ST. LOUIS - You Paid For It has opened the book on near-empty school buildings in the St, Louis School District, costing you plenty.
There are buildings designed to hold 1,700 students that have less than 200 kids in them.
Among the high schools in enrollment trouble are: Vashon, Sumner, Cleveland, Soldan, and others.
Beaumont, for instance, has a capacity of 1,700 kids but only has 190 students at the moment. The building has four floors, with only one in use.
Superintendent Kelvin Adams says the problem is due to the city's dramatic population loss, which, in turn, means a big loss for the school district.
Adams says the districts has closed some 20 schools over the past 10 years. He warns more consolidation may be necessary.
Adams says it costs taxpayers some $3 million to operate a high school and about half that for an elementary or middle school. He'll make a recommendation to the board on what to do in the next 3 to 6 months. He says any changes will likely be in the 2021 school year.
