Head of Schechter bids farewell
Reprinted from the 6/10/05 issue of The Jewish Voice & Herald
By Jonathan Rubin

Editor’s note: Dr. Penney Stein, head of the Alperin Schechter Day School (ASDS) in Providence, and one of its founders, will be stepping down this month. She spoke with the JV&H on Jewish education today.

JR: Studies have repeatedly shown how vital Jewish education is to the formation of Jewish identity. Is this something that parents are taking to heart?


PS: I’m not sure we’ve gotten the message yet. There are a lot of things that stand in the way of support for Jewish education — misconceptions that people have about what day schools are like, and about affordability, although that’s not always a misconception. It is expensive, and I wish that Jewish education was such a priority to families that they were literally demanding help from the community if that’s what they need, and that the community was really responsive to issues of affordability.

I would love to see some sort of superfund for Jewish education — for religious schools and day schools, so the schools themselves are not the only ones that bear the burden of providing financial aid. Everyone wants excellence, but affordability and excellence can be at odds with each other.

I’d also like to see Jewish educators not only reasonably paid, but with something to show for it at the end of their careers. Many of our schools aren’t giving benefits. We need to make sure that we are caring for our professionals. No one goes into Jewish education to get rich, so we’re not talking about big bucks, but we are talking about pensions, health and a salary that enables you to live without taking a second job.

JR: Last year, ASDS celebrated its 25th anniversary, and engaged alumni in a serious way for the first time. What milestones are you most proud of in your tenure?

PS: As I said at the annual meeting last week, my association with Schechter spans the life of this institution, so my recollections go way back—to the very beginning, when the school consisted of a kindergarten class of 10 children, a teacher, and a volunteer principal.

I consider myself extremely fortunate.  For the past 20-some odd years I have been surrounded by some of the happiest people in the world—ASDS students.  They come to school with a smile, greet you with hugs in the halls, ask difficult questions, demand fairness and justice, suffer so intensely, but enjoy life equally intensely.  If I feel blue, I visit a classroom, or the recess yard. 

ASDS graduates continue to top the lists of honor roll students, cum laude society members, Merit scholarship finalists.  ASDS graduates continue to be accepted to the finest colleges and universities, graduate and professional programs.

Besides the many recent successes of our sports teams, I was extremely proud when, three years ago, the Association of Independent Schools of New England (AISNE) examined the Judaic and secular curriculum, administration, finances, management, everything. The report said we were in line with our own mission, and with the best practices. We were reaccredited until 2007.

JR: You’ve come out in public in favor of a pluralistic Community Day School (CDS), and merging the Conservative-aligned Schechter school into it. The ASDS board approved the merger a few months ago. What have been some reactions to this?

PS:  First off, I am very excited about the concept of a Community Day School.  I believe that the positive energy, effort and commitment around this project will be very good for Jewish education in this community.

However, one of the things that I’ve said to Bruce Wolpert (president of the CDS) is that the Schechter parents have been asked, in some ways, to do the impossible. There’s a proposition on the table for a community school. We don’t know where it’s going to be, who is going to head it, or who is going to teach there. We don’t know what the curriculum is going to be, we don’t know how much it’s going to cost, but what we do know is: “It’s coming the day after tomorrow… Get excited about it.”

If you show people this idea, they’ll say, “This sounds great.” But when you ask parents to put their child in this school, they are going to want more information, and the fact that the community has chosen to do it on this timetable might make it too difficult for some. I think when we have answers to these basic questions, people will be able to see whether or not this is the great idea that we hope it is.

I think that most of us recognize that bringing good Jewish education to more students is a good thing. I think we are all ready for something that is going to validate many ways of being Jewish.

JR: What are some of the complications in creating a school like this?

PS: Schechter students come from a variety of synagogues (our last study said 16), but officially we are tied to the Conservative movement.

The perception of any school that is housed in a particular building, is that there is a connection or that the school belongs to that institution. (Many schools that begin in synagogues eventually move out, unless they are in fact part of that synagogue — that’s another model.) 

Broadening the base and the support — I think most people think that’s a good thing.

The other issue is over the core principles for our school. Most of ASDS’ principles are shared by the community day school, which, from the point of view of the board, is good news.  If, in fact, the school can honor these same principles, I think there’s much that we can agree on.

It’s hard to be sure that what we’ve built over 26 years is going to be valued. It’s not that it has to be preserved, and it’s not that everything is wonderful, but people have spent so many years building something — of course they want to see it get better.

A merger is a very tricky thing, and successful mergers require not only negotiation and “give and take,” but also respect. I think that is something that needs to be very clear — the achievements, the history, the graduates, the donors — need to be respected and honored.