Students leave Dunbar Elementary School in the JeffVanderLou neighborhood. The school will close this spring. St. Louis Public Schools moved forward with a plan Tuesday night to reduce the number of schools in the district, deciding to close at least eight schools but giving three other schools a reprieve. The city’s school board voted 4-3 after more than two hours of debate to close a smaller list of schools than it considered late last year. The closures are an effort to put more funding toward support services and academics, rather than facilities costs, as the district continues to lose students and operate half-empty buildings.