September 1st in Jeopardy: School Principals Escalate Struggle

At an emergency meeting of hundreds of school principals from across the country, held on Tuesday under the auspices of the 'Manhigim' organization, a decision was made to launch a public struggle and boycott the school year opening conferences attended by the Minister of Education and the Director General of the Ministry of Education.

The decision follows a series of measures taken in recent months which, according to the principals, undermine their ability to manage schools and directly harm Israel's students. Among their grievances, the principals point to restrictions on hiring substitute teachers, budget cuts, late changes in school year preparation guidelines, and the worsening teacher shortage—all implemented without dialogue with the principals' leadership.

The 'Manhigim' organization emphasizes that this is the first step in a broader public campaign aimed at saving the education system from decisions disconnected from reality on the ground.

According to the principals, the Ministry of Education's management chooses to ignore their concerns. Professional letters remain unanswered, the Director General fails to provide solutions to acute problems, and the Minister continues to deny the depth of the crisis. The organization notes that the crisis is already taking its toll, as approximately 1,000 school principals have left their positions this summer alone, a figure that testifies to the severity of burnout and the ongoing management crisis.

As part of their struggle, the principals demand the following:

1. A freeze on recent decrees until a professional dialogue is held with 'Manhigim' representatives.

2. Inclusion of school principals in all systemic decisions concerning their work.

3. Completion of preparations for every school year by the beginning of June.

4. Immediate dialogue regarding employment conditions and the needs of principals to curb the exodus of staff.

The 'Manhigim' organization stated:

"This is a struggle for the right of Israel's students to learn in a functioning, stable, and high-quality education system. It is impossible to continue making far-reaching decisions over the heads of those who manage the schools every day. When the Ministry of Education repeatedly ignores the field, our responsibility is to make a clear voice heard. Boycotting the school year opening conferences is a first step. If there is no real change and no serious dialogue begins, we will expand the struggle. We call on the Minister of Education and the ministry's management to stop the damage to the education system and to act together with the school principals, and not against them."