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Last update - 09:53 06/03/2007
Israeli Arabs to get greater school funding, settlements less
By Or Kashti, Haaretz Correspondent

The methods used in calculating the budgets of the country's elementary schools are set to change in September to conform to a High Court of Justice ruling from last year, which is aimed at helping disadvantaged students and reducing inequality.

Under the new plan, which is being drafted by Education Ministry officials, the use of "national priority areas" in determining elementary school budgets will be scrapped in favor of ensuring an adequate basic funding level with additions for underserved populations.

Among other things, the changes will reduce funding for schools on settlements in the territories, which are currently considered national priority areas, and increase funding for schools in Arab communities.
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"The new budget formula will change the political-education map from A to Z," a senior ministry officials said, "and transfer money to the most disadvantaged communities, most of which are Arab." The total annual budget for classroom hours in the elementary school system is estimated at about NIS 4.5 billion.

In response to a petition submitted by Adalah, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, the High Court ruled a year ago that the use of national priority areas in determining education budgets discriminated against the country's Arab sector. While 500 Jewish communities were awarded priority status, only four Arab communities enjoyed this special status. The court set the end of March this year as the starting date for the new policy.

For the past four years, elementary school curriculum hours have been budgeted according to the "Shoshani Index," named after the commission on whose recommendations it was based. The index sets a differential standard for each student, using criteria such as the family's country of origin and date of immigration to Israel (when applicable) and the community's status as a national priority location. Each student is classified according to the socioeconomic decile of his or her family, with each decile receiving a different number of classroom hours. The overall number of curriculum hours for each school is the sum of the classroom time allocated for its students.

In wake of the High Court ruling, the ministry's Chief Scientist, Prof. Sidney Strauss, framed a new allocation method. The "Strauss Index," which is being introduced here for the first time, consists of four elements: the parents' education level; the family's annual net income; the country of origin of the child and of the parents; and whether the child lives in the geographic periphery of the country.

Last week the state asked the court to postpone implementation of the new index until September 1 of this year, while noting that the criteria had been approved in principal by the education minister and the ministry director general and affirming that they are the "most accurate predictors of learning success or lack of success."

The changes to the index are far-reaching: the weight given to the education level of the parents is greater, the component of immigration is replaced by the notion of country of origin for the student and parents and information about the family's income is expected to give a more accurate picture of socioeconomic background.

Another important change is that while currently the Shoshani Index is the main basis for determining each school's budget, under the new system each school will be allocated a basic budget according to its enrollment figures, without reference to its students' background, in order to ensure that each child received about 31 weekly tuition hours. The remainder of the budget will be allocated according to the new index to provide more hours to underserved populations.

"Most of the resources that will be distributed in this second stage will go to the less advantaged schools, including many in the non-Jewish sector," the state wrote in its postponement request.

The Education Ministry wants to introduce the Strauss Index gradually, over a five-year period, beginning with the next school year.

