Message from the TES President

Dear TES Shul School Parents,

This past year, the TES Treasurer and the Finance Committee took hard looks at all aspects of Temple Emek Shalom’s expenses in an effort to make sure that our operations are sustainable for years to come.  With the help of Rabbi Julie and myself, they examined all the costs involved in our Shul School and determined that in order to continue providing high quality and enriching programs, tuition prices needed to be increased and the structure of how tuition is determined needed to be adjusted.  Just as membership dues alone do not cover all of the Temple’s operating costs, Shul School tuition does not cover all of the school’s costs either.  Even after the tuition increase, there is still an operating deficit of over $6,000.  This deficit is shared by all the members of Temple Emek Shalom since we believe that we are in the business of making Jews, not making money.

Though most students are from households that are members of Temple Emek Shalom, there are some students from member households of Havurah Shir Hadash and others from households that are not members of either shul.  We strive to make Shul School available to any student regardless of their family’s affiliation, but since tuition alone does not cover the actual costs, the tuition varies based on membership.  This is a breakdown of the costs this year:

• For students from families who are not members of either Temple Emek Shalom or Havurah Shir Hadash, the tuition is $665 per child.  This represents the actual cost of each child’s attendance.  
• For students from families who are members of Temple Emek Shalom, the tuition is $425 for the first student and $350 for each additional student from the same family.  
• For students from families who are members of Havurah Shir Hadash, the tuition is $450 for each student.  
• There will be a required $30 security fee for every student attending.  
• The cost of our Hebrew one-on-one Zoom tutoring for 3rd-6th graders is $450.  
• For our Bnai Mitzvah program, of which all participants need to be members of TES, the charge is $720. 

Optionally, if you are benefiting from discounted tuition as a member of TES or the Havurah, we ask that you consider making an additional donation towards the true cost of $665 per student.  For TES members, this would be up to $240 for the first student and $315 for each additional student.  For Havurah members, this would be up to $215 for each student.  Likewise, for our Bnai Mitzvah program, we ask that you consider making an additional donation of $300 towards the true cost of $1020 per student.  These additional donations are completely optional.

We understand that for some, any increase may be a burden.  For members of Temple Emek Shalom, there are scholarship funds available for those in need.  The sole purpose of these scholarships are to help TES parents in their ability to enroll their children in Shul School, so please do not hesitate if this assistance would help you in any way.  For more information about this financial assistance, please contact Rabbi Julie (rabbijulie@emekshalom.org).  These scholarships are only available to TES members.  If you would like more information about becoming a member of Temple Emek Shalom, we would love to talk with you.  Please contact Sara Wolfson, our TES Office Manager (office@emekshalom.org).

Teaching children about the history, practice, and joy of Judaism is how we ensure that Judaism survives for years to come.  Making these changes is how we at TES ensure there is a place in the Rogue Valley where children can receive a Jewish education.  I hope you appreciate that these were not easy changes to make.  Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you for your understanding,

Steven Portnoy

President, Temple Emek Shalom

(president@emekshalom.org)