New York lawmakers are considering measures to dramatically reduce surveillance on religious schools.
The proposal, which could become part of the state's budget deal, raised deep concern among education experts, including state education commissioner Betty Rosa. He said such changes amount to a “tragedy” for children attending religious schools that do not provide basic secular education.
“We're going to really compromise on the future of these young people,” Rosa said by undermining the law. “As an architect of education in this system, how can I support that decision,” she added.
On Monday, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a $254 billion budget deal, but admitted that many details are still hashed.
Behind the scenes, the main fixation appears to be whether the governor and legislature agree to changes in private school oversight. This could include delays in the potential outcomes of private schools that receive a huge amount of taxpayer dollars but receive a huge amount of money by not providing basic English and mathematics education.
The state is also considering lowering the standards schools must meet to demonstrate that they are following the law.
Potential changes in the state's education laws technically apply to all private schools, but they are primarily related to Hasid schools that practice religious lessons in all boy schools known in Idi and Hebrew as Yeshivas.
The potential deal is the result of years of lobbying by Hasid's leaders and their political representatives.
Legislative leaders acknowledged that changes to educational standards were being considered, but refused to provide additional details.
Senate majority leader Andrea Stewart Kausins ​​said Tuesday that conversations on the topic were “continuous” and that they don't know what the final budget laws are. A spokesman for Governor Hochul declined to comment. Assembly speaker Carl Heastie, when asked about it earlier this week, said the deal's summary was “at the table.”
This effort was led by Simcha Felder, who recently represented Brooklyn's belt in the state Senate before being elected to the city council, and Simcha Eichenstein, who represents a similar region of the council.
The Hasidic community has long been seen as an existential threat for government school oversight and has emerged in recent years as their biggest political issue.
Rosa-led state education departments have taken on a new urgency in recent months as they moved for the first time to enforce the law after years of deliberation and delays.
The department has announced plans to close six Hasidic Yeshivas that schools have refused to meet with state education staff to discuss improvement plans, and thus have said they are not compliant with state law.
The move is by far the most powerful action New York has made to crack down on law-breaking schools, and represents the worst case scenario for Hasid leaders.
Even among Hasid's leaders, there is little dispute that many yeshivas across the lower Hudson Valley and parts of Brooklyn cannot provide adequate secular education. Some religious leaders have refused to comply with the law and have barred families from having English books at home.
Mayor Eric Adams' administration, closely aligned with the Hasid community, discovered in 2023 that 18 Brooklyn Yeshivas were not complying with state laws.
A 2022 New York Times survey found that many All-Boy Yeshibas raised about $1 billion in government funding over four years, but failed to provide basic education, and teachers at some schools used corporal punishment.
It is clear why Hasid leaders, who are deeply skeptical of government surveillance, are hoping to undermine and delay the outcomes of schools that help them run.
It is less clear why elected officials will accept those requests during this particular budget season. There is speculation in Albany that Hochul, who is facing a tough reelection fight next year, hopes to curry favors from Hasid officials who can improve her chances with support.
Hasidic communities tend to vote as a bloc to affect low-turn-out local elections, suggesting that religious leaders could support certain candidates if parliamentary allies agree to weaken the law.
Hasid voters are increasingly conservative and tend to support Republicans in general election contests.
It could be strongly allied with Trump's main ally, Trump's main ally, Eldie Stefanik, who is strongly allying to Mr. Hochul's potential Republican challenger in next year's race, Deputy Mike Lawler, who is strongly allying to Hasid communities that make up a significant portion of the Hudson Valley area, and Yesivas. A potential Democrat challenger, Bronx leader Richie Torres, has made an active effort to bring Jewish voters to justice.
As budget negotiations reached a final stage of enthusiasm, some members raised concerns about changes in education laws that are pressured by leadership to accept them, saying they have not yet seen these proposals in the form of bills.
News of potential deals reached Michael A. Level, a well-known education lawyer. He wrote an email earlier this week to one of the governor's top education officials to consider suing the state if the law weakens.
“If this secret, a behind-the-scenes deal, is actually accepted by the governor, we will have to publicly challenge it,” Rebel wrote in an email obtained in the era. “And we'll also consider filing a constitutional lawsuit to oppose it.”
New York State Education Laws related to private schools known as substantial equivalent laws have been featured in books for more than a century.
A few years ago, Hasid Yeshivas graduates who said basic education had been rejected had filed a complaint with the state, and their education was vague and uncontroversial until when they allegedly not ready to navigate the secular world and find decent jobs.
