Leo Baeck Day School closing in Vaughan

Yorkregion.com
October 31, 2018
Simone Joseph

Another private Jewish school is closing its York Region campus.

The board of directors of the Leo Baeck Day School has announced the decision to close its north campus at the end of this school year.

 “Today is an incredibly sad day for Leo Baeck, as well as the entire Jewish community, which is losing another Jewish day school in York Region,” said Lisa Dack, president of the Leo Baeck Day school board of directors.

“For eight years, we have tried to find a way to reverse the trend of declining enrolment. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts we find ourselves with no option but to close the campus.”

The school’s efforts included investing heavily in preschool and middle school programs; offering a financial incentive for middle-income families; offering a tuition cap for middle-income families; curriculum enhancements; multiple marketing and admission initiatives; and providing a new extended hours offering.

Most recently, the school invested almost $500,000 to relocate to the Kimel Family Education Centre on the Lebovic Campus and more than $150,000 in subsidized busing to transport students to the new location. None of the initiatives were able to increase enrolment numbers.

Leo Baeck’s preschool enrolment at the North Campus decreased to 14 students in 2018 from 104 in 2010. Preschool enrolment is the key indicator of a school’s viability, as it is what feeds into older grades. In order to consider keeping a campus open in York Region, the school requires a class of at least 18 preschool students.

Other private Jewish schools that have announced closure of their York Region campus within the last two years include: Associated Hebrew Schools (Kamin campus on Atkinson Avenue in Thornhill) and Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto (the Kimel Family Education Centre on the Lebovic Campus).

“If everything stays as it is now, next year’s Grade 1 class would have only six students, and five other grades are very small,” said Dack. “Beyond the financial impact, the board believes this is not a healthy learning environment, both socially and emotionally.

"Just as we have in our South Campus, our North Campus deserves an educational experience that provides a balance of boys and girls, single-grade classes, continuous grades and a sizable peer group.” 

Over the next 30 days, the board has committed to investigating and reporting back to its North Campus families on what support they can expect if they are willing to send their children to the South Campus. It will also investigate the ability to host a satellite North Campus for Grade 8 students, as this is the only grade that will not have a non-Orthodox Jewish day school option in York Region in 2019-20.

Lastly, the board committed to researching whether another local school is able to provide options for Leo Baeck North Campus students. The Leo Baeck Day School currently has 110 preschool students and 392 elementary students in its South Campus. An additional 14 preschool and 146 elementary students are enrolled in its North Campus. The school combines a progressive Jewish education with the global outlook of its international baccalaureate program.