Wednesday, February 1, 2023

Fwd: News From Agudas Yisroel 10 Shevat 5783/February 1, 2023

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Agudath Israel of America <news@agudah.org>
Date: Wed, Feb 1, 2023, 4:37 PM
Subject: News From Agudas Yisroel 10 Shevat 5783/February 1, 2023
To: <agentemes4@gmail.com>

Strengthening Torah Life. Advocating for the Community. Serving Each Individual.

February 1, 2022 - 10 Shevat 5783

News from the Agudah:

Agudas Yisroel welcomes Governor DeWine's expansion of School Choice in Ohio which makes many more people eligible for Ohio's EdChoice scholarship program. See below for more details.

Agudas Yisroel welcomes a school choice bill introduced in Congress last week. The bill would allow a federal tax credit for contributions made to a Scholarship Granting Organization which would then provide scholarships to children of eligible families for educational expenses. Take action to support this bill by clicking here.

Agudas Yisroel welcomes proposed legislation which seeks to enhance Holocaust education in states, educational agencies, and public schools. See below for more details.

Attention Bnos! Join us tonight, Wednesday, February 1st at 6:00 PM EDT for a Pre-Tu B'shvat event. See below for more details.

The Sugyos B'Daf Yomi shiur series this week will be given by Rabbi Avrohom Zelig Krohn, Mechaber Sefer Nezer Avraham, R"M Ateres Shmuel Waterbury. See below for more details.

Agudath Israel Celebrates Governor DeWine's Budget Proposal Expanding School Choice and Enhancing Safety

Today, Governor Mike DeWine of Ohio announced in his State of the State Address a proposal to raise the current qualifying threshold to be eligible for Ohio's EdChoice scholarship program from 250% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) to 400%, one of the highest in the nation. This will benefit thousands of students from middle-class families all around the state, who will now be eligible for EdChoice scholarships valued between $5,500 and $7,500 per student. Additionally, the Governor proposed an initiative to fund school resources officers to protect students in all schools, including nonpublic schools.

For years, Rabbi Yitz Frank, Executive Director of Agudath Israel of Ohio, has worked closely with state officials to pass and implement school choice for Ohio families. This latest accomplishment highlights Agudath Israel's long-term strategic approach to enhancing our communities' priorities and providing leadership on school choice initiatives in states around the country.

Rabbi Frank stated, "Today is a day to celebrate Governor DeWine's bold vision to empower families and provide them with true school choice. We know that when parents are in the driver's seat, all students benefit." Rabbi Frank promised that Agudath Israel would continue to work with its coalition partners and with the members of the General Assembly to enable more families to qualify. The state's biennial budget will need to be passed and agreed upon by both the Ohio House and Senate, which will take place over the next five months. "We look forward over the coming months to working closely with the champion of school choice, Senate President Huffman, and the newly elected leadership and members of the Ohio House."

This past year, Agudath Israel was again instrumental in the passage of a bill that further expanded school choice options. Some of these provisions included:

Allowing students that initially qualify for Ohio's EdChoice Income-based Scholarship Program to remain eligible for a full scholarship, even if their family income rises.
Allowing siblings of students enrolled in Ohio's EdChoice Income-based Scholarship Program to qualify for a scholarship.
Eliminating the June 30th deadline for families to use funds in their ACE scholarship account and doubling the award amount to $1000. This provides eligible families with a $1000 grant that can be used to pay for a variety of enrichment activities that will accelerate learning for students impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Agudath Israel Applauds Introduction of Educational Choice for Children Act

Agudath Israel of America is applauding Senator Bill Cassidy (R- LA) and Representative Adrian Smith (R-NE) for leading the effort in the 118th Congress to increase school choice across the country. The Educational Choice for Children Act (S.120/H.R. 531) the legislators unveiled last week will provide ten billion dollars' worth of tax credits to individual and corporate taxpayers to support educational opportunities and services in all fifty states. Providing dollar-for-dollar tax credits will encourage both businesses and individuals to invest in education.

