KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser will hold a telephone conference call town hall meeting Tuesday to discuss ways the city can help Kansas City, Mo., schools improve.

Funkhouser said the city needs to step up and help improve the Kansas City, Mo., School District, which has faced troubles in recent years. Funkhouser's office said he will tell parents, teachers and administrators how he plans to do it Tuesday evening.

In a recent speech, Funkhouser said there is a perception that Kansas City schools are dangerous and undesirable. He said he wants to change that with his Schools First program.

Funkhouser said Schools First will concentrate on the city's basic services and safety programs around schools and use a $100 million bond issue to do that. The improvements would go toward sidewalk repairs, roadwork and demolition of dangerous buildings around schools. The program would also put more police presence around the schools.

The mayor said the city has a lot of work to do to turn the district's reputation around.

"We have seen, 'Your test scores suck, your grad rate is bad, you're doing terrible,'" Funkhouser said. "You know what? They need help."

The tele town hall starts at 7 p.m. Those interested can call 88-886-6603 and enter 13998 to enter the conference call.