Due to a clause on children's nutrition: The cut that puts after-school programs at risk of closure

A dispute between the Ministry of Education and the Center for Local Government has led to a cut of approximately 90 million shekels from local authority budgets for operating "Nitzanim" after-school programs. Program operators have petitioned the Jerusalem District Court against the decision, fearing the collapse and closure of the frameworks, arguing that the cut will be passed on to them and put them into debt.

A dispute between the Ministry of Education and the Center for Local Government has led to a cut of approximately 90 million shekels from local authority budgets designated for operating "Nitzanim" after-school programs. The program operators, including private companies, nonprofits, and municipal corporations, have petitioned the Jerusalem District Court against the Ministries of Education and Finance, demanding the cancellation of the cut. The petition states that "if the cut is not canceled, there will be severe harm, to the point of risking the collapse and closure of after-school programs serving tens and even hundreds of thousands of children." The Ministry of Education cut the funds on the grounds that many authorities have under-budgeted the children's nutrition clause in recent years and must return the money. In response, local authorities argue that the savings on the nutrition clause were diverted to other needs such as raising staff salaries and adding enrichment activities, and that this budget shift was known to the Ministry of Education for years. Chairman of the Center for Local Government, Haim Bibas, wrote to the Ministry of Education that "such a cut is unacceptable." Program operators fear that the cut will be passed on to them, putting them into debt, even though they did not take a shekel for their own pockets. The Ministry of Education stated that the accounting was done with consent and according to proper administrative rules.