Superintendent John Covington had a difficult and thankless task: Do SOMETHING to right the capsizing Kansas City MO School District.
Mr. Covington met the task head-on- offering-up a list of under-attended schools to close to try to patch the hemorrhaging of school district cash.
Here are the schools Superintendent Covington suggests closing:
Elementary schools: Northeast- Askew- Knotts- Ladd- Moore- Pinkerton- West Rock Creek- Woodland- Douglas- Franklin- Longan- McCoy- Richardson- Scarritt and Swinney.
Central and Westport middle schools would close- as well as Westport and Southeast at Manual high schools and the district’s administration building at 1211 McGee downtown.
Also on the closing list according to The KANSAS CITY STAR would be "the Afrikan Centered Education Collegium Campus elementary and 6th grade center; the Kansas City Middle School of the Arts and Lincoln College Preparatory Academy middle school; the Fairview alternative school; the Teenage Parent Center and adult basic education."
Struggling neighborhoods where the closed schools are located would deteriorate further and there are no promises the quality of education would improve district-wide.
Something HAD to be done- I have suggested dissolving the KC-MO SD altogether- but that apparently wasn't an option.
Superintendent John Covington has my respect- he took the job facing some drastic measures- and is telling it like it is and more importantly- doing it.
Let's hope the REST of the school board remembers that come the vote on these school closings on March 10.
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