Catholic Schools Need a Business Model

St. Anthony is an old-style urban Catholic school. Founded in 1952, it began as a parish school that taught the children of its mostly white parishioners and was staffed by an order of nuns. Today, 85 percent of its students are either African-American or Hispanic. On its website, St. Anthony characterizes its student body as "economically challenged." Its relationship with St. Anthony parish ended in 1992, as did the subsidies that came with it. Its building needs repair. The nuns are long gone.