TORONTO — As summer turns to fall, parents can expect early mornings, cranky children and higher tuition fees at Jewish day schools – often at amounts that exceed the rate of inflation.
Six of Toronto’s seven largest day schools have increased tuition for nursery school to grade 8 by three to 10 per cent for the 2008-2009 school year, although many increases are roughly equal to or slightly less than the rate of inflation. As well, at least one school, the Toronto Heschel School, has limited the increase to one per cent in senior kindergarten, and Netivot HaTorah Day School has frozen tuition for most preschool programs.
According to the Bank of Canada, the annualized rate of inflation in July, the latest month for which data is available, was 3.4 per cent, the highest rate in more than five years.
Associated Hebrew Schools raised tuition by three per cent for half-day nursery and junior kindergarten, from $5,100 to $5,250. Half-day senior kindergarten fees increased four per cent from $5,100 to $5,325. Full-day nursery or junior kindergarten fees went up by three per cent, from $9,950 to $10,250. Full-day senior kindergarten went up by five per cent from $9,950 to $10,400. Fees for grades 1 to 6 rose four per cent from $10,700, to $11,150, while fees for grades 7 to 8 also increased by four per cent, from $10,950 to $11,400.
Bialik Hebrew Day School raised tuition for half-day kindergarten by three per cent, from $5,662 to $5,812. For full-day kindergarten to grade 8, tuition increased three per cent, from $11,325 to $11,625.
Parents of Leo Baeck Day School students will see increases of three per cent for all grades. Nursery and junior kindergarten half-day fees went from $5,225 to $5,375, while full-day junior kindergarten fees rose from $10,450 to $10,750. Senior kindergarten to grade 8 fees also increased from $10,450 to $10,750 for the 2008-2009 school year.
At Netivot, fees in the following grades have stayed the same: morning nursery school, which remained at $3,125; nursery extended, which is $5,633; full-day nursery school, at $8,140; half-day junior kindergarten, which stayed at $5,570, and full-day junior kindergarten, which is still $10,585.
Half-day senior kindergarten fees rose three per cent from $5,570 to $5,710. Full-day senior kindergarten also increased by three per cent from $10,585 to $10,850. Tuition for grades 1 to 3 rose three per cent, from $11,310 to $11,950. Grades 4 to 6 increased by four per cent, from $11,540 to $11,950. Grades 7 to 8 increased five per cent, from $11,540 last year to $12,150 this year.
Heschel’s junior kindergarten half-day fees rose by four per cent, from $5,600 to $5,800. Full-day junior kindergarten increased by 10 per cent, from $9,800 last year to $10,800 this year. Senior kindergarten saw a small increase of one per cent, from $13,800 to $13,900. Tuition for grades 1 to 3 rose by six per cent, from $13,800 to $14,600. Grades 4 to 5 increased by six per cent, from $14,000 to $14,800. Tuition for grades 6 to 8 went up by six per cent, from $14,300 to $15,100.
United Synagogue Day School also increased tuition in all grades. Its nursery school fees went from $4,950 to $5,200, a five per cent increase. Half-day kindergarten also went up by five per cent, from $5,500 to $5,750, as did full-day kindergarten, from $11,000 to $11,500. Grade 1 tuition rose from $11,400 last year to $12,150, a seven per cent increase. Grades 2 to 5 increased by four per cent, from $11,900 to $12,400. Grades 6 to 8 went up five per cent, from $11,900 to $12,500.
Calls to Eitz Chaim Day Schools were not returned.
Toronto’s two largest Jewish high schools also raised tuition at rates well above inflation. The Anne and Max Tanenbaum Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto saw a tuition increase of six per cent, from $17,150 last year to $18,200 this year.
The Bnei Akiva high schools saw an increase of seven per cent at both Ulpanot Orot Girls’ School and Yeshivat Or Chaim. Tuition went up from $16,900 last year to $18,000 this year.
Dennis Grubbs, interim director of Leo Baeck Day School, said the cost of education increases faster than the rate of inflation.
“All tuition goes up because the cost of living goes up, the compensation of employee base goes up. The cost of education increases much more than the cost of living,” he said.
“I’ve been in the business in the [United] States for 40 years, and education has outpaced inflation almost two to one over that entire span, because somehow its one of the elements of the economy that seems to be on the high end… just like energy.”
He added that “in the business of educating children effectively, you never want to be on the low side of what is happening in terms of technology needs, equipment needs, human resources… we need people who have expertise.”
Seymour Epstein, senior vice-president of UJA Federation of Greater Toronto’s Centre for Enhancement of Jewish Education (known as the Mercaz), said schools set tuition independently. He also noted that the federation provides subsidies for parents who can’t afford the fees.
“We’re constantly trying to increase [the amount available] to keep up with the cost of tuition,” he said.
The federation allocates almost $8 million each year for subsidies. Last year, more than 30 per cent of students that attended federation-funded schools received them.
