Schechter closing after three decades

By Jason Cohen
May 9, 2008 
 

Over the past 10 years, the demographics in Union County and the surrounding area have changed greatly.

One effect has been the decreased enrollment in Solomon Schechter Day School of Cranford; consequently, on April 9 the administration and the board of trustees voted to close SSDS of Cranford after 29 years.

"In the past 10 years, the enrollment has declined, and if we kept it open the school would get smaller, which would then lead to the education not being the healthiest for the students, and the school would lose money as well," explained Dr. Joyce Raynor, head of the school.

School President Mark Lederman went in to more detail on the enrollment numbers.

"When the school first started, there was a big Jewish population in Union County, but in recent years it has declined and people have lost interest in sending their kids to a conservative Jewish day school," Lederman said. "Also, next year, because only 50 students were registered, as a school we were facing a financial impossibility. Therefore, even though it was a very painful decision and a huge part of Union County, we had to close the school."

"As a parent of three children that went there it's a very sad thing," Lederman continued. "It had a very nurturing environment, fantastic teachers, and it helped prepare them for life and classes in the upper school of West Orange. However, as president of the board the question was how much of a financial loss could we take before we had to close?"

Solomon Schechter Day School Association Director Dr. Robert Abramson said the number of area Jews interested in a Conservative Jewish school has diminished each year, making the school's closing "inevitable."

In the 1998-1999 school year there were 141 students enrolled in the school, while next year's enrollment projection was only 50. In addition, next year there were no children enrolled in Pre-K or kindergarten.

In an effort to prevent the closing of the school, Raynor said that the school offered any student whose first year is next year in any grade be offered half-price tuition. Also, Schechter held three communitywide meetings with parents, but those were unsuccessful in obtaining enough of a commitment to keep the school open. According to Raynor, when they finally looked at enrollment and the financial numbers in March they realized that closing was the only option.

Stanley Stone, the Executive Vice President of the Jewish Federation of Central N.J. devised a plan where they would loan the school $100,000 along with $150,000 from all of the parents in efforts to raise money for the school. However, the School shot down this last minute attempt.

According to Raynor, another option would have been to house the school in the JCC in Scotch Plains, but that fell through.

"We just didn't have time to see if it would work at the JCC in Scotch Plains, but next year we would try to move the Schechter back to the JCC," Raynor said. "Ultimately, we hope that there is still a place for us in Union county in the future."

Abramson commented on how the closing will affect the students, parents, and faculty.

"It is strongly an inconvenience for some people, but it is the best decision under the current situation," Abramson said, adding that he considers this to be a "consolidation" more than a closing, since the Cranford students will be absorbed into the Schechter in West Orange.

Raynor said that process has begun.

"The majority of the children are registered to go to the West Orange campus next year, and additionally in order to get acclimated to their new surrounding in the fall every Cranford student will have the opportunity to visit West Orange between now and the end of the school year," Raynor said. "Also, the school is working with the parents and Vogel Bus Company to have those children bused to West Orange as well."

Lederman added that he was confident the teachers from Cranford can be accommodated in West Orange as well.

Board member Sharon Rockman has a son in 5th grade at Cranford, and therefore would be moving to the upper school in West Orange next year anyway. But as a parent in Union County, Rockman said, the school's closing has a huge affect on the community.

"The school closing is a terrible loss," Rockman said. "Because of the lack of Jews in Union County and the school closing many families are moving and leaving the temple. Also, not only is the school losing out on the opportunity to educate, but I feel the loss for the community is greater."

Raynor talked about what it will be like when the school finally does close in a couple of months after being open for the past 29 years.

"It's a mixed reaction; there's sadness, nostalgia, a sense of loss, but at the same time that education was wonderful," Raynor said.