Bnos Hadassah, a local heimishe girls school, was thrown into turmoil today when teachers failed to report for work, forcing administrators to send students home. The unprecedented move came after educators, who reportedly have not been paid in nearly two months, took matters into their own hands and staged a strike, leaving parents scrambling for answers.
The crisis marks the latest chapter in the school’s ongoing financial struggles. In December 2024, the administration had already raised alarm bells when it issued a stark ultimatum to parents: no tuition, no entry to school. Now, just months later, the situation has escalated dramatically, with the institution on the brink of total collapse.
The school’s founder is currently engaged in desperate negotiations with askanim and baalebatim in hopes of securing a financial rescue package that would allow the school to remain open. However, despite ongoing talks, no concrete solution has emerged.
For many parents, the abrupt shutdown came as a shock. One mother told Lakewood Alerts that her daughter arrived at school as usual this morning, only to be met with chaos. “They told us that because the teachers didn’t show up, they would supervise the children until 10 a.m., but after that, we had to come pick them up.”
With hundreds of students suddenly left without a school, pressure is mounting on askanim to step in and broker a resolution. For now, uncertainty looms large as families, teachers, and administrators anxiously await a lifeline.
It’s on the askanim to find a solution???
What do you mean till 10 am. What if both parents work . You have to supervise till end of school day.
By chasidim, the mothers don’t work.
You need to check your facts. Both on the parent body and your assumption that chassidim don’t work.
Who? The teachers aren’t there.
No teachers.
Its Lakewood dad can leave the Kollel he drinks coffee in
Dvar H’ baza…
Kollel should only be for the best learners, not based on how much money sugar-daddy gives for his unqualified son in law.
Maybe Parents should pay their tuition fees to keeps the school running rather than spend on unnecessary things!! Teachers are also people, who have families to feed and bills to pay! School isn’t a babysitting service.
Don’t put any blame on the teachers. They were coming to school every day and giving their heart and soul while none of them were getting paid for much longer than 2 months now! More like 4-5 months
No one had a problem with the strike. We had a problem with the lack of information. Also, they just made a whole to do abt tuition and no one was allowed in to school without an admission card. So everyone is paid up. It’s not the parents at fault here.
Also private business…
i dont think that its appropriate to write the name of the school. One persons failure should not be another persons hock. I am unimpressed
Oy vey az manah yshuirm Zulu Zain groise
Bnos Hadassah owes a lot more money than just to the teachers. But the teachers should get paid first before everyone else.
I send there. This strike was a effort by “askonim” to pressure him to take a settlement. Unfortunately us parents shouldn’t be pawns in the askonims arsenal. Canceling school witch is Torah learning, pulling a school name thru the mud, is not justifiable just to get a settlement. They were the ones the forced the in middle of the year re-inrollment.
Glad that the staff are finally standing up for themselves. There is no reason that Rebbeim/Teachers should carry the financial burden of a school. It should be on either the administrator/fundraisers, or the parents.
It’s unfortunate, but no private school in Lakewood is fully on time with wages because so many families struggle to pay tuition. This has a real impact on teachers, bus drivers, and school managers, who do their best despite the challenges. It’s a tough situation, and without government funding, it puts a huge strain on the entire system.
Not true. Some schools pay on time, and the owner borrows money every month to make payroll, but he will never miss a payroll.
It’s not a government school
Don’t put it on the parents! We’re paying full tuition. You can only get a contract with a credit card on file that gets charged automatically every month. Where is the money going?!
All girls schools require credit card. Since many of the schools are one man ownership. It becomes a valid question ,where does the money go
How many card get declined every month?
The money goes to the sons and sons-In-law of the owners of the Yeshiva.
BRING IN DOGE! FIND THE WASTEFUL SPENDING!!
When’s the tuition grant going in affect ?
When’s the tuition grant going in affect ?
Mediation should be done in Beis Din, not in the public arena!
I just hope and pray there arent more schools about to do this…
Depending on how the results were achieved. I.e. if it was a bailout vs if the parents had to step up or if there was terrible money mismanagement and you needed a new admin…. will determine if others attempt the same. Think about it, if all you got to do is strike for one day to get the askonim/gvirim to bail you out, what’s stopping the next school, or the one after that from doing the same. Now I don’t know what the settlement was or where the money came from to reopen the doors, but that would be a telltale sign if others will follow suit. Unfortunately they’re not the only school that was struggling, I recall a few months back a second school sent letters, to not send until tuition is paid up…..
No one’s talking about the elephant in the room: Torah Umesorah!! They decided to raise teachers’ salaries across the board without any plan for how to cover the costs. They fundraised for the first paycheck, but then left it up to parents and schools to figure out how to handle the ongoing costs. And now, here we are, stuck in this tough situation.
Torah umesorah advocates for teachers, who are grossly underpaid. And by the way still underpaid.
Where were our “askonim” until this point?
This school choose this parent body that they themselves are complaining doesn’t pay tuition,
You choose it, to only take in people that are yeshivah guys or grandchildren of so called giverim,
Now enjoy your own medicine that you created,
Is it true that they are playing again making believe something is in place to trick the teachers to come back… and have same instability again??
Thats what they say
Reduce support of Kollels.and re-direct the funds to the schools. Only the best and brightest should be in Kollel. Otherwise it should be “two years and out”.