At a Chanukah play at one of my grandchildren’s schools, an assistant principal attempted to light a menorah on stage. As she fumbled with the matches, a second assistant principal bounded up to the stage to lend moral support. Finally, as the candle was about to be lit, the head of school also came on stage to assist and stand next to the others. As this was taking place, my daughter asked me, “How many day school administrators does it take to light a menorah?”

We may laugh but the issue is a serious one. Day schools today have become a very complicated enterprise. There are so many options, programs, extracurricular offerings, special needs, technology, general guidance, Israel programming and schools, support services, chesed programs, fundraising, alumni activities, admissions, student services, etc., that the job of administering schools has been divided up into sub-categories. We no longer have schools that just teach the basics. In order to be competitive, schools offer a Chinese menu of options. This, in turn, requires a large staff to support all of these educational and quasi-educational programs. In addition to the multifaceted programs available, there is also the edifice issue, which is needed to support our 21st-century day schools.

We can never turn the clock back. Simplicity and basics don’t sell today. I remember Rabbi Dr. Abraham Atkin, who was the long-time principal of Yavneh Academy when it was still in Paterson. He was a fine educator. Some of the textbooks he wrote are still being used today. He had no assistant principals, and he knew every child by name. Graduates went on to MTA, Central, and Ramaz (the only options at the time) well prepared for high school. Today, that kind of education–one that focused on the essentials–would be called no-frills. Are we really better off with our multiplex approach?

Aside from the need for so many administrators to do what principals or administrative assistants (i.e., secretaries) used to do, or what teachers themselves did, there is a significant expense involved. Given the crisis of escalating day-school tuition, and the need to cut expenses, do we really need so many non-teaching personnel in our day schools? This is a loaded question on many levels. Granted that schools are not run as they were decades ago, granted that some administrators also teach, and granted that many important functions are carried out by administrators, nevertheless, those charged with the running of schools need to explore this issue.

Obviously there is a need for some administrative support beyond the scope of teachers’ or principals’ abilities. However, perhaps there are other models to consider.

There are 15 day schools in northern New Jersey (excluding one residential yeshiva high school for out-of-town students) serving thousands of children. Based on the information found on school websites, there are over 115 administrators. (Some positions may have been omitted and others may no longer exist). These are their titles by school:

The plethora of titles and functions probably adds up to over several million dollars in salaries. Perhaps half of these positions could be performed by talented teachers eager for some additional compensation. Some positions may be filled by volunteers. Many different angles need to be explored if we are to be fiscally responsible.

When this was raised with the president of one day school his response was that he could not interfere with educational decisions. This evasive non sequitur was as ludicrous as it was flagrantly meretricious. Since when are educational policy decisions made by educators? (That alone is worth a separate discussion.) Lay leaders set the school policies. If the school board decided to cut some positions it would happen.

The Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey provides some (inadequate) funding to day schools without requiring anything in return. Schools are funded simply because they exist and they do not have to exhibit any objective criteria regarding educational excellence, fiscal responsibility, achieving goals, or even what their criteria are for student accomplishment. (Yet another article.) Perhaps it’s time to start that discussion as well.

Rabbi Dr. Wallace Greene has had a distinguished career as a Jewish educator. He has taught children, teens, and adults. He was a college professor, day-school principal, and director of two central agencies for Jewish education, including our own community’s Jewish Educational Services, for over a decade. He is the founder of the Sinai School, and has received many prestigious awards including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Lifshitz College of Education in Jerusalem and The World Council on Torah Judaism. He is currently a consultant to schools, non-profit organizations, and The International March of The Living. He can be reached at [email protected].

By Wallace Greene