KC super backs off hiring PR firm

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City schools Superintendent Bernard Taylor Jr. has backed off plans to spend $60,450 on a public relations firm, a hire some school board members had criticized.

Taylor hired the firm on Oct. 3 to help him prepare for a key meeting with state education officials. He made the decision without first gaining approval form the Kansas City School Board, a necessary step for any non-emergency spending that exceeds $25,000.

CCI Public Relations and Marketing Communications will still help him prepare for Thursday's meeting with the state Board of Education, but the firm's work will be cut to keep its fees below the $25,000 limit.