Schools to reopen Monday, Mayor webhed, 42 characters or fewer, in notesface

In what comes as a major relief to parents, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Thursday that NYC schools, which have been closed since Monday, would reopen next week.

"We plan to reopen public schools for classes on Monday and we have a lot of work to do to get ready," Bloomberg said at a Thursday press conference. Evacuation shelters, some of which were located in NYC schools, were being consolidated in part to move people out of the schools so that they might be readied for their usual occupants, said the mayor.

Details as to whether schools damaged by flooding would also be open Monday were scant at press time. Spokesmen for the Board of Ed and United Federation of Teachers were not available to respond to inquiries. Bloomberg said that all public school teachers, principals and staff were to report to work today (Friday).