Ben Gamla Charter School

Last updated

Ben Gamla Charter School
Address
Ben Gamla Charter School
2620 Hollywood Blvd

Hollywood
,
Florida

United States
Information
Type Charter school
EstablishedAugust 20, 2007 (2007-08-20)
School district Broward County Public Schools
GradesK-12 (across all 5 campuses)
Enrollment~2000 (across all 5 campuses)
Language English and Hebrew
CampusSuburban
Website www.bengamla-charter.com

www.bengamlapreparatoryacademy.org

www.bengamlaplantation.org

The Ben Gamla Charter School is an English-Hebrew charter school, the first of its kind in the U.S., located in Hollywood, Florida. It opened August 20, 2007, with approximately 400 enrolled students from kindergarten through eighth grade, [1] though the Ben Gamla system has expanded to 5 campuses in South Florida in both the Ben Gamla Charter Schools, as well as the Ben Gamla Preparatory Academy. [2] The entire Ben Gamla system currently enrolls students from grades K-12 across all 5 campuses, with a total enrollment of about 2,000 students. [3] Of the five total schools in the Ben Gamla system, three schools are in Broward County, one is in Miami-Dade County and one is in Palm Beach County. [4] The school's director is an Orthodox rabbi and at least 50% of the students accepted to the school are Jewish. [5] The name of the school is taken from an Israelite high priest (Yehoshua Ben Gamla), known in the Talmud for his campaign to establish yeshivas throughout Judaea.

Contents

Controversy

On August 23, 2007, the Broward County school board ordered the school to suspend its Hebrew classes because the curriculum referred to a website that discussed religion. [6] Supporters of the Hebrew classes compare the program to hundreds of other dual-language schools in the United States [6] that provide lessons on foreign culture and language such as the Spanish, French and Greek language charter schools already operating in Broward County and elsewhere.

Parallels have been drawn between Ben Gamla and the Khalil Gibran International Academy, an Arabic public school in New York City that also opened in autumn 2007. [7] But some say the Hebrew school could be more problematic. [6] Since it is a charter school it receives public funding but is exempt from certain rules of public schools and is subject to less oversight. Their founders are often teachers, parents, or activists who feel restricted by traditional public schools. [8] Basically, the operators are private contractors who make a deal with the government to educate the children. In contrast, the Arabic school is under the direct management of the NYCDOE system and subject to all its rules, regulations, and statutes. [9] Others, such as Jeffrey Wiesenfeld, a trustee of the City University of New York feel that Hebrew language schools do not pose the kind of "potential threat to the society" posed by Arabic language schools. [10]

Opposition to the school is led by Broward County Jewish day schools who have lost students to Ben Gamla and therefore suffer losses in tuition income. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported that "an advertisement distributed in kosher restaurants" in the area of the Hebrew school reads: "Excellent Academic Program. Dual language (English/Hebrew) curriculum teaching Jewish history and culture. Rabbi Adam Siegel, Principal (formerly executive director of Yeshiva Elementary School)." This school was clearly marketed in the Jewish community in a way to suggest that it will be similar to a yeshiva, a traditional religious school where Judaism's authoritative texts are studied, but the tuition there is about $10,000 per student per year. [11]

According to an article in The New York Times, "Opponents say it is impossible to teach Hebrew – and aspects of Jewish culture – outside a religious context, and that Ben Gamla, billed as the nation's first Hebrew-English charter school, violates one of its paramount legal and political boundaries." [6] Harvard Law School professor and constitutional scholar Noah Feldman has criticized the school's Hebrew curriculum as violating of the establishment clause of Constitution on the grounds that the school "seems poised to teach religion as a set of beliefs to be embraced rather than as a set of ideas susceptible to secular, critical examination." [7]

Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League said of the school, "[c]harter schools have greater autonomy than a school being run by the Board of Education. Let’s give it a shot, but let’s watch it very, very carefully." [6]

On September 11, 2007 the Broward County School Board approved a Hebrew-language curriculum and Hebrew instruction resumed at the school on September 17, 2007. [12]

Campuses

Ben Gamla currently has expanded to include multiple campuses in the split between the Ben Gamla Charter Schools (grades K–8) and the Ben Gamla Preparatory Academy Charter Schools (grades 6–12). In total, the entire system has 4 campuses serving about 1,800 students in total . [3] The charter numbers connected to Ben Gamla are: #5001/5410 Ben Gamla Charter (grades K-8, Hollywood), #5392 Ben Gamla Charter South (grades K-8, Plantation), #5182 Ben Gamla Preparatory Academy (grades 9–12, Hollywood), #5204 Ben Gamla Preparatory Academy (grades 6–8, Hollywood).

