I have an idea that I think is worth putting out there.
What if five of the biggest and most successful businessmen in our community—people who understand real estate, nursing homes, financing and large operations—got together and created one nonprofit organization to take over the financial and operational side of our schools?
The Rabbanim, principals and educators would continue running the chinuch. The change would be on the ownership, finances, growth and accountability side.
Existing school owners could become salaried executives, with compensation based on the size of the school and number of students—almost like beds in the nursing home industry, except here we’re talking about desks. Give them a good salary, pension, life insurance and even a wedding fund for their children. They built these institutions and should be taken care of.
Then let the businessmen do what they do best. Refinance the school properties, restructure debt, combine purchasing and expenses where possible, keep tuition down, and most importantly, build more schools and add more desks.
We should know how many desks we have today and how many we’ll need in 5, 10 and 20 years—and start building before we run out.
We have people in our community who have built enormous companies, real estate portfolios and healthcare organizations. What if five of them came together and used that same knowledge and ability to build a sustainable school system for the next generation?
Just an idea I think is worth discussing.
