Lakewood - anyone still school-less?

↑ amother ↓

Sun, Aug 24 2014, 12:23 am

But my husband was learning in kollel and we had issues getting in.

I have a cousin learning for life who is having issues getting their daughter in. Then you have the guy who is moving in and wealthy and he has no issues getting his child in.

Don't American the people moving in for affordable housing they are the minority a d they are not the problem

Speak to brokers and ask who are the majority of people buying homes in Lakewood working or learning and you will see that it's all learning people.

↑ amother ↓

Sun, Aug 24 2014, 12:24 am

amother wrote:

but when you have lots and lots of ppl moving to lakewood for affordable housing, you can't complain that the schools are supposed to take you in cuz it's a yeshiva town and cohesive community.

It doesn't work both ways, honey!

I didn't move here for affordable housing, my husband learned in BMG for six years after we were married. My son was born after we were married for four years. He is our oldest. He now has a job that he cannot leave for at least a year. We are a former yeshiva family and have yeshiva hashkafos, so yes I expect someone to care that my child has no school to go to. Why do we all have to keep justifying ourselves?

↑ amother ↓

Sun, Aug 24 2014, 12:25 am

amother wrote:

I'm curious how many people moved to Lakewood knowing the school situation but figuring it would just work itself out.

Kids getting in are 5 years old. So if you moved recently, why didn't you research this issue?

↑ amother ↓

Sun, Aug 24 2014, 12:30 am

amother wrote:

hope you get in soon. what are you being told?

↑ amother ↓

Sun, Aug 24 2014, 1:19 am

We are being told to send to the school they tell us to, again it may not be a bad school but it is not for our child. We did not apply there. We did apply to three other places, and everyone from family members, coworkers of mine, neighbors friends, it's amazing how many people have been advocating for us from many angles but the Vaad insists unless we send where they tell us there are no slots anywhere else. While I do believe the Vaad means well, their hands are tied by some very powerful selfish honor and money hungry people...

↑ amother ↓

Sun, Aug 24 2014, 1:23 am

I have a friend that had fertility issues and then after quite a few years had twins- a boy and a girl. Last year she had to get them both into school. Her husband also learned many years after they were married but because they didn't have children right away, by the time they were getting their twins into school the father was working. What they went through to get their children into school... Such good people...so the mean comments about affordable housing are uncalled for.

↑ amother ↓

Sun, Aug 24 2014, 3:20 am

I don't get it the school's that some amother's want their children to go to turn them down because there is simply no room.

I don't think that there is anybody disputing the basic fact that the good established school's in Lakewood are pretty much stuffed to the gill's. it's not a rarity to have a class with 30+ girl's in it.
And there are school's that already have 5,6,7, or 8 classe's at the primary level!

So what are the Rabbonim or Vaad member's supposed to do? Force them to take another child into an already overfull class?
Force them to open yet another parellal class in that grade?

And then how does the school explain that to the parent's that davka sent thier because they did not want thier child in aschool that had a Principal for every grade level?

And if a school decided on their own to take someone in because they were offered a gazillion buck's are the Rabbonim or Vaad supposed to say "No, you can't take that child in"?

Seem's to me the only option that they have in their power is to really aggressivley open new school's at a fsast clip and they have been doing that.
3 girls school's opened last year so far one more is to opened this year for certain, and last I heard they had wanted more they just could'nt find someone willing to do it, and considering the vitriol that people who open school's are exposed to, I must say I would not encourage my DH to open a school! Nor for that matter would I encourage him to join the Vaad of people who are trying to get every child into a school.

But opening 4 girl school's in the span of a year and a half seem's to me to be attempting to open school's at a pretty aggresive clip.
And that's beside's helping other school's expand (Bnos Melech is breaking ground pretty soon on another building).

With all the hate and vitriol spewed at the people making a reall attempt at helping out other's ( an attempt which so far no one has attempted to justify not being done in say Monsey which also has problems).

Is there anyone who can state a concrete solution that Rabbonim or Askonim in Lakewood should be doing that they are not doing?

↑ amother ↓

Sun, Aug 24 2014, 3:50 am

And I do not understand why it seem's so difficult for some to understand that Rabbonim such as the RY's of BMG and Askonim such as the member's of the Vaad have a duty to think about the individual as well as the Klal.

Sometime's their duty to the klal mean's that they must do thing's that to an individual may not look best.

Anybody in Lakewood know's that there have been more then one case of a school that has opened and then collapsed.

Every time that happen's it a) leave's kid's without school's and put's added strain on an already overstrained school system b) it make's another capable individual think twice before starting another school.

The Rabbonim and Askonim don't have to just make sure that school's open. They try and make certain that good school's open with competent hanhala and firm financial backing and that take's alot.

They have to try and make sure there is a good parent body, and that mean's a parent body that will encourage those looking into the school thatit's Ok to send thier kid's there!

However their is a very big problem with that.

Very often the types of families that create a stable parent body are the same one's that will not send their child to an unestablished school to be a guinea pig!

So wha is the Rabbonim, the Vaad, and the wider school admin's that are all under pressure to do?
If they allow each and every parent to somehow worm their way into "established " school's then how will new school's open?

Again for all the criticism these men, who actually are literally staying up night's and having meeting's at the wee hour's of the morning, take.

What are they to do?

Why do people feel that they have license to attack, belittle, and scream at the very people who are trying their utmost to help them?

