Despite the economy, in an age when our community can fund countless organizations, institutions, synagogues, political efforts...the list goes on...I find it surprising that the greatest minds in our community are unable to find a solution to the high cost of a day shool education.

By no means, though, does this mean that we should have to sacrifice. Schools must also be affordable economic propositions. As a community, we need to give some serious thinking to how we can change the status quo. Some things we should put on our agenda: 1) creating economies of scale to help schools succeed in a fiscally responsible way, 2) finding ways to use new technologies to bring down costs, 3) encouraging day school collaborations that lead to cost savings, 4) attracting new philanthropists, and 5) advocating for constitutionally acceptable government funding.

In a recent piece in The Jewish Week, Gary Rosenblatt suggests that we should take an AIPAC-style approach to day school education. We should focus our energies on advocating government support of the secular side of day school education. Why not? Many Western countries — England, Australia, France, Mexico, parts of Canada — already cover the costs of general studies at parochial schools. We need to set up PACs, contact legislators in significant numbers and support organizations taking the case for funding of secular activities at parochial schools to the state legislatures. If we could succeed…..it could change the face of Jewish day schools.

Here’s the matter I want to clarify: the cost of J Day School in a city like New York - where my son’s tuition will be $30,000 this year—is so astronomical as to bat it WAAYYY out of the ballfield of anyone except the affluent.

And the non-affluent, which include many educated professionals, are in a tight spot, finding themselves suddenly in a position of have with having to ask for scholarship funds to provide this “necessity” for their children.

Put another way, the price tag on this tuition makes is a luxury item, masquerading as a necessity for those who are communally commited.

No one, certainly not I, is contesting the value of the Jewish day school environment, though I am open to hearing arguments as to why we should return, en masse, to the public school system.

What I am bringing to public attention is the fact that there is a huge problem with the cost...and that frankly, this old, debunked sacrifical attitude is all wrong.

Those who still speak of high day school tuition being an investment that is “worth it” are typically those for whom the financial sacrifice is not all that dramatic.

For instance, would you think that being left without health insurance in order to pay your kids’ education bills is a worthwhile trade-off? Or accruing debt? How about being left with no savings account? Having to work two or more jobs? Having to curtail your maternity leave so get back to work ASAP? Reducing the number of children you would otherwise have?

How about having to work on Shabbat to catch up on the extra projects you took on to make the tuition payments? Or doing a quick calculation and realizing that sending your kid to day school precludes Jewish summer camp, a really potent and proven identity builder. or a year-long course of study in Israel?

There has been a completely myopic understanding of the disparity of income levels within the Jewish community. Most people, when they say sacrifice are talking about fancy vacations. Or fewer vacations. Or THINGS.

They are not talking about something that changes your entire quality of life.

For people like me, the things that have been sacrificed have been critical to leading a sane and responsible life. For people like me, life has often taken on a nightmarish quality due to the relentless stress as we hustle to make enough to cover the bills.

AFter 22 years of paying into this system, i hardly sit back and pat myself on the back, thinking, “phew! look what I did for my kids!”

Instead, I am thinking of a better system.

I have only deep gratitude for what my kids have gotten from their Jewish day school experiences. Still, I’m not sure that you and I are talking about the same thing when we use the word sacrifice.

In the spring, our 6-year old started a tzedakah project that raised $3,000 dollars (for a kindergartner, it might as well have been a million).  To us, there is no question that this is money well invested in the future of our community.  Is it a lot?  Yes.  Do I wish it didn’t have to be so much?  Yes.  Is it worth it?  Absolutely.