeim that is privately funded. So when a rebbe makes a chassuna or bar mitzva they give a large one time chunk of money. That is also raised seperately and can come from ma'aser.

agreer

Tue, Jul 31 2018, 4:39 pm

keym wrote:

.

As to how they make it work:
1) very few free scholarships. Definitely no "kollel/chinuch/klei kodesh" assistance. Rebbeim and teachers pay also but it comes off pretaxed (qtr).
2) Rebbeim and teachers are not necessarily "higher educated". They are good and dedicated, go to training courses and Torah Umesorah courses, but not college educated.
3) To be a successful menahel, one really should have a few wealthy connections. Not for day to day running, but to buy the land, build the buildings.
4) Many schools start off rented in a warehouse building, a couple of classrooms in an established school, or trailers.
They will buy or build a building only when they've raised enough/ been endowed enough.
5) the wedding/bar mitzva hall from the school is a thriving business. Many schools when building will plan and design to rent out the lunchroom or gym for simchos. (Added benefit is parking is there also.)

I've heard that schools in Lakewood don't give Kollel/Chinuch discounts... so honestly, how do these people pay for it? They can have 6 kids in school at the same time. How are they paying $36K?

keym

Tue, Jul 31 2018, 4:50 pm

agreer wrote:

I've heard that schools in Lakewood don't give Kollel/Chinuch discounts... so honestly, how do these people pay for it? They can have 6 kids in school at the same time. How are they paying $36K?

No clue. People get small scholarships. Let's say $4000/girl, $4500/ boy.

I'm guessing if either parent is in chinuch, their tuition can come as qtr (can be done legally).
It comes out of parents paycheck so keeps them low enough income for some programs.
And honestly, some people put it on the credit card and pay eventually.

I know personally my roughly $20k bill plus babysitting and playgroup is a huge expense. I just thank Hashem I could afford it if I'm frugal, and its for my healthy kids and not medical or whatever.

amother

Ivory

Tue, Jul 31 2018, 5:19 pm

agreer wrote:

I've heard that schools in Lakewood don't give Kollel/Chinuch discounts... so honestly, how do these people pay for it? They can have 6 kids in school at the same time. How are they paying $36K?

teachers do get discounts in the schools they teach in - that can be huge - especially now that many schools have sister\brother schools and the reductions many times carry between them.
As another poster said teachers can legally pay tuition - even in a different school - pre-tax (Trump tried to cancel that I believe).
There is a kollel reduction - but is a across the board a set amount.

I do know people who are in debt over even tuition - a neighbor just told me her DH is a high school rebbe that hasn't gotten paid in months and she has borrowed a large amount of money to cover her tuition. (she also works). It doesn't always work out.

Someone in kollel is probably not paying more then 4000 for girls and 5000 for boys - so most likely it is under 30K for 6 kids. and if there are many siblings in a school they are most likely getting additional discounts.

(High schools also tend to cost more so there is more expenses there)

Mommyg8

Tue, Jul 31 2018, 8:19 pm

amother wrote:

6 kids is an average family these days, what about those that have 10 or 12 or more kids? Are they really paying 60000 even pretax?

Yes.

But 12 kids are not usually in school all at the same time Confused

. Also, 12 kids is pretty rare these days. The tuition crisis is affecting us as well Rolling Eyes