Ben Gamla has received school grades of C, B and A over the years, and school #5001 (Hollywood K-8) currently meets the criteria for 'high performing charter school status' (pursuant to section 1002.331, Florida Statutes). [13] The known grades for each school are below:

  1. 5001 (BG Charter North K-5): A (2014–2015) [13]
  2. 5410 (BG Charter North 6-8): B (2014–2015) [14]
  3. 5392 (BG Charter South K–5):
  4. 5182 (BG Preparatory Academy Charter 7–12):

Ben Gamla Preparatory Academy

Ben Gamla Preparatory Academy is currently the only high school that offers high school grades in the various Ben Gamla campuses. It is directly across the street to the original Ben Gamla Charter School which originally offered Kindergarten to 8th Grade, but now only offers Kindergarten to 6th Grade due to the addition of the school.

The school is led by Gayle Iaocono, alongside Danielle Guski as acting Vice Principal with 19 teachers in all of the classrooms. [15]

The governing board selected by the local government to manage Ben Gamla Preparatory Academy include 5 directors: [16]

See also

Related Research Articles

Cooper City, Florida City in Florida

Cooper City is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is named for Morris Cooper, who founded the community in 1959. The city's population was 28,547 at the 2010 census.

Davie, Florida Town in Florida, United States

Davie is a town in Broward County, Florida, United States, approximately 24 miles (39 km) north of Miami. The town's population was 110,320 at the 2020 census. Davie is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area, which was home to an estimated 6,198,782. It is the most populous municipality labelled as a ″town" in Florida, and the third most populous such community in the United States, trailing only Gilbert, Arizona and Cary, North Carolina. Horseback riding is common as much of its historic buildings include ranches and other Western establishments.

Hollywood, Florida City in Florida, United States

Hollywood is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States, located between Fort Lauderdale and Miami. The average temperature is between 68 and 83 °F. As of July 1, 2019, Hollywood had a population of 154,817. Founded in 1925, the city grew rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s, and is now the 12th-largest city in Florida. Hollywood is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area, which was home to an estimated 6,012,331 people at the 2015 census.

Pembroke Pines, Florida City in Broward County, Florida, United States

Pembroke Pines is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is located 22 miles north of Miami. The population of Pembroke Pines is estimated at 173,591 as of 2019. It had a population of 154,750 as of the 2010 census, making it the second-most populous city in Broward County after Fort Lauderdale, and the 11th-most populous in Florida. It is a suburb and part of the Miami metropolitan area, which was home to an estimated 6,012,331 people in 2015.

Yeshiva Jewish educational institution for Torah study

A yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and the Torah, and halacha. The studying is usually done through daily shiurim as well as in study pairs called chavrusas. Chavrusa-style learning is one of the unique features of the yeshiva.

Prospect Hill Academy Charter School School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

Prospect Hill Academy Charter School (PHA) is a tuition-free, college preparatory charter public school serving grades PreK - 12 in Somerville, Massachusetts and Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school was founded in 1996.

Fasman Yeshiva High School, known colloquially as Skokie Yeshiva, is an Orthodox all-boys high school in Skokie, Illinois. As of the 2020-2021 school year, the school has 120 students enrolled in grades 9-12. Fasman Yeshiva offers a dual curriculum of secular and Judaic studies.

Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls Private, secondary school in Hewlett Bay Park, NY

Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls is a Modern Orthodox Jewish day school, a college preparatory high school for grades 9-12, located in Hewlett Bay Park in Nassau County, New York, United States.

A Jewish day school is a modern Jewish educational institution that is designed to provide children of Jewish parents with both a Jewish and a secular education in one school on a full-time basis. The term "day school" is used to differentiate schools attended during the day from parttime weekend schools as well as secular or religious "boarding school" equivalents where the students live full-time as well as study. The substance of the "Jewish" component varies from school to school, community to community, and usually depends on the Jewish denominations of the schools' founders. While some schools may stress Judaism and Torah study others may focus more on Jewish history, Hebrew language, Yiddish language, secular Jewish culture, and Zionism.

