UJA Letter on Jewish Education

In our last entry we intended to include the UJA letter. It's copied here.

From: David Koschitzky
Subject: A new approach to Jewish Education Services

Dear Wayne,

We are writing to tell you about an important change in services provided by UJA Federation to our funded Jewish schools. It is an approach that will substantially reduce overhead and increase our financial support. It is also an initiative that is unrelated to currently poor economic conditions, for which discussions began before the current economic downturn.

Here are the key changes:

Enhancing Financial Support for Jewish Education — UJA Federation will be increasing tuition subsidies by $500,000 over the next year and a half in addition to an extra $2 million in direct assistance for Jewish schools already provided last year, through the Julia & Henry Koschitzky Fund and matching allocations. That will bring our total formal education commitment to nearly $15 million. We will also maintain or enhance existing funding for special needs and supplementary education and set aside a substantial sum of money in reserve for Jewish education, depending on campaign revenue.

Reducing Education Overhead Costs — The Mercaz, UJA Federation’s education department, will be restructured with a streamlined professional staff, supplemented by other UJA Federation professionals when required. All staff members who will no longer be part of the new Mercaz are being treated generously and sensitively. By reducing overhead costs, we can enhance financial support for Jewish education to which we are deeply committed.

Strengthening Our Day Schools — We will be strengthening the capacity of our affiliated day schools to provide direct education services, rather than receiving services supplied by the Mercaz. This philosophy, known as capacity building, meets the needs of contemporary, dynamic day school administrators and educators, who no longer require a central agency to supply services for them.

Encouraging Innovative Educational Programs — We are going to work with all our affiliated schools in a spirit of true partnership to develop a list of required educational services and programs for the community, including current programs, and then determine the best way to provide them. The process will be creative, collaborative, responsible and flexible, with the community's needs taking precedence.

These changes represent an exciting, innovative development. It will solidify Toronto's reputation as a world leader in Jewish education and expand our profound commitment to this critical cause, thanks to the support and generosity of our community. We welcome your questions and suggestions. Please e-mail info@jewishtoronto.com.