KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Kansas City school board is closing
nearly half the district's schools in a desperate bid to stay
afloat.
The board's 5-4 decision Wednesday night means 29 out of 61
schools will shut down at the end of the school year. The district
is seeking to erase a projected $50 million budget shortfall.
Teachers at six other low-performing schools will have to
reapply for their jobs, and the district will sell its downtown
central office. It also will cut about 700 of its 3,000 jobs -
including 285 teachers.
Superintendent John Covington says district schools are only
half-full as enrollment has plummeted. Fewer students means less
state funding.
Administrators say the district is plowing through its reserves
and will be in the red by 2011 without cuts.
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