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12 August 25 • 2016 Ronelle Grier | Contributing Writer W hile the newly named Farber Hebrew Day School-Yeshivat Akiva in Southfield welcomed students this week for the school year, a 31 percent shortfall in expected tuition assistance is caus- ing some families to scramble for last- minute loans or make alternate arrange- ments for their children's education. Established in 1964, Farber Hebrew Day School is a dual-curriculum Ortho- dox Zionist day school for students in grades N-12. Parents uphold the institu- tion's long-held reputation for providing Jewish studies and secular education steeped in strong Torah values and high academic standards. In 2012, two generous gifts from the Audrey and William Farber Family Foundation ($3 million) and the William Davidson Foundation ($2.25 million) allowed the growing school to embark on an ambitious $15 million 50th anniversary improvement plan that included expanding and renovating its physical space and updating its academic programs, with guidance from the Bar- Ilan University Lookstein Center for Education in Ramat Gan, Israel, which is dedicated to enhancing Jewish education in the diaspora. An additional gift of $5 million from the Farber Family Foundation, combined with fundraising efforts by parents and other supporters, has enabled the school to build its 68,200-square-foot building, expected to open to students after winter break, that includes distinct wings and classrooms for each of the school's four divisions as well as room for new staff members, increased professional develop- ment opportunities and technological improvements that include Chromebooks and other electronic enhancements. For some families, the excitement of the new-and-improved version of the school was dampened by an Aug. 8 letter (received via email on Aug. 12) explain- ing that the pool of available tuition assistance dollars had decreased by 31 percent this year. That fact, combined with an increased demand for financial aid, resulted in the school's inability to meet all of the families' requests. Some of the parents were awarded one-time "Gesher Grants" from a special fund designed to soften the blow of this year's reduction in aid, but the letter made it clear this fund would not be available for the 2017-18 school year. Families unable to meet their tuition obligations for this year were directed to contact other community resources, such as Hebrew Free Loan. While some Farber families have contacted Hebrew Free Loan, the agency is not necessarily the best option for families with ongoing needs for tuition assistance, according to HFL Executive Director David Contorer. The maximum loan amount is $7,500, the usual repay- ment period is one year and each loan requires two Michigan-based co-signers with credit scores above 620. "It is not a solution for everybody, but we would be happy to talk to anyone who comes in. We realize these are very chal- lenging circumstances," said Contorer. An email from Malkie Rosenbloom, Farber's director of marketing and communications, stated that "well over half " of the school's approximately 300 students receive some level of tuition assistance; however, school administra- tors declined to comment on why the school was experiencing the shortfall in tuition aid dollars. Farber's allocation from the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit for 2016-17 has not decreased since last year, according to Linda Blumberg, Federation's director of Planning and Agency Relations. In fact, it was slightly higher. The following is an excerpt from an email statement sent by Board President Leah Ann Kleinfeldt in response to JN inqui- ries about the tuition aid reductions. The school very much values every student, regardless of financial resources. The vast majority of Farber students receive tuition subsidies; however, there are limited tuition assistance dollars available. A careful review of the school's accounts receivables concluded that in the best interest of the school and all of its families, we need to be more diligent about the level of tuition families are required to pay. To maximize the assistance available for those most in need, like all Jewish day schools, we utilize an anonymous process that takes into account several factors. Following the implementation of that process, we also provide an appeal oppor- tunity so that factors that cannot be seen from the hard data can be taken into con- sideration. The result is a tuition assistance allocation for each family that is not in a position to pay full tuition. After difficult deliberations, the financial aid committee concluded to observe more faithfully the determinations of the analytics (subject to an appeals process). These matters are emotional and seri- Rand Construction Engineering Shortfall In Tuition Assistance continued on page 14 metro » Some Farber Hebrew Day School families are scrambling to make ends meet and keep their kids in the school. The new building at Farber Hebrew Day School in Southfield will be ready for students after winter break. Inset: Architect's rendering Leah Ann Kleinfeldt Aaron Pergament French Associates