KC school board sets March 10 vote on closings

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The Kansas City school board is scheduled to vote March 10 on a plan to close up to half the district's schools.

The board set the date during its meeting Wednesday night.

Officials say the cuts are necessary to keep the district from exhausting its dwindling reserves.

Superintendent John Covington initially proposed closing 29 to 31 of the 60 schools to eliminate a projected $50 million budget shortfall. He has since said he might be willing to settle for 25 closures.

He will present his final recommendation to the board Monday, and the board plans to discuss it at a March 3 meeting.

Administrators say the district's schools are only about half-full. Enrollment has fallen from 35,000 about a decade ago to slightly less than 18,000 today.