We believe that one of the core communal responsibilities of Adat Shalom is to educate our children Jewishly in a safe, protected, and nurturing environment, and engage our families as partners in this process. We must invest in the Torah School in order to thrive and sustain as a congregation. This investment is the shared responsibility of Adat Shalom’s leadership, its Clergy, and its vibrant and caring community.

We have a tremendous opportunity to take our Torah School to new heights. To get there, we need to work together and make a commitment to change. What follows are six recommendations to get us on the path to success:

1. Representation: We ask that the Torah School Council and its families be allowed to fill a majority of the seats on the Requirements and Search Committees for determining the next Education Director, as well as majority representation on the Search Committee to select a new Torah School Minyan leader.
2. Selection Process: Ensure a collaborative, transparent, and open process of setting the job requirements and selection of the next Education Director.
3. Programming: Prioritize and devote additional resources toward improvements in family life, to include integrated programming for all ages, including pre-school children, Jewish day school students, and post-b’nai mitzvot teens.
4. Budget: We must ensure that the Torah School is a primary focus of funding and fundraising to demonstrate the honored place that childhood education has in our community.
5. Clergy: The participation of the Clergy in children’s programming is powerful. We must ensure greater levels of clergy involvement in Torah School education and programming year round.
6. Administrative Continuity: Preserve the plans, systems, and tools in place for transfer to the incoming Torah School leadership staff and ensure that the necessary administrative oversight is provided in the interim. Immediate concerns are fall registration, classroom assignments, and related staffing decisions.
7. Supporting our Special Needs Children:  Fulfilling our community's commitment to Gemilut Chasadim and Tikkun Olam by committing resources to make sure that all of our children, regardless of challenges or disabilities, receive an appropriate Jewish education. (Number 7 appended to the document at 7:09 am on May 17) 
   

If you agree that these recommendations are valuable principles and starting points of action that deserve the attention of the Board and Clergy so that our Torah School and family programming can be the best it can be and fully supported at every level of decision-making in our congregation, then please sign onto this document and join with us, by adding your name below.

This document will be presented to the new board shortly after the May 19 Annual meeting and election.