CHICAGO, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- About 40 Catholic schools in the Chicago area are at risk of being closed or reconfigured at the end of the school year, the Chicago Tribune said Sunday.
The closings could become the largest school shakeup in the history of the archdiocese, affecting nearly 17 percent of the nation's largest parochial system.
The schools on the list have all seen declining enrollment and deteriorating finances in recent years. Cardinal Francis George was expected Sunday to decide the schools' fate in January, the Tribune said.
Officials say some schools could be replaced by regional schools supported by many parishes. The archdiocese did not reveal which schools were under scrutiny, but officials confirmed the list included about 40 schools, including two archdiocesan high schools.
