Orange County, Calif., Catholics work to keep schools open

From The Los Angeles Times: A group of Orange County, Calif., Catholic educators and businessmen faced a tough decision last fall: Do they close six struggling local parish schools or take aggressive steps to keep them open? It is a scenario confronting church leaders throughout the nation who are beset by shrinking enrollments that threaten to decimate urban parochial schools. A task force has decided to hold the line and keep the six schools open. The schools have a a combined deficit of $1.5 million, but church leaders say they play a vital role in educating more than 1,000 children, many from low-income immigrant families.