Show us the STEM money

A dozen Five Towns area schools are among 125 Jewish Day Schools and yeshivas statewide that will receive a portion of $5 million that New York state has designated for science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, education reimbursement.

In all, 338 nonpublic schools will be given money. New York is the first state in the country to establish such a program, and has already approved upping the ante next year to $15 million, and doubling it the following year, to $30 million.

Teach NYS, a division of the Orthodox Union’s Teach Coalition, was the primary advocate of equitable STEM money for nonpublic schools. Teach NYS was founded in 2013 to advocate for equal government funding for New York’s nonpublic schools to increase security, enhance education and defray the costs of state-mandated services.

“HAFTR is very thankful to the [Orthodox Union] and Maury Litwack for all his help in securing the funds for the nonpublic schools,” said Ari Solomon, executive director of the Lawrence-based Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway. “Every dollar that comes in, we’re going to use to keep our STEM program moving forward.” Solomon added that the exact amount HAFTR would be receiving was unclear.

Litwack, the executive director of Teach NYS, said that the money would be critical in educating 400,000 nonpublic schoolchildren in STEM-related disciplines statewide. “A couple of years ago, Albany was extremely interested in STEM in general and in ways to invest in a STEM economy — those are jobs that every state is seeking,” he said, explaining why the reimbursement program was established.

The schools must commit to spending the money in order to receive it, and are required to show the State Education Department that the teachers they hire are qualified to teach the subjects. Litwack noted that the money would be a boon to private schools that typically have only two ways to increase operating revenue: raise tuition or fundraise.

To maintain the reimbursement program, Litwack said, nonpublic schools need to remain vigilant. “What we’ve done is shown the importance of advocating, especially [that] the Nassau County Jewish and Catholic schools need to be vocal and active, demonstrating how the money benefits not just their kids, not just their schools, but the state,” he said.

The Brandeis School, in Lawrence, will also receive the state reimbursement. School officials declined to reveal the amount, but did say the money would support existing programs and allow for small groups of math students to increase individualized attention. It will also help support remedial and enrichment groups, offer hands-on math and science learning, broaden STEAM (by adding art to STEM) projects for all grades from early childhood to eighth grade, and staff development.

“We would like to thank the state for understanding that our Jewish private day school is no different than any other public school when it comes to teaching secular subjects and providing the highest quality of education to our students in general studies,” said Brandeis Head of School Raz Levin. “We follow the same standards and are attempting to achieve the same goals utilizing the same benchmarks, guidelines and curricula. Our institution promotes the idea that a well-rounded Jew in modern society needs not only the Jewish core values to succeed but also the secular skills and knowledge in order to excel in a demanding world.”

Brandeis had a contingent of parents, staff and students, led by Executive Director Reuben Maron, attend the state legislative hearings concerning the STEM education reimbursement program in March as part of Teach NYS’s annual pilgrimage to lobby state legislators for more money.

“We are grateful to TeachNYS for being a tremendous advocate for Jewish day schools and yeshivas and helping ensure that our private schools receive the funding needed to continue providing students with STEAM education,” Maron said.

Have an opinion on STEM-related education? Send your letter to the editor to jbessen@liherald.com.