WILHELM (LEFT) AND SCHWARTZ
Local principals reflect U.S. survey
By Deborah Moon
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Portland’s Jewish day school principals reflect most of the findings from a recent survey of principals nationally; however, they differ dramatically in one major area—for at least 18 years, only women have led Portland’s two day schools, while nationally 55 percent of day school principals are men.
“A Survey of Day School Principals in the United States” conducted by Marvin Schick and published this year by the Avi Chai Foundation was conducted in 2005 and 2006 and included principals of 380 schools. The survey included principals, heads of school and directors, but refers to all as principals regardless of official title.
The past three leaders of Portland Jewish Academy have all been women. Ruti Gavish, Julie Smith and Patricia Schwartz have led the community day school for at least 18 years. Schwartz, who succeeded Smith as interim head of school this fall, was PJA principal for three years and general studies director for about six years.
Both current leaders concur with the 90 percent of principals nationally who say their experience as a principal is rewarding or satisfactory. Both said they agreed with the following statements regarding the reasons for their satisfaction: Satisfaction in serving the Jewish people (nationally 82.6 percent of the principals agreed); Jewish education is a noble career (72.1 percent); It is wonderful to work with children (91.2 percent); and I feel that I accomplished some good (93.8 percent).
Of the last reason, Schwartz said that saying “I have accomplished” is an overstatement: “I am part of a staff and faculty going in one direction to create a really good education for children, to help them understand where they come from and where their roots are and what they can do to make the world a better place and have a rewarding career. Roots and wings—we do it as a staff.”
Both nationally and locally, principals’ good relationships with lay leaders, faculty and parents may contribute to the level of satisfaction. Both local principals and more than 90 percent of principals nationally described their relationships with each of the three groups as either excellent or good.
The survey narrative points out: “For each of the three constituencies, the relationship, at least from the principals’ perspective, is close to a love-fest, as overwhelmingly we are told that relations are excellent or good, with excellent outranking good by a wide margin.”
Nationally, 75 percent of the principals characterized their decision to make Jewish education their career as “wise,” with only 1 percent saying it was either “a mistake” or “not too wise.” Both Portland principals called the decision “wise.”
“There is honestly nothing more important than some field of Jewish education,” said Wilhelm. “If there is no Jewish education, there is no Jewish nation.”
She said if you look at communities that had Jewish communities early last century, only those with Jewish education have continued to thrive.
Like more than half of the principals nationally, both Portland leaders said that their duties include fundraising.
In terms of size, PJA’s enrollment of between 300-399 students in preschool through eighth grade puts it on par with 10 percent of the schools nationally. And Maimonides enrollment of fewer than 100 students puts it on par with more than 20 percent of schools who responded to the survey, though a separate census indicated nearly 40 percent of Jewish day schools enroll fewer than 100 students.