While geographically the largest school district in the state; The Saint Louis County School District only has around 2-thousand students.
However the district is facing a multi-million dollar shortfall.

The 4-million dollar budget gap has district officials planning for the future.

Superintendent Dr. Charles Rick says "We've been unsuccessful in three levy referendums, our money wise, as our expenditures go up our revenue either stays flat or goes down and so therefore that's why we can not sustain these seven schools for much longer."

For two years the district and community members have been drafting a plan that would save the district millions of dollars.

This plan would involve closing Albrook, Cotton, Cook, and Orr schools while building two new schools to service those locations.

The Cherry school would be remodeled and the Tower school would be converted to an elementary school.

Despite the possible savings the plan does have its critics.

Tower resident Marshall Helmberger "I'm looking for some kind of alternative plan, probably a much less expensive plan that at least has some prospect of passing with the voters."

The plan is set to go before the school board Monday night; if it passes the issue could go before the voters as early as November.

ISD 2141 superintendent Doctor Charles Rick says he believes this is the best plan for the districts students.

Rick says "There's a student sitting there and I think doing what's best for students in a reasonable and practical way we can financially afford and I want people to think about that because that's really what we're talking about.

The school district tried passing three separate operational levies however those all failed prompting this long term solution.