"You can't make a revolution in six months," a ministry official said. "At the end of the process, a lot of money will be directed toward schools with students from families with low education and income levels, mainly in the Arab sector."
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  1.   Good! 10:02  |  Boris 06/03/07
  2.   A Neccessary Step 10:08  |  Ben 06/03/07
  3.   I don`t want my taxes helping our enemies 10:11  |  Dani 06/03/07
  4.   a positive step in the right direction 10:22  |  SJ 06/03/07
  5.   Extra funding for bigamists and "honor" killers .Bravo! 10:34  |  Absolute Sweden 06/03/07
  6.   Compensating 10:42  |  Esther 06/03/07
  7.   Education Funding and "Enemies of the State" 11:04  |  Jan van Mil 06/03/07
  8.   school funding 11:06  |  abjad 06/03/07
  9.   gravy train......... 11:12  |  Akiva Patysh, Tzioni 06/03/07
  10.   # 8 abjad 11:15  |  Josef 06/03/07
  11.   1st sign of intelligent life on Planet Education Ministry 11:36  |  Michelle 06/03/07
  12.   A light unto the nations 11:58  |  Lev 06/03/07
  13.   re: abjad 12:38  |  Efox 06/03/07
  14.   Real Owners of Land 12:45  |  Mahona 06/03/07
  15.   Funding Our Enemies 12:53  |  Yitz 06/03/07
  16.   budgets 12:53  |  j10 06/03/07
  17.   To Dani 13:06  |  Alex 06/03/07
  18.   It is about time too. Very Good Policy 13:46  |  Arik 06/03/07
  19.   disadvantaged students ? 13:51  |  redmike 06/03/07
  20.   #5 Absolute S. . . ,Give us a break from your interference . 13:56  |  Aaron 06/03/07
  21.   CONGRATULATIONS Mr OLMERT 14:01  |  Angelina 06/03/07
  22.   HOW are the Israel bashers going to react to this Zio.Provocation 14:21  |  PETER SM 06/03/07
  23.   to Dani 14:33  |  DeDe 06/03/07
  24.   Israeli Arabs, in my mind, who are reside in the Jewish state.... 14:48  |  Nadav 06/03/07
  25.   Two questions on the Strauss Plan 14:55  |  Yaakov Sullivan 06/03/07
  26.   People on both sides - it is a positive storyline 15:02  |  Avrum 06/03/07
  27.   To make bombs they will need to be educated 15:06  |  Steven 06/03/07
  28.   Angelina from Roma the occupation is your fault 15:09  |  Steven 06/03/07
  29.   Yaakov Sullivan - You have been spitting in our faces 15:24  |  Geulah 06/03/07
  30.   Discrimination 15:29  |  Gene 06/03/07
  31.   Steven #27 as opposed to Israel... 15:30  |  Yaakov Sullivan 06/03/07
  32.   Geulah, thank you for your post about Sullivan!!! 15:45  |  Leah Yavin 06/03/07
  33.   Yaakov # 25 - criteria for getting an education 15:55  |  Avrum 06/03/07
  34.   Angelina it`s got nothing to do with Olmert!! 16:02  |  sh 06/03/07
  35.   Yaakov Sullivan do not speak hebrew, you are an insult to Jews 16:07  |  Steven 06/03/07
  36.   What about Ramallah Arabs? Jericho Arabs? 16:10  |  Jay 06/03/07
  37.   I`m an Israeli-Arab 16:10  |  Rami 06/03/07
  38.   Geula from Mevaseret, the only thing...#29 16:18  |  Yaakov Sullivan 06/03/07
  39.   Yes, Avrum, bureacracies exist everywhere #33 16:21  |  Yaakov Sullivan 06/03/07
  40.   Yaakov S wants a binational state 16:40  |  zody 06/03/07
  41.   Well alrightee!!! 16:42  |  ballistic 06/03/07
  42.   My name is a problem in Montreal 17:03  |  Avrum 06/03/07
  43.   speaking of schools- in the Hamas sectors 17:08  |  Avrum 06/03/07
  44.   This is just. Settlers are among the best educated, Arabs worst 17:15  |  Shlomo from Tel-Aviv 06/03/07
  45.   Education, Economics Trump Islamist Politics 17:36  |  Peter 06/03/07
  46.   It can`t be true. I thought we were racist pigs! 17:41  |  Jake 06/03/07
  47.   zody, another kahanist from the gutters of brooklyn #40 18:10  |  Yaakov Sullivan 06/03/07
  48.   The Education Ministry has a plan. 18:16  |  Rebekah S 06/03/07
  49.   Avrum, knowing Montreal as I do...#47 18:38  |  Yaakov Sullivan 06/03/07
  50.   Sounds good 18:43  |  Mark Lincoln 06/03/07
  51.   Zody #40 18:45  |  Gabe1 06/03/07
  52.   YaaCow)`Sulliman #47 18:46  |  Gabe1 06/03/07
  53.   #3 You`re a lost cause with that attitude! 18:50  |  T A Sheppard 06/03/07
  54.   step in the right direction 18:55  |  Lauren 06/03/07
  55.   equal education between Jewish and Arab Israelis 19:11  |  Sharonelle 06/03/07
  56.   Yaakov Sullivan, errrrrr, you`re not from Brooklyn? 19:12  |  Jake 06/03/07
  57.   zody, Y. Sullivan is a stealth anti-Jew, open anti-Zionist 19:13  |  Jake 06/03/07
  58.   Zody about Y.Sullivan - I know anti-Zionists in Israel. They are 19:26  |  Dina Yakir 06/03/07
  59.   Jake, another reasoned response #57 19:29  |  Yaakov Sullivan 06/03/07
  60.   Sullivan names names and assume we are all 19:57  |  Leah Yavin 06/03/07
  61.   #57. Jake 20:27  |  Peter 06/03/07
  62.   Readers: Yavin woman as unidentified #60 20:31  |  Yaakov Sullivan 06/03/07
  63.   Hamas schools, avram 20:38  |  El Haq 06/03/07
  64.   Dani - "...If they`re not fer us they`re agin us..." Hatfield 20:44  |  Stephen Connor 06/03/07
  65.   #24 Nadav 20:49  |  Stephen Connor 06/03/07
  66.   Peter - Amen to education 20:51  |  Stephen Connor 06/03/07
  67.   Rami from Nazareth 21:11  |  krystal 06/03/07
  68.   Arik TA - Don`t worry in the end Olmert will do what Aliza wants 21:16  |  krystal 06/03/07
  69.   Sullivan, no one tells the truth, right? But what 21:32  |  Rivka Dvidov 06/03/07
  70.   Abjad vs Josef 21:34  |  krystal 06/03/07
  71.   Some of the questions that you, Y.Sullivan, are asked 21:38  |  Petra 06/03/07