My letter in The Philadelphia Inquirer about school choice

The following is a letter to the editor that I wrote, which appeared in the December 11, 2016 edition of The Philadelphia Inquirer, in which I discussed President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for education secretary and the criticism she has engendered due to her support for non-public schools:

School choice deserves backing

The opposition to President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for education secretary because of her support for school choice is an affront to children across the country whose educational opportunities are enhanced because of their ability to attend schools that are best-suited to their particular needs (“Education choice shows schooling split,” Tuesday).

For far too long, teachers’ unions have vehemently opposed any constitutionally permissible aid to nonpublic schools, despite the critical role they play for so many families. The more than five million pre-K to 12th-grade students in nearly 34,000 nonpublic schools do not deserve the disparagement that some public school advocates espouse on a regular basis.

For our children’s sake, let us hope that Elisabeth DeVos will propose new policies and ideas that will not only strengthen our public-school system, which is vitally important, but that will also afford nonpublic schools the assistance and recognition they so desperately need and deserve. As DeVos aptly stated, “The status quo is not acceptable.”

N. Aaron Troodler, Bala Cynwyd

My letter in The New York Times about racism coming out in the open

The following is a letter to the editor that I wrote about the recent emergence of the alt-right, a group that espouses hatred, bigotry and intolerance, which appeared in the November 23, 2016 edition of The New York Times:

When Racism Comes Out in the Open

November 23, 2016

To the Editor:

Re “Alt-Right, Exulting in Election, Salutes Winner: ‘Heil Victory’ ” (front page, Nov. 21):

The alt-right’s recent conference in Washington is a sad and stark reminder that racism is alive and well in America.

The unabashed denigration of Jews, African-Americans, immigrants and other minorities by the alt-right is a means by which it can peddle and propagandize the prejudice and hatred that have kept it on the fringe for much of its existence. President-elect Donald Trump’s victory should not and cannot give license to racism, and the alt-right’s use of his electoral win to come out of the shadows and feel emboldened is appalling and frightening.

At a time when our nation desperately needs to come together and bridge the divide, hate-mongering by the alt-right counteracts the healing.

The alt-right’s impudence in opposing the tenets of our democratic society in an open forum should serve as a cause for alarm for every American who values equality and social justice.

N. AARON TROODLER

Bala Cynwyd, Pa.

My letter in The New York Times about Donald Trump's VP selection

The following is a letter to the editor that I wrote about who Donald Trump should pick as his running mate, which appeared in the July 3, 2016 edition of The New York Times:

As he tries to shed the labels that have beleaguered him on the campaign trail, such as “inexperienced,” “misogynistic,” and “egotistic,” Donald Trump desperately needs a running mate who will help him overcome his perceived shortcomings. Mary Fallin, the charismatic governor of Oklahoma, who served four years in Congress, would be the perfect equalizer. She would bring gender and geographic balance and significant governmental experience to the G.O.P. ticket. While she has Capitol Hill know-how, Governor Fallin isn’t considered a “Washington insider.” She would be a compelling V.P. choice.

N. AARON TROODLER, Bala Cynwyd, Pa.

My Op-Ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer

The following is an op-ed that I wrote which appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer, in which I discuss the efforts of the OU Advocacy Center and its diverse group of coalition partners on behalf of Pennsylvania students:

Despite budget fight, an effort focused on students

February 10, 2016

By N. Aaron Troodler

Pennsylvania has long been a pioneer in school choice, providing tax-credit programs that enable tens of thousands of low- and middle-income families to place their children in the most appropriate educational settings. But the state's budget stalemate threw these crucial programs into a dangerous limbo.

Ultimately, Gov. Wolf took the necessary steps to free up the $150 million in scholarship funding from Pennsylvania's unique tax-credit programs, which give pre-K-to-12th-grade students the ability to attend the nonpublic schools best suited to their needs and beliefs. If not for the governor's last-minute approval, this year's funding would have been lost.

The establishment of the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) in 2001 and the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) in 2012 enabled companies to support school choice opportunities for Pennsylvania children. To date, these programs have yielded approximately $900 million, providing scholarships for more than 50,000 students annually.

This school year's last-minute release of tax credits for schools wrought unnecessary drama for Pennsylvania families. Without the funding, some of them would have been forced to disrupt their children's education by pulling them from their schools and moving them into others less suitable to them.

That this saga had a happy ending was due in large part to the state's school-choice community uniting to advocate for children, as well as strong bipartisan support from the legislature.

For months, the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center, along with coalition partners such as the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, the Jewish Federations, the REACH Foundation, and the Pennsylvania Affiliate of the Council on American Private Education, worked tirelessly to bring awareness to the dire need for the tax-credit programs. Working collaboratively, we developed a cohesive strategy that kept students' and families' needs and best interests at the forefront of the state's agenda.

We helped the public, the legislature, and the governor understand that these programs don't benefit any single community. Rather, they improve educational possibilities for children from a variety of backgrounds throughout Pennsylvania.

The education tax-credit programs are a lifeline for families across the state, and we can't afford to allow government fights to jeopardize these critical revenue streams.

Now that this recent crisis has been resolved, we must continue the spirit of teamwork that brought together so many ethnic and religious groups and school choice organizations to advocate for all of our children and find ways to insulate the EITC and OSTC programs from political squabbles.

One way to achieve this is to push for current legislation that would allow EITC and OSTC tax credits to be used retroactively for applications submitted in the prior calendar year. That would go a long way toward avoiding last-minute havoc due to budgetary and other governmental wrangling.

It is up to all of us to work together not only to protect but also to enhance educational opportunities for every child in Pennsylvania. The EITC and OSTC programs are a crucial means to get a quality education. Each of us has a duty to ensure that our children's future remains bigger than any budget battle.

