Bedarchei HaTorah No. 41 BDARCHEI_HATORAH_FALL_2018 | Page 34

The director of special projects explains how new income streams help the Yeshiva keep the cost of tuition down QUESTIONS FOR What do you do at the Yeshiva? Tell us a bit about yourself. I was born and raised in Williamsburg. Today I live with my wife and children in Borough Park, where I was previously the administrator of a boys yeshiva. I continue to serve on the boards of several organizations that are close to my heart. 32 BEDARCHEI HATORAH FALL 5779/2018 Can you give us details? The $2.5 million provided by these programs translates into savings of thousands of dollars in tuition for every family, every year. Some of the more generous City programs are Universal Pre-K and 3K. They enable us to shave 60 to 70 percent off the tuition bills of 60 kindergarten parents and to give 30 nursery parents free tuition. Coming from a different community, what impresses you the most about Yeshiva Darchei Torah? I help Rav Bender, who is constantly looking for ways to reduce the tuition burden on our parents. One avenue is to apply for all of the government grants and programs that we are eligible for. That is my main focus. The funding that I work on directly benefits parents’ bottom lines, because it allows us to reduce the price of tuition for everyone. Just a few examples: Universal Pre-K, 3K, bussing, security grants, library and textbooks, state reimbursement for mandated services, funding for our rabbeim and teachers’ professional development, and Title I, which provides math and reading help for students. Rabbi Pinkus Mayer 5 How are you reducing the tuition burden on parents? Rabbi Bender’s genuine con- cern for every talmid. I’m also blown away by the fact that he empowered an active executive board that is a real board, with real responsibility, account- ability, and oversight over all financial matters. It’s rare.