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July 12, 2002/Av 3 5762, Vol. 54, No. 43
High school closes doors
BETH OLSON
Staff Writer
Phoenix Preparatory High School, affiliated with Chabad of Phoenix, is closing its doors.
The closure is due to low enrollment, according to Rabbi Zalman Levertov, regional director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Arizona. Enrollment during the 2001-2002 school year ranged from 12-17 students, with eight registered for the upcoming school year.
Levertov said some of the eight students are completing their high school studies this summer and others plan to attend public school. Neither he nor representatives of the Jess Schwartz Jewish Community High School could confirm whether any of the students would attend the Jess Schwartz High School - the only other Jewish high school in the state - this fall.
The school informed teachers in April that they could start looking for other jobs, and Levertov believes all the staff members have found work.
In February, Levertov reported that $90,000 had been donated to the Chabad Tuition Organization in 2001. Plans are for the tuition organization to remain open, despite the school's closure.
"We're going to continue using the scholarship fund to help other kids get a Jewish education in town," said Levertov.
Despite his school's closure, Levertov is hopeful Jewish day school education in the Valley will continue to thrive.
"We hope that the (Jewish) schools will succeed. There are lots of Jewish people moving in here, but many of them don't see or realize the importance of giving a child a Jewish education," he said.
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