US city district to close nearly half its schools

(AFP)
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2 hours ago

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Nearly half the public schools in Kansas City, Missouri are slated for closure as the cash-strapped district struggles to address years of declining enrollment and poor performance.

The predominantly African American school district has seen numbers cut in half over the past 10 years as parents moved their children out of the poverty-stricken inner city or into charter schools that operate independently.

It has been plagued by chronic low academic performance with less than a third of elementary school students reading at or above grade level.

The school board voted 5-4 to approve a plan to close 26 of the district's 59 schools at an emotional meeting Wednesday.

Superintendent John Covington defended the plan Thursday as the only way to bridge a projected 50-million-dollar budget for the upcoming academic year and focus resources on improving academic performance.

"Right now we are failing students in large percentages, in large numbers and that doesn't have to be," Covington told reporters.

"The savings we will generate will go into programs that will help them catch up. It will include an extended school day and an extended school year."

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VICTORIA — The B.C. government was accused Wednesday of clawing back millions from daycares, preschools and playgrounds, only a day after it justified deep cuts to arts, sports and environment groups by saying the money was needed to protect children's programs.

The government confirmed it had cut gaming grants for preschools, childcare centres and resource centres to $4.6 million this year, from $8.9 million last year.

The reduction was necessary so the government can afford grants for youth-based arts and sports programs, as well as food banks and search and rescue groups, said Housing and Social Development Minister Rich Coleman.

The more than 50 per cent drop in daycare grants came on the heels of steep cuts to the province's overall gaming grants program announced Monday.

The government reduced the amount available to charities and non-profits by $36 million, leaving only $120 million this year to be parcelled to more than 6,000 organizations.

The grant money comes from $1.1 billion in annual lottery, gambling and casino revenue, but the government said it needs the bulk of that money this year to fund health care and other priority programs as it runs a $1.7-billion deficit.

The cuts contradict a $28 million promise in last week's budget to help subsidize daycare for low-income-families and run contrary to promises in last month's throne speech to help families, said NDP housing critic Shane Simpson.

"We have a government that on one hand said that early childhood learning and early childhood education is a priority, and on the other hand cuts those grants that for organizations with very tight budgets," said Simpson.

The government was also under fire for its decision to end a $4 million grant program that helped Parent Advisory Councils build 250 school playgrounds in the past two years.

"They're taking money away from kids and playgrounds and putting it into government revenue," said NDP Leader Carole James.

Coleman said the government has compensated PACs by restoring last year's $20-per-student funding, which PACs can spend on playgrounds as they wish.

The government also restored $110 million in annual facilities maintenance grants, which it said could be used by school districts to upgrade playgrounds.

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