By AP/St. Louis Public Radio
St. Louis – The St. Louis Public Schools will shutter an additional six buildings and cut 500 jobs in an effort to reduce the district's nearly 58 million dollar deficit.
Superintendent Kelvin Adams revealed his proposed cuts at a meeting of the Special Administrative Board Thursday. The three-member board must approve the plan.
A special education site and two alternative education schools are among the six to be closed. Adams's plan would affect 226 teachers and eight substitutes.
The head of the district's teacher's union, Mary Armstrong, says the proposal won't solve the long-term problem.
"This district hasn't had a tax increase since 1992 and we really haven't gone to the public to ask for any assistance," she said. "So I don't know how much you can continue to cut and still have a viable educational program."
Both Armstrong and Adams hope the district can avoid layoffs through attrition and early retirement.