From The St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Last week, the St. Louis School Board voted to close 17 of its 85 schools. Nearly every public meeting for two months has revolved around the debate, attracting lines of angry parents and staffers to address the board. But something else has come out of those meetings: New ideas.
EARLIER:
From The St. Louis Post-Dispatch: The St. Louis school board has voted to close 17 schools — 14 by this fall. The action is expected to save $16 million each year. The decision came after months of analysis, deliberation and emotional, sometimes angry, public debate, but was itself relatively quiet. Board members voted unanimously, with no discussion, to approve new Superintendent Kelvin Adams' proposal. By the end of this summer, the district will have shuttered 44 schools since 2003, or roughly 40 percent of its buildings. The district has lost 13,000 students since 2003 and expects a $36 million deficit this year in its $350 million budget.