↑ amother ↓

Sun, Aug 24 2014, 3:57 am

If you would have insiders info like I do u would know that
1. Many people would love to join the vaad it's exclusive so if its as hard a job as you describe it to be no one would want to join
2. No vaad members would ever send their own child to a new school
3. The rabonims own grandchildren don't go to the new schools
4. Only Bais faiga has 8 parallel classes and no other school comes close to that
5. There are some good new schools that open and some that open for the leftovers is it really fair that just because someone doesn't have pull they have to go to the new school that is lot so good?

abound ↓

Sun, Aug 24 2014, 6:21 am

Rabbonim are not meant to open up schools for a community growing wihtout bounds. Opening up a school takes time and money. The kind of time that you need to have your head into that and the time to do it 24 hours 7 days a week + more. It is very easy to blame the Rabbonim.
I always wonder when people say "Why doesn't anyone open up more schools?....Why aren't the askonim doing smoething?... ETC.
Askonim and peole who get things done are people like you. If you would be in an out of town community YOU would open the school. There are not enough schools in LKWD who are you waiting for to take care of your children, band together and open up a school. S
Stop trying to put the blame on others, it is no one;s fault that the community is growing by leaps and bounds and you cannot expect the same few people to run everything, they are only human.

↑ abound

Sun, Aug 24 2014, 6:26 am

amother wrote:

THat is life, Is it really fair to expect a family to send their children to a new school just because their grandfather is a Rav/RY? Stop complaining and start accepting life and being proactive.
Life is that some people are born wiht money so they have easier
Some people are born with brains
Some people are born with family conncetions
Some people are married to loving people.
Some people have children right away. ETC

Why should their children suffer (according to you, because you think new schools are worse) because you are jealous that they got into a school easily?

By the way, I think new schools are great, the children that are building the school grown and become better people from what I have seen.

June ↓

Sun, Aug 24 2014, 6:41 am

amother wrote:

What does that say about this sick disgusting town that calls themselves a yeshiva town.

if you think it's a sick disgusting town, why in heck would you want to raise your kids there? I know it's not easy to move, but if you're so disgusted, wouldn't you want a better place for your kids?

we had a lot of issues with Lakewood, and we left. part of what bothered us was the attitude from so many people: "oh, Lakewood stinks, it's an awful community, blah blah blah," and continue to complain without doing anything about it. either try to affect change, or leave.

if you feel this way about your town, you're doing a disservice to yourself, your kids, and your neighbors by staying.

↑ amother ↓

Sun, Aug 24 2014, 8:38 am

amother wrote:

We were realistic and knew that because my husband is not in yeshiva now it would be tough to get into school. But the way we have been treated by the system is appalling by any standards. We have been dragged through the mud, called names and threatened by these men who stay up to the wee hours of the morning. There is this issue every year that only gets worse and the way it is handled is unacceptable. Basic minimal mentchlichkeit is missing from this picture, as anyone who's suffered at the hands of the system can attest to.

↑ amother ↓

Sun, Aug 24 2014, 8:51 am

Rabonim in Lakewood are not starting and opening up new schools. Whoever wrote that is wrong. It's individual people who are opening up schools because hey want to and they go to the rabbonim for approval and haskamos.
The rabbonim of this town are not going a thing to open up new schools.

Your children do suffer in a new school. First of all the new school gets last choice with busing for example this year the schools with less of a say have to start earlier and also the new schools don't have the resources and tools to help a child if he/she needs help. An established school can help your child so much more.
Bh my children are in the best schools in Lakewood but I can totally understand why someone wouldn't want to go to the new school. Being in an amazing . .Established school I see the advantages

↑ amother ↓

Sun, Aug 24 2014, 9:20 am

Um... Which rabbanim? Our local rav who was advocating for us dropped out because of the Vaad and school administrators attitude. Someone here seems to be not in the reality. The rabbanim get very involved in stupidities like bus strikes. But 100 kids not in school- who cares?! These people not in school are the outcasts of the elite society, if they're not in school they must have unimpressive last names, unimpressive bank accounts and are usually not currently in yeshiva. Why waste time when the rabbanim could be doing a tent event? This is so normal, right proud Lakewooders who got their kids into school right away?

↑ June ↓

Sun, Aug 24 2014, 9:35 am

amother wrote:

Your children do suffer in a new school. First of all the new school gets last choice with busing for example this year the schools with less of a say have to start earlier and also the new schools don't have the resources and tools to help a child if he/she needs help. An established school can help your child so much more.
Bh my children are in the best schools in Lakewood but I can totally understand why someone wouldn't want to go to the new school. Being in an amazing . .Established school I see the advantages

how can you say that if you never experienced it?

I went to a new school 20 years ago. I was in the first class, and we started with 11 girls. By the time we graduated 8th grade, our class had grown, but was still under 20 girls. The school did make some mistakes with us, and I don't have only good memories, but on the whole, I am so glad I went to a new school. my class was a pretty diverse mix of girls, and I think we all benefited from it.

today, this school is highly sought after, and it has a very homogenous student body. If I ever settle in Lakewood (very unlikely), I would not send my daughter there.

↑ amother ↓

Sun, Aug 24 2014, 10:07 am

But if say you send to a new school and your daughter has a reading problem. On a new school they don't have the resources and the tutors to help your child. In a school school you will have to pay out of pocket for tutors and they might make a bigger issue out of issues because they don't know how to deal with your child.
Your right if your child is smart and does well then a new school can be great for your child.
I fought to get my kid in an established school and bh I did. My child is top in reading and never would have been that way in a new school that didn't have the tools to help my child.