14 Catholic schools in Philadelphia archdiocese will be run by an independent network

Charles J. Chaput, archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, has signed documents designating 14 former parish elementary schools in low-income neighborhoods as Catholic "mission schools" operated by an independent network. The Philadelphia Inquirer says a nonprofit organization, Independence Mission Schools, will run the schools. The move is the latest development in the overhaul of education in the five-county archdiocese. The goal is to ensure that Catholic schools remain an option for families in the neediest neighborhoods. The 14 schools enroll about 4,200 students from pre-K through 8th grade. Thirteen of the schools are in Philadelphia, and one is in East Lansdowne.