Deadlock in the Negev: Parents join warning of school shutdown

Parent committees are joining the threat: three days remain until September 1st, and the crisis between the Ministry of Education and the Neve Midbar Regional Council is escalating again.

The council claims it cannot commit to operating educational institutions in the diaspora without full reimbursement for expenses. In the background is an unusual situation where a council with officially about 12,000 residents provides educational services to more than 22,000 students. Now, parent committees are joining the threat and warning that without full funding, they will consider not opening the school year.

The 5787 school year may not open as scheduled for about 20,000 students and kindergarten children in the Bedouin diaspora in the Negev. Just three days before September 1st, the Neve Midbar Regional Council, and now the parent committee as well, warn that they will not open the educational institutions if they do not receive a full budget commitment from the Ministry of Education.

Ongoing crisis

This is another chapter in the ongoing crisis between the Ministry of Education and one of the most unusual education systems in Israel. According to Ministry of Interior data, only 12,376 residents are registered in the Neve Midbar Regional Council. However, the education system it operates provides services to more than 22,000 students, a large portion of whom are not residents of the council's four settlements but live in unrecognized villages and the Bedouin diaspora.

Thus, a situation has been created where one of the weakest and poorest councils in Israel is required to operate an education system on the scale of a large city for a population, a significant part of which is not municipally affiliated with it and does not pay it municipal taxes (arnona).

In the past school year, 2,014 students started first grade in the council and diaspora education system. This year, the council estimates that the number will approach 2,200 first-grade students.

«Millions I don't have»

According to the council's CEO, Yoel Rubin, last year a work plan was submitted to the Ministry of Education to operate education in the diaspora in the amount of about 26 million shekels. "We are one of the poorest and weakest councils in the State of Israel," says Rubin. "I cannot spend tens of millions of shekels that I don't have and wait to see if maybe later they will reimburse me. This year I am not prepared to enter into a commitment without full reimbursement from the Ministry of Education."

According to the council, out of the volume of budgets it requested for the coming year, only about 1.6 million shekels have been approved so far. The council emphasizes that an auditor on behalf of the state examines their activity and that all expenses are presented to him.

Parents' stance

Today, a meeting was held between the management of the Neve Midbar Regional Council and the parent committees. At the end of the meeting, the parent committees announced that the budget offered by the Ministry of Education is sufficient to operate the schools for only about five months.

"We will not be able to accept a situation where the Ministry of Education refuses to provide full and appropriate funding for students in the unrecognized villages," the parent committees stated. The committees demand that the Ministry of Education immediately settle full funding for the entire school year. The threat voiced by the council thus received backing from the parents as well. The committees announced that if an immediate budget solution is not found, they will consider not opening the school year on September 1st.

The council emphasizes that they are interested in continuing to provide educational services, but demand a clear commitment from the Ministry of Education for full reimbursement of expenses.

The Ministry of Education's response will be provided when received.