I stray today from my usual lightheated complaints to open a discussion and see what you have to say about it.

yeshiva tuitions are strangling us. Even if a family has only three children, not very common in our Orthodox world, the tuition can be, at a minimum, $30,000. If you are sending to high school, seminary, or Yeshiva, the fees go up. So a family with 5-7 children, ranging from a pre-school to seminary, post high school yeshiva, or any college (Touro, community, four year), is drowning in tuitions.

What do we do?

There has been talk that educating our children should become a community responsibility. No one would disagree.

But I suggest, or humbly ask:
Do we need SO many kiruv organizations? Do we need SO many Hachnasas Kallah organizations? How many "unique, individualized, small" new boys' high schools do we need in the greater Tri-State area? Can't these various, very important, and successful organizations combine forces?
Ah, you say, then what will all those employees with children in Yeshiva do for Parnassa?

My answer? Something else. Not in the kiruv/chinuch field.

And combine the Chinese Auctions. Or have a percentage of each Chinese Auction go to support a school in the same community.

Let's face it, when the Orphanage in Israel sends you a pad of paper, or a Kiruv organization sends you a glossy brochure of five dollar tickets, which of them is getting your money?

Do you contribute to A big famous Chinese Auction for a Yeshiva you have no connection to?
or Do you contribute for a small box of candles from a Yeshiva that has been sending out candles for decades? Have only changed the size of their box? (actually, I give them a check: for the candles, the powdered Charoses, and the esrog jam).

So there must be some way the struggling Yeshivos can cash in on the money brought in to organizations for Chinese Auctions.