N. Aaron Troodler is an attorney and the Pennsylvania regional director for the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center, the nonpartisan public policy arm of the nation's largest Orthodox Jewish organization.

Don't Forget Our Kids

The following is an op-ed that I wrote, which appeared in the Philadelphia-based Jewish Exponent, in which I discuss the impact that the budget stalemate in Pennsylvania is having on non-public schools:

Don’t Forget Our Kids

November 6, 2015

As the longest budget impasse in Pennsylvania’s history dominates the political debates in Harrisburg, Commonwealth citizens rightly worry that the partisan squabbling will have serious, long-term consequences.

The reverberations of the gridlock are felt far and wide, from social services organizations to schools.

By now, it has been exhaustively documented how the myriad of ways the budget impasse is impacting Pennsylvania’s public schools. Approximately $3 billion in state education aid has been withheld since the start of the new fiscal year on July 1. As a result, school districts have been forced to borrow over $430 million in order to cover expenses and operational costs.

As painful as the budget stalemate has been for public schools, it has also been devastating for the 254,000 children enrolled in Pennsylvania’s extensive non-public school network.

Non-public schools are contending with how to teach their children without having received the textbooks, instructional materials and equipment that the state budget provides them. They have been forced to operate while lacking the auxiliary services under “Act 89,” including reading and math remediation, and speech and language therapy. Beyond these gaps, an even greater menace looms.

The Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) program provide millions of dollars each year in scholarships for low- and middle-income families across Pennsylvania. For many non-public schools, including Jewish day schools, this funding is indispensable — with countless students receiving scholarships through the two tax credit programs.

If the state budget is not passed prior to the end of the calendar year, there is a real possibility that non-public schools will lose an entire year of EITC and OSTC funding. With the EITC and OSTC funding levels at $100 million and $50 million respectively, the loss of this funding stream for non-public schools would be catastrophic. Schools may be forced to close their doors and our students will be yet another casualty of the budget stalemate.

We recognize that there are a number of monumental issues at the center of the budget debate, including tax increases and pension reform. However, no matter how substantial those issues may seem, Gov. Wolf and state lawmakers cannot believe any of those topics outweigh our children and their education.

The sad reality is that our schools and our children have become collateral damage to a partisan budget battle. The impact on Pennsylvania’s non-public schools and the quarter-million children who are educated in them is tangible and terrifying. Simply put, our schools and our students cannot afford to be deprived of these critical educational dollars.

We are extraordinarily grateful for the array of programs and services that our state representatives have instituted over the years in recognition of the importance of Pennsylvania’s non-public schools, and which facilitate the quality education that they provide to so many children throughout the Commonwealth. However, the present budget situation is unpardonable, and the Governor and Pennsylvania General Assembly need to act now, before it is too late.

Our schools and our students need the textbooks they have not yet gotten. They need the remedial services they have not yet received. They desperately need the EITC and OSTC funds they have not yet obtained. The time for talk is over; it is now time for action.

Until the budget stalemate gets resolved and the education funding for all of Pennsylvania’s children is restored, Harrisburg is essentially imperiling our students’ educational opportunities.

Let’s get this done, and quickly. Our children’s futures depend on it.

N. Aaron Troodler is an attorney and the Pennsylvania Regional Director for the OU Advocacy Center, which is the non-partisan public policy arm of the nation’s largest Orthodox Jewish organization, representing nearly 1,000 congregations nationwide.

My letter in the Philadelphia Inquirer about the PA budget impasse

The following is a letter to the editor that I wrote, which appeared in the November 2, 2015 edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer, in which I discussed how the Pennsylvania budget impasse is hurting non-public schools:

ISSUE - BUDGET IMPASSE

Schools in jeopardy

As the longest budget impasse in Pennsylvania history drags on, the reverberations of the gridlock are widely felt. The stalemate has been devastating for the quarter-million children in nonpublic schools.

If the budget is not passed soon, nonpublic schools will lose an entire year of Educational Improvement Tax Credit and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit funding, which provides scholarships for low- and middle-income families. Losing this critical funding would be catastrophic. Schools may be forced to close their doors, and our students will be yet another casualty of the budget standoff.

Our children have become collateral damage in a partisan budget battle, and the impact on Pennsylvania’s nonpublic schools is tangible and terrifying. Our schools and students cannot afford to be deprived of these essential education dollars.

The time for talk is over; it is time for action. Let’s pass a budget, and quickly. Our children’s futures depend on it.

N. Aaron Troodler, Bala Cynwyd

My letter in The New York Times about Palestinian incitement

The following is a letter to the editor that wrote about the deadly role that Palestinian incitement plays when it comes to acts of terror against Israel, which appeared in the October 15, 2015 edition of The New York Times:

To the Editor:

“Young Palestinians Fanning the Flames of a New Uprising” (front page, Oct. 14) does an exceptional job spotlighting the young Palestinians who have committed numerous acts of terror against Israelis over the last several weeks.

While social media certainly plays a pivotal part in inspiring the perpetrators to resort to violence, you rightly note the deadly role that incitement plays in this tragic tale of terror. By glorifying terrorism and celebrating martyrdom, the leaders in these communities essentially sanction the violence and lead these young people down a divisive and dangerous path.

Teaching an entire generation of Palestinian youths to loathe their Israeli neighbors has proved to be a deadly practice, the reverberations of which are felt every time another life is lost. Those who encourage and endorse terrorism are as culpable as the people who carry out the terrorist acts.

Before an already tenuous situation spirals further out of control, steps must be taken to curb the violence and end the incitement. This deadly tsunami of terror is not going to recede on its own.

N. AARON TROODLER

Bala Cynwyd, Pa.