We should take a hard look at what just happened with the Catholic Archdiocese and its decision to begin closure of some 13 of it schools, including at least one high school.
That high school is Cardinal Gibbons, one of Baltimore’s most academically and athletically noted schools.
The Archdiocese did not want to have to close any of these schools. Last year, it shut down Towson Catholic. The result was an outcry among students, parents, alum and faculty.
There comes a time when umbrella organizations such as the Archdiocese, and in our case, the Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore, has to look at the costs of running facilities such as schools, and make difficult decisions.
It’s no secret that some of our day schools and yeshivas are on the financial bubble.
Years ago in Detroit, I can remember when the federation was faced with a facility for the Jewish aging which was going hundreds of thousands of dollars over budget year after year.
What was the federation supposed to do? Cut out facilities for the parents and grandparents of our community?
The answer then, and this was in the early 1990s, was a strategic plan. Once implemented, the aging facility was operated according to the strategic plan set before it.
We have a strategic plan here with the Associated. It’s called Visioning, and it’s enabled Baltimore to be one of the few federated communities to stay ahead of the recession. It hasn’t come without pain. There have been layoffs. It has been difficult. But one of the strengths of Visioning is that it eliminated duplication of services. It brought together agencies ranging from Jewish Vocational Services to the Jewish Big Brother and Sister League to Jewish Family Services, and found common, money saving ground.
Hmm.
Duplication of services?
Somewhere along the line, unless the recession goes away, it could be time for the Jewish community to re-examine its day schools and yeshivas, and make some difficult decisions. The Archdiocese has had to make these decisions. You can’t tell me that we aren’t faced with some of those very same decisions.
If Visioning is important and has had a positive impact on the rest of the Associated system, than the day school and yeshiva institutions, who also rely on the federation, have to be brought into reality’s big picture.
And that might mean closures.