We are a grassroots organization of concerned individuals who have joined forces to try to make Jewish education affordable for every family that wishes to send its children to a Jewish day school in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Read our founding document.
Day school education is the strongest guarantee of lasting, positive Jewish identity in our children. Yet the Greater Toronto Jewish community, like communities in many other cities in North America, is at a crossroads because of the affordability of day school education. The future of the excellent, diverse Jewish educational system in our city is at risk.
Tuition for Jewish day school education in our community is unbearably high:
- Elementary school tuition in day schools affiliated with UJA Federation increased by 61 percent from 2001 to 2011, while average household income (in the general population) rose 10 percent.
- Full tuition in elementary day schools is currently about $16,000.
- Tuition at CHAT, the community high school, increased 62 percent from 2001 to 2011. In 2016-17, CHAT tuition was nearly $28,000.
- Due to $15 million in donations announced March 6, 2017 by UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, tuition at CHAT for 2017-2018 will be reduced to $18,500, and it will be capped at under $19,000 for the next five years. For more information about this initiative, see http://www.cjnews.com/news/canada/tanenbaumchat-closes-northern-campus-slashes-tuition.
- The average increase in tuition for 2015 is 5 percent, more than double the increase in household income.
- View the Centre for Jewish Education’s table showing the link between subsidy, income and family size.
The implications for the Jewish future of our community are disastrous. The solution to the affordability crisis must come from a fully representative cross section of individuals and organizations within the community.
Be part of the solution!
What you can do now — participate in EDUCATION CONSULTATIONS IN ONTARIO
The Ontario government is currently holding public consultations (the most wide-ranging ever undertaken) into education reform in the province.
While the questions do not consider independent schools, it is critical that our community participate and respond to the survey, highlighting our schools.
Our Independent/Private schools are significant contributors to the education landscape and YOUR input will help shape the development of education policies relating to curriculum, programme/service planning and RESOURCE ALLOCATION.
Our schools will be affected by the results of these consultations. The government needs to hear from as many Independent school parents as possible. Please participate! (Consultations end Dec 15, so please respond ASAP)
Take 5 minutes to help our schools! Click on this private and confidential online submission form: https://www.ontario.ca/form/open-submissions-education-ontario. For detailed instructions, see Ontario Public Consultations.
We have created sub-committees in the following areas:
- Reimagining Funding – develop ideas for new sources of funding
- Political/Legal Action – explore the political and legal options and tactics
Join our mailing list! at the top-right corner of this page so that we can keep in touch with you. Help us get the word out about the most important issue facing our community, and be part of the solution.
To join our group, please complete our online volunteer form.
