Constructing a Sustainable Affordability Strategy for Jewish High Schools

1. Thursday, february 13, 2014using data to construct your affordability strategy For the audio portion, please dial: US/Canada: 866-627-5180 Conference ID: 61736701023

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3. Meet our presenter Miriam Prum Hess Director, Center for Excellence in Jewish Education BJE: Builders of Jewish Education, Los Angeles, CA

4. The Challenge • In 2007 The Jim Joseph Foundation asked BJE: Builders of Jewish Education, (BJE) to develop a grant proposal targeting high school middle income affordability • The first task was to define Middle Income Affordability - families in need of financial assistance to send kids to a Jewish high school but who previously had not been considered for financial aid • At that time, most LA school’s would not consider families earning over $150,000 for Financial Aid • In defining Jewish middle income it was critical to be able to substantiate the parameters for the grant

5. California Budget project • Report from the California Budget Project (CBP) “Making Ends Meet: How Much Does It Cost to Raise a Family in California” December 2013: http://www.cbp.org/pdfs/2013/131212_Making_Ends_Meet.pdf • Part of the State Fiscal Analysis Initiative (SFAI), a network in 40 states coordinated by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) in Washington, DC. • SFAI: http://www.statefiscal.org/ • CBPP: http://www.cbpp.org/ • All of the groups look to improve fiscal, budget, and economic policy outcomes for low- and middle-income individuals, families, and communities. • There is also a loosely coordinated set of groups that calls itself the Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN), led by the Economic Policy Institute. • EARN Network: http://www.earncentral.org/about.htm • Reports by State: http://www.earncentral.org/swx_past.htm • Sample report for Arizona: http://www.azchildren.org/MyFiles/PDF/State%20of%20Working%20AZ%202008%20FINAL%20(Low%20Res).pdf • Economic Policy Institute: http://www.epi.org/ • All organizations work independently, but across the networks they coordinate their efforts and learning

6. 2007 data and 2 children

7. Adapting for jewish cost of living • Discussion with schools (lay and professional leadership) re: Jewish values that would increase costs • Living in a Jewish neighborhood • Synagogue membership • Jewish day or residential camp/Teen Israel trip • College savings • Retirement plan • Tzedakah • Compared data with financial aid sampling from the 5 schools to verify

8. and 2 children

9. Initial LA analysis 2007: Compared data with sampling from the 5 schools to verify accuracy

10. 2013

11. Communitycomparison

13. Los Angeles Vs. Chicago

16. www.LAHighSchoolAffordability.org

18. http://www.sustainingdayschools.org/building-the-model/la-high-school-affordability-initiative-model-and-description/model-components/scaffolding-for-implementation/http://www.sustainingdayschools.org/building-the-model/la-high-school-affordability-initiative-model-and-description/model-components/scaffolding-for-implementation/

19. Resources • Report from the California Budget Project (CBP) “Making Ends Meet: How Much Does It Cost to Raise a Family in California” December 2013: • http://www.cbp.org/pdfs/2013/131212_Making_Ends_Meet.pdf • Calculator from CBP by county: • http://www.cbp.org/MakingEndsMeet/family-budget-results.php • Comparison 2007 to 2013: • http://www.sustainingdayschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Cost-of-Jewish-Living-Sheet1.pdf • To compare the basic costs in your city to those in Los Angeles: • http://money.cnn.com/calculator/pf/cost-of-living/ • http://www.bestplaces.net/cost-of-living/ • http://www.bankrate.com/calculators/savings/moving-cost-of-living-calculator.aspx • BJE LA websites: • Tuition calculator: http://www.bjela.org/hsgrant/ • LAHSAI Beta test: www.LAHighSchoolAffordability.org

20. Miriam Prum Hess Director, Center for Excellence in Jewish Education BJE: Builders of Jewish Education, Los Angeles, CA MPrumHess@bjela.org Thank you to our guest!

21. What would you like to continue talking about in Google Groups? Title: Message: If you need a reminder about Google Groups, refer to your Quick Guide for Google Groups. For additional assistance, email charles@peje.org. Next Steps: Continuing the conversation

22. Branding Your School for Distinctiveness and Success A joint webinar with the Admission CoP Thursday, March 20, 2014, 1 pm EST Laura Sheridan President, Viva La Brand Financial Aid in a Sustainability Model Thursday, April 10, 1 pm EST Mark Mitchell Vice President, School and Student Services (SSS By NAIS) National Association of Independent Schools Please RSVP for all webinars by emailing Charles Cohen at charles@peje.org Next Steps:Upcoming calls

23. Thanks!