KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City school board narrowly approved a plan Wednesday to close nearly half the district’s schools in a desperate bid to avoid bankruptcy.

The board voted 5-4 after parents and community leaders pleaded to spare the schools even as the beleaguered district seeks to erase a projected $50 million budget shortfall. The approved plan calls for shuttering 29 of 61 schools – a striking amount even as public school closures rise nationwide.