by Charles Cohen

You have opinions about day school affordability. Theories, ideas, firmly held preconceptions – they are in your brain, just bouncing around. I myself am currently holding three or four impossible perspectives in my head, and it’s not even breakfast. The Affordability Knowledge Center is not just about me giving you information; it’s also about you sharing your beliefs and experiences with the field.

As a way to kick off this new year, I asked some of our most insightful Jewish thinkers to give a brief insight into how they’re looking at affordability, either specifically for day schools, or more broadly for the Jewish community. Some chose specific strategies that can help schools move forward; others simply broached important questions that can lead you to finding your own solutions.

After reading these short blurbs, feel free to add your own – that’s really the only way we’re going to learn from each other.

• Patrick Bassett, President, NAIS
• Dr. Harry Bloom, Director of Planning and Performance Improvement, The Institute for University-School Partnership, Yeshiva University
• Lisa Colton, Founder and President, Darim Online
• Gershon Distenfeld, Board Chair, Yeshivat He’Atid
• Jeremy Fingerman, CEO, Foundation for Jewish Camp
• Dr. Marc Kramer, Executive Director, RAVSAK: The Jewish Community Day School Network
• Dr. Yehuda Kurtzer, President, Shalom Hartman Institute of North America
• Sacha Litman, Managing Director and Founder, Measuring Success
• Rabbi Asher Lopatin, Rabbi, Anshe Sholom B’nai Israel Congregation, Chicago, IL
• Dan Perla, Program Officer, Day School Finance, AVI CHAI Foundation
• Dr. Bruce Powell, Head of School, New Jewish Community High School
• Rabbi Jim Rogozen, Chief Learning Officer, The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
• Dr. Amy Sales, Project Director, JData
• Dr. Len Saxe, Klutznick Professor of Contemporary Jewish Studies and Social Policy Director, Steinhardt Social Research Institute and Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies Brandeis University
• Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz, Founder and President, Uri L’Tzedek

cross-posted with PEJE blog