Catholic Schools Ask Parents To Pay More

By Jeff Archer

Students at Bishop Leibold Elementary School have seen their annual tuition more than double over the past six years, from less than $900 to $2,200.

Yet the actual cost of educating a child at the Roman Catholic school has increased only moderately. The big change at Bishop Leibold, a K-8 school south of Dayton, Ohio, is that parents who can afford it are being asked to shoulder more of the financial burden previously borne by church subsidies.

Local church leaders say they're not shirking their own responsibility. Rather, they say, the move is aimed at raising enough money to provide tuition aid for those who truly need it, while also paying for improvements to facilities...