Jackson school board approved lakewood vendor deals for private school students

JACKSON, N.J. – The Jackson Township Board of Education has signed agreements with Lakewood-based contractors to deliver state- and federally funded services to nonpublic school students living in Jackson and attending private schools outside the township.

The decision follows years of dispute as Jackson children enrolled in yeshivos and Bais Yaakov schools in nearby Lakewood were unable to receive services because the district declined to contract with vendors already working inside those schools.

Under state and federal law, public school districts receive funding to provide nonpublic school students with services including security, nursing, technology equipment, textbooks, evaluations, and tutoring. While tuition is paid by parents, the funding is routed through the local public school district where students reside.

As the Orthodox Jewish population in Jackson grows, increasing numbers of children attend Lakewood nonpublic schools. Because Jackson Township did not contract with Lakewood vendors, students taking the same classes as Lakewood residents were ineligible for services funded by Lakewood.

School administrators said the arrangement became unworkable as enrollment increased, leaving nonpublic schools unable to absorb the cost of services without charging parents additional fees.

Agudath Israel of America’s New Jersey office said it engaged in sustained advocacy with the Jackson Board of Education to resolve the issue by allowing Jackson students to be served by existing Lakewood vendors.

“Our office worked hand in hand with the Lakewood yeshivos, with one important goal in mind, getting our children these services,” said New Jersey Senator Rabbi Avi Schnall, former director of Agudath Israel’s New Jersey office. “We are extremely happy to report that our efforts were successful, and the Jackson board of education has entered agreements with Lakewood vendors.”

Neither the district nor Agudath Israel of America detailed which vendors were chosen simply because of their ties to Lakewood.

• Jackson approved contracts with Lakewood vendors for nonpublic school services
• Jackson students attend Lakewood yeshivos and Bais Yaakov schools in growing numbers
• State and federal funding supports evaluations, tutoring, and related services

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