to Azolis,
“Most Bais Yaakov schools start at $5,000- $7,000. I’m not talking about Queens, which is $9,000 plus. Over here we’re averaging roughly $4,000 per child. And with so many unable to pay and kolel yungeleit, who we’ve been accomodating for all these years… It’s very hard.”
Unfortunately, with the burst of the economic bubble, the community can no longer support the model of everyone who wants can join a kolel and be supported.
In Europe that concept didn’t exist because they couldn’t afford it. The community supported only those whose learning and character marked them as the future leaders.Everyone else went to work to support them ( while also continuing to learn ). At $4,000 a child, you can’t pay decent wages( let alone provide health insurance ) to the teachers, so in effect you’re asking them to support the kolel families too.