Parents and Expert Weigh in on K-8 Schools KANSAS CITY, MO (kcur) - The Kansas City Missouri School District hired a group of consultants to help the district determine which schools should close. But a few weeks after the consultants gave their recommendations, Superintendent Anthony Amato came up with a new plan. How about closing middle schools all together, and keep sixth, seventh and eighth graders in elementary school? KCUR's Ty Chandler spoke to some local parents and Liza Herzog, senior research associate for the Philadelphia Education Fund. Philadelphia has been in the process of extending 133 elementary schools to the eighth grade over the last 5 years. © Copyright 2009, kcur