By: Ilana Siyance

The Orthodox Union has taken on the challenge of trying to convince the New York City Council to approve two-year interest-free loans for special needs students in private schools.

As reported by the NY Post, federal law currently requires the government to cover the cost of private tuition if public schools cannot meet needs of students with learning or physical disabilities, such as dyslexia or speech impediments.  NYC parents have slapped the city with multiple lawsuits alleging the public school system has failed to provide the necessary services, and that trying to get reimbursed for services obtained at private institutions is like a merry-go-round.  Brooklyn Councilman Justin Brannan has proposed legislation which would help yeshivas, other private schools and parents who experience lengthy delays in getting tuition reimbursement from the city’s Department of Education for providing special services.  Now the Orthodox Union is working to urge the city council to pass the bill.  The powerful United Federation of Teachers (UFT) union has objected to the bill.

The OU Advocacy Center is the nonpartisan public policy arm of the nation’s largest Orthodox Jewish organization‚ representing nearly 1,000 congregations nationwide, per the organization’s website.  Per the Post, the nonprofit is pouring money into ads on YouTube, Facebook and other websites in the districts, making the case and asking constituents to urge council members to approve the bill.  “There are 200,000 students with special needs in New York City.  Unfortunately, our public school system is leaving too many of them behind,” one of the ads on YouTube says. “Under federal law, if the City isn’t able to offer a free and appropriate education, parents have the right to place their children in independent schools. But only 8% of students with learning disabilities are participating in the program.”  The ads says that Brannan’s bill for interest-free bridge loans will make sure special education students’ needs are being met and tuition is paid on time “at no additional cost to parents or taxpayers.”  The 30-second ad ends urging listeners to ask council members and Speaker Adrienne Adams to support the bill and “give all children the education they deserve.”

“Finally, there is relief in sight for a problem that has plagued our education system for too many years. It is unacceptable that bureaucratic delays are hindering schools’ ability to serve students with disabilities,” said Sydney Altfield, Executive of Teach NYS, a project of the Orthodox Union.  “With this first round of ads, we are calling on Council Members to take action. Supporting this bill will be a major step in shattering the logjam and giving every student in New York the opportunity to thrive. Thank you, Councilmember Brannan for leading this fight, now let’s make it a reality this year.”

The UFT, which is one of the country’s most powerful teachers’ unions, has spoken out against the loan bill, jeopardizing its chances of getting passed in the union-friendly Council.  “On its face, the bill is unnecessary and irrational. Rather than fix the systems by which DOE pays its vendors, the bill carves out a particular group of vendors, and requires DOE to pay them with one hand then collect the same money back as a loan repayment with the other,” the UFT wrote in a memo.  “DOE should fix its processes rather than add yet another program to its administrative pile.”