Bond Issue For New City Schools Not Imminent; But Not Out of the Question

A rumor floating around has it that the St. Louis Public Schools are planning a bond issue next year to raise money to build news schools.

Today I called St. Louis Public Schools executive director of communications, Patrick Wallace, to ask about the bond chatter.

Here's the deal, according to Wallace. The school district will close 14 schools this year and plans to shutter three more schools by 2011. Following those last closures, the school plans to open two new elementary school -- one in north city and one in south city.

Those two news schools could be funded via a bond issue. Wallace says they could also be paid for with federal stimulus monies or funds generated from the district's multi-million-dollar desegregation settlement from several years back.

"No bond issue for those news schools has been discussed at any of the board's meetings to date," confirms Wallace.