Currently, twenty-two states have scholarship tax credit programs which have helped hundreds of thousands of students attend the school of their choice, public or private. Jewish day school families, among many others, have been beneficiaries of such programs. A federal tax credit would enhance existing programs and open up more educational opportunities in states where no program exists currently.

The proposed bill, which Agudath Israel helped craft with the sponsors, would allow a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit up to ten percent of an individual taxpayer's adjusted gross income (AGI) or $5,000 (whichever is higher) and five percent of a corporation's taxable income for contributions made to a Scholarship Granting Organization (SGO). The SGO would then provide scholarships to children of eligible families for educational expenses, which include tuition at private schools.

The legislation introduced yesterday enjoys the co-sponsorship of fourteen members of the Senate and thirty members of the House, numbers that are expected to increase further with growing momentum. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has shown strong support for school choice, making it part of his Commitment to America plan.

Over the years, Agudath Israel has strongly advocated for school choice on the federal level. Through its network of regional offices, it has also been at the forefront of promoting similar legislation in state capitals.

Agudath Israel is calling on its members, and all those who support school choice, to contact their senators and representatives by email or phone using this link and encourage them to cosponsor this legislation. The organization is also urging its members to convey this message when their elected officials return home to work in their district offices and meet constituents.

Rabbi Abba Cohen, Agudath Israel's Vice President for Government Affairs and Washington Director commended Senator Cassidy and Representative Smith, and called for the proposed bill's favorable consideration. "We encourage lawmakers, Republican and Democratic, to put a bipartisan stamp on the common-sense policy that is at the heart of this bill: assisting parents to access the learning environment and the educational benefits that are best suited for their children, and that will enhance educational achievement for all of America's students."

"Agudath Israel has played a key role in advancing school choice across the nation, yet half of the states in this country have not yet enacted any such program," noted Rabbi A.D. Motzen, Agudath Israel's National Director of Government Affairs "Offering a federal incentive and allowing scholarships to be used for a broad range of educational expenses is exactly what is needed to allow families, regardless in which state they reside, to benefit from this major investment in education."

Agudath Israel Welcomes Legislation to Enhance Quality of Holocaust Education

Agudath Israel is welcoming the Holocaust Education and Antisemitism Lessons Act (HEAL), legislation which would require a study of Holocaust education efforts in states, local educational agencies and public elementary and secondary schools. Leading the effort are Representatives Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Michael McCaul (R-TX), Kathy Manning (D-NC) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA). The bill was introduced on International Holocaust Remembrance Day with bipartisan support.

"Raising the level of Holocaust awareness within United States, and particularly among our young people, is the call of the hour," according to Rabbi Abba Cohen, Vice President for Government Affairs and Washington Director of Agudath Israel of America. "The pattern of hate crimes that have targeted American Jews of late, and the shocking level of ignorance about the Holocaust as demonstrated in recent polls, make Holocaust education an important weapon in the battle to combat this hate."

Under the bill, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum will be instructed to survey the states to determine, among other things: whether Holocaust education is mandatory or optional; the respective state standards and their implementation; the use of quantitative and qualitative strategies; the types of instructional materials and comprehensiveness of lessons; and, how schools are assessing outcomes. HEAL will also require the results of the study to be reported to Congress.

The HEAL Act follows the 2020 passage of the Never Again Holocaust Education Act, which provided funding to expand support for resources and curricular material for educators, and for professional development.

Agudath Israel is supporting and helping to promote the bill and is praising Reps. Gottheimer and other sponsors for their devotion and unity regarding this issue.

"The more today's youth learn about the Holocaust, the more they understand the evil and horror of antisemitism and other forms of hatred," noted Rabbi Cohen. "With so much at stake, we must ensure that Holocaust education is being conducted with the utmost in excellence and effectiveness, and that is what this legislation is about."