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NEWS
Local Authorities to Stop Funding Water and Electricity at
Chareidi Schools
By Yechiel Sever
Many Chinuch Atzmai and Maayan Hachinuch HaTorani schools
were astonished to receive notices from local authorities
saying that water and electricity accounts would be
terminated and that they would receive only 75 percent of the
funding amounts allocated for other schools. The new policies
are based on the Local Authorities Education Law, legislated
in the face of staunch opposition by UTJ, which claimed that
it contained numerous faults and would cause enormous damage
to schools rather than fix things.
A few years ago then Assistant Attorney General Amnon De
Hartoch raised a number of legal obstacles to funding Torah-
based school networks, changing their status to that of
Chinuch Atzmai schools, thereby placing their funding at the
discretion of the respective local authorities. To solve this
problem, Shas advanced the Local Authorities Education Law,
with De Hartoch's involvement in the details of its
legislation. UTJ representatives warned the move posed a real
threat to funding and not a salvation. Prior to these
developments, local authorities provided these schools the
same operating funding that mainstream schools receive.
The harm to the networks of schools affected goes far beyond
the basic directive. The schools will henceforth have to pay
for their own electricity, water, secretaries, fuel, teaching
aides and cleaning services. Existing contracts will be
cancelled and workers will be fired, and when the school
secretary or janitor goes on leave, the school will be unable
to bring in a substitute from the municipality as has been
the practice up until now. Local authorities will be unable
to employ any workers employed by municipal companies and if
products break or are damaged, the municipality will not
provide replacements. The schools will no longer be allowed
to use buildings unless they are allocated through a
difficult public process. The new law will completely alter
the "attitude" of the government towards Chinuch Atzmai and
Maayan Hachinuch HaTorani schools. Where they had been
considered equivalent to regular schools, now they will be
funded at arms' length.
The law was delayed repeatedly during the past two years.
Chinuch Atzmai heads held numerous meetings with the Justice
Ministry and the Education Ministry, pointing out the
problems involved in implementing the law and how local
authorities would have a free hand to slash budgets. They
consistently noted that the intent of the law was to solve a
difficult problem but it was carried out incompletely,
despite clear warnings. Now it has led to serious
problems.
A given local authority can opt to pay the remaining 25
percent, but it would have to grant it through allocation and
support payment procedures and to make the funds available to
all sectors, including minorities.
"This is an unprecedented move," said MK Rabbi Uri Maklev.
"It's a very long process created as a result of the
directives given and after trying through all means,
including legal opinions and consultation, to deal with the
problems involved in implementing the law. These directives,
which were issued long ago, were passed on for further
clarification, but at the end of the day, following an
unequivocal Justice Ministry opinion, it cannot be corrected,
except through legislation. After exhausting all options and
many talks and certain alterations, this is the situation we
have to cope with now. We're trying to secure another
extension before the law is implemented, and we're working on
the issue with the Interior Ministry, but apparently we'll
only be able to rectify it through legislation, which will be
impossible until after the elections. Our hope is to be an
influential factor as a strong party and to right this
wrong."
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