eddie > Parents want Caddilac service at Yugo prices.
There are 2 (related) issues:
1) high cost v. family resources
2) issue of control and potential abuses of power
on (1), the focus is on fundraising, families struggling and teachers being paid little… maybe we need to be more realistic on what we can afford and what priorities are, and be more innovative in how we price things. Lots of examples:
– expensive seminaries are ripe for a takanah that seminary can not be mentioned on shidduch resume and responded by references on the punishment of herem.
– small classes often have students of different level … use remote classes of advanced general studies
– allow kids to go part time to a different school for specific classes. Optimally, to increase competition, parents should buy one class/teacher at a time rather
– enable transparency of school/class/teacher successes (publish test results)
– enroll those who want into online public schools for general studies (several yeshivos did that, not sure where they stand now)
– move to states with vouchers
on (2), in my estimation, 50% of problems are objective, see above, and 50% are due to school admins – incompetency, self-interest, protecting school reputation/family members, lack of respect to other shitos, etc.