John Covington’s plan to close 26 schools gets 5-4 approval from KC School Board

On a 5-4 vote, the Kansas City School Board narrowly passed Superintendent John Covington‘s plan to close 26 schools and cut 700 jobs (many of them teachers).

At this morning’s presser, Covington made seven mentions of “right-sizing,” which was enough to make me want to do shots. But it’s hard to argue against change in the district.

“It has been a difficult and painful and very emotional process that

impacts our entire community,” Covington told reporters. “No one likes

closing schools. It’s hard. It’s tough on families, and it’s certainly

tough on our community.”