A day school expert said today that the new school aid law signed by Gov. Brendan Byrne of New Jersey will benefit an estimated 3600 Jewish day school pupils in the state through increased state benefits for transportation and textbook allowances.
The new law replaces one rejected last June as unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court which provided reimbursement to parents of children in non-public schools for money spent for secular “non-ideological text-books, instructional materials and supplies,” as well as state funds to non-public schools to buy “secular supplies, equipment and auxiliary services.”
The new law signed Monday provides an increase in state subsidies for transportation for public and private pupils from $150 to $200 annually per pupil and authorization to local and educational districts to loan textbooks, at the rate of $15 worth of such books per year per pupil for the first three years and $10 worth per year per pupil after three years. The new law provides such aid for pupils from kindergarten through 12th grade.
The estimate on the number of New Jersey Jewish day school pupils benefitting from the new law, effective in Sept., was made by Rabbi Bernard Goldenberg, director of school organization for Torah Umesorah, National Society for Hebrew Day Schools. He said there were 17 Torah Umesorah-affiliated elementary schools in New Jersey and seven high schools with a total enrollment of 2900 students.
Dr. Morton Siegel, director of the Commission on Jewish Education of the United Synagogue of America (Conservative), said there were three Solomon Schechter elementary day schools in New Jersey, one with a high school department, and a fourth opening in Sept., with an estimated total enrollment of 500. Fabbi Goldenberg said there were other Jewish day schools in New Jersey, unaffiliated with either Torah Umesorah or the Solomon Schechter movement, to account for the total figure.
Constitutional experts said that the New Jersey law was expected to meet expected court challenges because it provides that no cash will go to the state’s non-public schools.
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