Congregational School Budgets: How school budgets fit inside the
synagogue budgeting processMarch 30, 2011
12:00 p.m.-1:15 p.m.
PEARL: Providing Education and Resources for Leadership
Jewish Reconstructionist Federation Transformative Judaism for the 21st Century 101 Greenwood Avenue Beit Devora, Suite 430 Jenkintown, PA 19046 215.885.5601 / fax: 215.885.5603www.jrf.org
Rabbi Erin HirshJRF Director of Education
• You can “raise your hand” and we will call on you.
• You can “chat” or post “questions” to the organizers and we will try to help you.
Some technical guidance about participating in this webinar . . .
At its best, a Congregational School functions as a microcosm
of the Congregation itself.
Financially speaking,the school is often the
largest discreet program that a congregation runs.
It is important to be able toconcisely talk about
WHY the school is such a core part of our congregations
and our budgets.
The Three Hebrew Terms for Synagogue:
Another way to think about it …
Where does what happens in a congregational school or
children’s educational program fit?
The world stands upon three things:on Torah (study), on Prayer, and on Acts of Loving-Kindness
-Pirke Avot 1:2
That’s a trick question! A case can be made that our schools fulfill all three purposes, just like our congregations themselves.
The fact that schools are a fundamental aspect of our congregations makes the terminology we use to talk about the way
synagogues fund schools problematic.
Is it accurate to say that synagogues “subsidize” schools? YES and NO
It’s a matter of
responsibility rather than generosity
No one speaks about the synagogue as “subsidizing” tefillah/prayer services.
REMEMBER:
Congregational schools almostuniversally sustain themselves
with additional revenueto a greater extentthan any other
discreetcongregationalprograms.
Get it?? Congregational
schools are practically “MADE OF MONEY”
A particularly helpful way to think about how our schools and synagogues relate to each other in the budgeting process is as . . . Two GEARS.
These two GEARS
1) share a common purpose
2) they can turn one another
3) they are mutually dependant
The MechanicsDECDEC
JAN
How many members of the Education committee are active in the activities
of the larger congregation?!
STEP THREE: Treasurer
• Education Director and VP Ed or Ed Com Chair meet with the Treasurer and explain the
proposed school budget.
• The Treasurer may flag certain premises (hopefully this only happens early in the year) or certain points and request that the Education Committee reconsider its proposal in light of this information.
FEB
STEP FOUR: Finance Committee
• Treasurer brings the proposed school budget to the Finance
Committee.
• Finance Committee evaluates the assumptions of the Education Committee in light of its members’ expertise and their familiarity with all congregational finances and competing priorities.
MARCH
• If changes are required,the Finance Committee determines parameters, such as: – the extent to which tuition can be increased– the extent to which expenses must be decreased.
• The Education Committee -with the guidance of the Education Director- then determines how best
to modify the proposed school budget to reflect these
parameters.
APR-MAY
Chaya Silver-Alford
Adat Shalom Director of Education and Youth
Bethesda,Maryland
Sharing a “real life” example of a healthy school budgeting process…
Rabbi Elyse Wechterman
Rabbi & Educator, Agudas AchimAttleboro, Mass.
Reflecting on a key place where the synagogue and school budgeting processes intersect: the question of the rabbi serving as the educator.
Olympia, Washington
Catherine CarmelTemple Beth HatfilohEducation Director
Reflecting on another complicating consideration in the synagogue and school budgeting process: the question of congregants as faculty.
Congregants as Teachers “By Design”
http://kehillatisrael.net/docs/atp.html
The Havurah Shalom
Parent-Teacher Model:http://havurahshalom.org/wpcontent/uploads/2010/05/Havurah-Shalom-Shabbat-
School-Handbook-2010-11.pdf
Avocational Teacher Model:
Sample Reconstructionist Congregational School Budgets
we will send you as follow-up to the webinar:A congregational school with a paid education director
and approximately 200 students.
A congregational school with a paid education director and approximately 150 students.
A congregational school in which the part-time rabbi is also hired as the part-time education director
with approximately 50 students.
A parent-run congregational school with approximately 50 students.
If you want to discuss your congregation’s specific circumstances or learn more about the topic of synagogues & school budgeting:
For Treasurers and other Congregational Lay Leaders:JRF’s Money and Values Listserv at http://jrf.org/listserves
For Education Directors: JRF’s EdDirectors Listserv at http://jrf.org/listserves
And everyone is always welcome to contact:
Rabbi Erin Hirsh, JRF Director of Education [email protected]
Rabbi Shawn Zevit, JRF Director of Congregational Services [email protected]
Todah Rabah!
• We’re so glad you joined us for this JRF PEARL webinar.
• Visit www.jrf.org/pearl to find out about what other webinars are part of the 2011 series.
