IMHO Joseph’s argument is reasonable (and compelling).
Furthermore, I’m not the town’s tzedakka halacha maven, but if a school in the next town was about to close (2,000 children to boot) and the school in your own town seems relatively stable (nothing is stable in these times), what’s to stop you from supporting the school in the next town?
Why do some CR members sound so dead against this scenario? And keep pushing the agenda of giving to your own town first? Am I missing something here? This is a genuine question.