Jewish education

Jewish education is the transmission of the tenets, principles, and religious laws of Judaism. Known as the "people of the book", Jews value education, and the value of education is strongly embedded in Jewish culture. Judaism places a heavy emphasis on Torah study, from the early days of studying the Tanakh.

A Mechina Kdam-Tzvait is an autonomous unit of specialized educational institutions valuing non-formal education and pre-military training in Israel. Funded and supported by the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Defense, as well as by the Israeli Defense Forces. As for 2017, there are 46 mechinot whose mission is to prepare for the conscientious service in the army, and to educate leaders of local communities that could affect society and state. Educational program blocks mostly include: Judaism and Jewish identity, Zionism, development of leadership skills, volunteering, and elements of military training. Most mechina programs last one academic year.

The Rabbi Alexander S. Gross Hebrew Academy, is a coeducational, yeshiva and college preparatory, Zionistic, private, Modern Orthodox Jewish day school, located in Miami Beach, Florida. The school has been awarded a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence.

Katz Yeshiva High School (KYHS) is a private Jewish high school yeshiva located in Boca Raton, Florida, in Palm Beach County. The school provides a Modern Orthodox education and has both male and female students in grades 9–12.

Hebrew Language Academy Charter School is a public K-8 Charter school in Brooklyn, New York. HLA is an intentionally diverse charter school which teaches the Modern Hebrew language. Like all public schools HLA does not provide religious instruction and will neither encourage nor prohibit religious devotion. The enrollment is 35% black, 6% Hispanic, 55% white, and 4% other.

A language/culture-based charter school is a charter school whose curriculum is based on the language and culture of a specific ethnic nation or group of nations, although the schools are open to students of all ethnic backgrounds.

Located in Mercer Island, Washington, Northwest Yeshiva High School is the state's only accredited, co-ed, college preparatory, dual-curriculum Jewish High School.

Yeshiva of Greater Washington Private 7-12 school in Silver Spring, Maryland

The Yeshiva of Greater Washington is an Orthodox community-based Jewish Day School, that is located in Silver Spring, Maryland. It was founded in 1964 by Rabbi Gedaliah Anemer. It consists of separate high schools for boys and girls and a beis medrash.

Kohelet Yeshiva High School Private high school, yeshiva school in Merion Station, Pennsylvania, United States

Kohelet Yeshiva High School is a Modern Orthodox college preparatory Jewish high school that offers a dual curriculum program of Judaic and General Studies for both boys and girls in Merion, Pennsylvania in the Philadelphia suburbs.

Carmel Academy was a Jewish private school in Greenwich, Connecticut, serving grades Kindergarten through 8. Also including transitional Kindergarten The school originally was located in Port Chester, New York.

References

  1. ↑ School website. Retrieved on June 4, 2011.
  2. ↑ School website FAQ. Retrieved on January 21, 2016.
  3. 1 2 JTA.org, retrieved January 21, 2016
  4. ↑ School website FAQ. Retrieved on January 21, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Orthodox educator to head controversial NYC Arabic school". Jerusalem Post. August 15, 2007.[ permanent dead link ]
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 A.: Hebrew Charter School Spurs Dispute in Florida, The New York Times, August 24, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-08-26.
  7. 1 2 Feldman, N.: Universal Faith, The New York Times Sunday Magazine, August 26, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-08-26.
  8. ↑ "Charter Schools". edweek.org. Retrieved January 1, 2008.
  9. ↑ "Khalil Gibran International Academy". schools.nyc.gov. NYCDOE Special Programs. Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved January 1, 2008.
  10. ↑ January 12, 2009. "State Weighs Approval of School Dedicated to Hebrew". By ELISSA GOOTMAN, New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/12/nyregion/12hebrew.html?ref=education
  11. ↑ "Critics: Hallandale charter school oversteps church-state line". sun-sentinel.com. June 17, 2007.[ permanent dead link ]
  12. ↑ "School Can Resume Lessons in Hebrew". New York Times. Associated Press. September 12, 2007. Retrieved June 9, 2008.
  13. 1 2 School website, retrieved January 21, 2016 [ permanent dead link ]
  14. ↑ School website, retrieved January 21, 2016 [ permanent dead link ]
  15. ↑ "Ben Gamla Preparatory Academy". www.bengamlapreparatoryacademy.org. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  16. ↑ "16" (PDF).

Coordinates: 26°00′36″N80°09′36″W / 26.0100°N 80.1599°W / 26.0100; -80.1599

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.