By Sylvia Maria Gross
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kcur/local-kcur-647062.mp3
Kansas City, MO – Both Kansas City and Independence residents voted yesterday to change the boundary between the two school districts. Beginning in June 2008, seven schools in western Independence and Sugar will be run by the Independence district. Some residents have been calling for this switch for decades. State Senator Victor Callahan, who led the campaign, says the outcome will benefit students in both cities.
CALLAHAN: It sends a strong message for change, positive change for Kansas City school district, and Independence and Sugar Creek who left the district tonight, we are so happy for the families that now have greater opportunities.
Independence officials say they hope to keep all seven schools open, though many will be under capacity with on only the Independence students. About 1200 Kansas City residents attend the schools which will be transferred, and some 500 Independence students go to Kansas City's magnet or charter schools. Kansas City teacher's union president Judy Morgan says the transfer will have a domino effect.
MORGAN: Probably a lot of the teachers who have been there will no longer be in those seven schools. A lot of them will come back to Kansas City schools. And then there will be some bumping into vacancies and I anticipate some layoffs.
Morgan says she thinks residents of both districts might have been misinformed about the financial effects of the boundary change.
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