The number of high schools nationally that graduate less than 50 percent of their students has increased by 70 percent. We have more than our share in Philadelphia, and they contribute disproportionately to rising crime in our city.

Catholic schools are a part of the solution. With more than 85,000 students in the Delaware Valley, impressive graduation rates and academic results, Catholic schools provide an alternative to our public schools. Unfortunately, some Catholic schools have closed and others continue to struggle due to rising costs, smaller parishes and fewer clergy and more lay personnel.

The archdiocese doesn't have the financial or management expertise to keep running schools where student and parish bases have shrunk.

It's our responsibility to help with this mission. With private contributions, tuition payments and support from the archdiocese, these schools can be a cost-effective alternative to public schools. We can add 5,000 students to these schools in poor and middle-class neighborhoods. This should increase the graduation rates and thereby decrease crime in the city.

This year, I became chairman of BLOCS (Business Leadership Organized for Catholic Schools). Our goal is to allow the business community to support effective education.

The plan involves enlisting outside expertise to help them succeed and by raising $50 to $100 million that will insure their long term viability and provide scholarships for kids who cannot afford the tuition.

Our mission is to create a strategic plan to cover the entire region. The inner-city Catholic schools provide a haven in our poorest neighborhoods and help support the middle class that drive our economy. But schools in hard-working-class neighborhoods like Roxborough and Port Richmond also deserve our attention and our support. And they'll get it.

Mike O'Neill, Chairman, BLOCS