BaltimoreJewishLife.com (BJL): Tell us about our community’s newest Torah initiative. What was the impetus for this initiative?

Baltimore Tuition Affordability Initiative: We accept chinuch of our precious children as the fundamental responsibility of our community and every Torah community. Our community already raises significant donations to supplement tuition paid by families.

BJL: Why is chinuch so expensive that we need to raise donations in addition to charging tuition?

BTAI: It isn’t! The average cost to educate one child for one year in a public school in Maryland exceeds $17,000. The average cost to educate one child for one year in one of our Torah schools is substantially less even though our schools provide a dual-curriculum of kodesh and chol. Donations are needed because most of our families, particularly the larger families, cannot afford to pay the full cost of chinuch even though our schools are very cost-effective. In fact, even after raising donations, many of our families still struggle to pay tuition.

BJL: What has been done in the past to address this issue?

BTAI: For years, individuals and organizations across the country have tried to find ways to reduce the tuition burden to a more acceptable level. In the past several years, two groups in Baltimore have put this issue squarely on our community radar, and we acknowledge our debt to them. Based on this increased awareness, we have concluded that the time to act is now!

BJL: What is the initiative’s solution to this challenge?

BTAI: Despite many attempts in diverse Torah communities, no solution to this challenge has yet been found. Still, the challenge is so important, we have raised significant funds and plan to offer some initial financial relief to every tuition paying family in each of our ten largest Torah schools this coming August.

BJL: Which schools are included? What about the other schools in our community?

BTAI: The ten schools that will be included in this initiative this summer educate more than ninety-eight percent of all talmidim and talmidos in our community schools. They include TA, TI, BY, BNOS, OCA, Cheder Chabad, Toras Simcha, Ner Yisrael, Mesivta of Baltimore, and Keser Torah. Of course, only Baltimore families will be eligible to receive financial relief. We intend to include the remaining small schools in the initiative starting in the summer of 2025.

BJL: How much financial relief will the initiative offer this summer?

BTAI: The funds raised this year are enough to offer a 3.5 percent rebate on tuition paid by each Baltimore family.

BJL: While very nice, this is only a modest reduction of tuition paid. Do you have plans to increase the tuition rebate in the future?

BTAI: We understand that our efforts this summer are just a beginning. We hope to continue this tuition rebate program in the summer of 2025. We intend to solicit commitments for future rebates in two ways.

BJL: What are the two ways?

BTAI: First, we recognize that soliciting donors to fund tuition rebates only helps our mosdos if donations toward the rebate program do not diminish donors’ direct support of our mosdos. To ensure the financial health of our mosdos, we are accepting donations to this initiative only from donors who agree to continue their historical financial support of our mosdos as they provide new funding for this initiative. We have already received very positive feedback from community donors, and we anticipate that substantial additional funds can be raised to increase the tuition rebate in future years.

BJL: What is the second way that you intend to increase the tuition rebate over time?

BTAI: As part of this year’s rebate, each family whose tuition is fully paid will be given the choice to receive a rebate check in August or to donate some or all the family’s rebate to a community fund that is being established to receive those funds. Donated funds will be used toward a rebate next year.  If we are successful, BEZ”H, we hope to increase the size of the rebate next summer. Additionally, we hope to continue this process every year and keep growing the rebate over time.

BJL: What is your estimate of how large the tuition rebate can grow?

BTAI: Because our efforts are so new, we do not have an estimate. The most important message we want to send is simple. With Siyata d’Shmaya, the success of this initiative is in the hands of our community. The initiative will grow if the families who are financially able to donate some or all their rebate to the community fund will choose to prioritize doing so. The initiative will grow if community donors prioritize adding to the fund while maintaining their historical commitments to our mosdos. BEZ”H, our success is UP TO US!

BJL: What else do you want the community to understand about this initiative?

BTAI: The tuition rebates are a refund of tuition paid . We cannot give tax advice, but our understanding is that the refunds are not taxable, and families who chose to donate some or all their rebate will receive a receipt for a tax-deductible donation to charity.

BJL: Where can our readers get more information about this initiative?

BTAI: At this time, the rebate for the school year just ended is being processed.  The expansion plans of the Tuition Affordability Initiative are still being developed and we intend to share them with our special community over the next few months.

BJL: Final thoughts?

BTAI: The Baltimore Torah community is known for our exceptional achdus. We expect this initiative to take us to the next level. Please join us in this extremely important effort. We cannot succeed without YOU!