How do you afford tuition?

amother

Emerald

Wed, May 24 2017, 3:24 am

amother wrote:

Oh my goodness. These administrators make WAY TOO MUCH MONEY!!!
What do they do that is valued at 300,000 plus dollars a year? I just looked at 3 local schools and the dean/headmasters all make over 200,000 and some over 300,000!! And one school had 2 people titled as such making over 200,000 each!!

And they dare say we don't work enough and have to come up with tuition "somehow"? My husband has a graduate degree and a relatively well paying job but he also works ALL THE TIME. Even when supposedly on vacation.
Maybe they should make a measly 150,000 and cut tuition on the students...

Or, maybe I should ask: How can I get such a job?? Although I would feel ashamed to make that much when I see teachers salaries, the burden the parents have to pay their rent after tuition... Don't they??

They earn it! They work crazy hours, develop curriculums, staffing, fundraising - not to mention crisis intervention that occurs. They are COO's of the school and thus should be compensated.
The admins I know had to work VERY hard do get their positions. You have a lousy head of school - you will have lousy education.

amother

Blonde

Wed, May 24 2017, 5:17 am

amother wrote:

I live in Beit Shemesh.
I have 3 girls in bais yaakov and I pay 700 shekel per year.
my sons cheder is 400 shekel per month

Was thinking this as I read everyone's posts, but didn't have the guts to say it.
I have 2 boys in yeshiva. 2 boys in cheder. 2 girls in beit Yaakov. 1 boy in gan.
And I pay 2500 NIS per month (approx. $700 per month) - I think that's a lot, and wonder how people with lower salaries manage that!

edited to say I live in Jerusalem

amother

Blonde

Wed, May 24 2017, 5:39 am

amother wrote:

I live in Gush Etzion and my children go to the religious public school in the area.
The tuition (including the hot lunch plan) is roughly 2000 shekels a year.
And some gans, if municipally run, are free. That helps a lot as well.

I know I should start a new thread, but I just wanted to ask one question, does that include high schools or are all your kids in elementary still?
How much do religious high schools cost (yeshiva tichonit, ulpanot, etc) - just wondering if I pay more for charedi yeshivot.

amother

Babypink

Wed, May 24 2017, 5:46 am

amother wrote:

This is 1 - 3 grade. Not sure about middle school. I know high school is higher.

amother

Green

Wed, May 24 2017, 5:58 am

amother wrote:

Sent to different yeshivot, ulpanot and tuition ranged from 2000 shekel for a public ulpana, to 8,800 for an ulpana in Jerusalem to 12,000 shekel for yeshiva tichonit and about the same for a yeshiva with a dorm.

My4Jewels

Wed, May 24 2017, 6:29 am

amother wrote:

Well I am not an administrator and all I can think is.. I'd never ever want to be an administrator in a large Yeshiva. Do you realize that almost every single evening and weekend they are attending smachot of kids from the school, attending sporting events, attending other school events. It's in no way a regular 9-5 or even 7-10 job. Its alllll the time. To me their salary is worth it.

amother

Sapphire

Wed, May 24 2017, 8:41 am

amother wrote:

I disagree. A good school is mostly determined by having excellent teachers and good students. A caring, kind, warm teacher, who the students feel the warmth in the classroom is far more important then a "good" administrator. Most of the details you mentioned are overstated.
Staffing- Pay top $$ to the teachers and you get quality teachers.
Curriculum- Requires work but it's very similar to the prior year and at the end of the day it's the classroom teacher implementing the curriculum.
I look at it like a professional athlete and the coach. The star athlete makes way more than the coach because it's much harder to implement the game plan then to simply put it on paper. My son has the best rebbe of all time this year. To think that the administratiors were more important to my sons success than his rebbe was is silly.

amother

Yellow

Wed, May 24 2017, 9:09 am

amother wrote:

I'm just curious which schools you saw this. mY mother works in a school were tuition is 25,000 + and I"m sure the dean makes at least 300K, and I'm sure the parents think that is a normal salary (teachers make a more typical salary - but there are lots of them)

amother

Yellow

Wed, May 24 2017, 9:12 am

amother wrote:

If the administration wasn't good the rebbe most likely wouldn't stick around. \
Mediocre administrators tend to keep mediocre teachers and rebbeim on staff - for lack of building them up and training, support on child and teacher side, not paying on time or lack of funds.

amother

Seagreen

Wed, May 24 2017, 9:28 am

amother wrote:

I don't live in Israel but I send my daughter to a chabad high school (including dorm) in Israel and I pay nothing, besides airfare. This is through the Naale program. They also pay for books, uniform, a phone plan, health insurance, pocket money and one return airticket over the whole time she is in school.

I don't know what the local Israeli girls pay for school though, whether in the dorm or not.

amother

Sapphire

Wed, May 24 2017, 10:17 am

amother wrote:

Don't fool yourself into thinking that rebbaim, teachers and staff choose to work at a particular yeshiva because the administration is good. Sure, everyone wants a supportive administration, but teachers aren't paid well and very often a good teacher will follow the money. I have 3 boys in yeshiva Darchei Torah in the 5towns. True, the administration is fantastic. However, the reason why so many of the rebbaim travel 90 minutes from Lakewood everyday is because of the money. If the money wasn't there, I don't think they would shlep 3 hours back and forth everyday. A good administration is a distant second on the list of why the top teachers choose certain schools.

amother

Sapphire

Wed, May 24 2017, 10:21 am

amother wrote:

amother

Burgundy

Wed, May 24 2017, 10:31 am

The top ranked school in my state has admin that makes the same or less than what some of these yeshivas make. And we are not getting similar results out of our schools...

Teachers are where the real "guts" of the school are. If my kids teachers are good, the year will be good. They typically care about being paid, paid on time, and then general work environment. If not for the money they would leave their job.
Do they need to be making 300,000 to do this job? Or maybe they will do it because their heart is in it (like teachers) and get a more normal salary.
It's nice when you pretty much get to decide your salary.
Top 2%? And then they say we aren't doing enough to pay tuition. I know lawyers who don't make nearly that amount.

amother

Yellow

Wed, May 24 2017, 11:01 am

amother wrote:

The job of the administration is to make sure rabbaim are paid on time. In our shcool the administration hussles big time to get that money in. They also motivate the parent base to push themselves to give to the their maximum and create a tremendous amount of parent pride and want to give.

I've heard Rabbi Bender speak about paying rebbeim well. Our school talks a similar talk.
I send to a school in Lakewood that has a reputation they pay their rebbeim on time and well and provide for them very generously by simchos (there is a seperate fund that parents contribute to and there are matchers). They do get amazing rebbeim - and I have heard from family who work there that it definitely motivates the rebbeim and teachers to give as hard as possible because of it. But they also get a lot of support from the principals and guidance and feedback. It helps turn a good rebbe into a fantastic rebbe. I have heard similar about Darchei.

I do know a rebbe who travels from Lakewood to work in a different, well run, wealthy, NY cheder. My impression was he is paid similarly to Lakewood schools, HOWEVER, the parents individual compensation is huge - it makes him feel very appreciated - I doubt any parent body in Lakewood comes close to that.