JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Shortly before a meeting between the mayor and concerned community members on Monday, children held signs urging city leaders to reconsider a decision to close the Don Brewer Early Learning Center.

Some of the children who attend preschool programs at the center stood outside City Hall with signs saying, “Don't close our school.”

However, the city has said it does not have the nearly $900,000 needed to keep the Eastside center open, and it’s scheduled to close in August.

“We want to know what the real problem is. We want that school open,” said parent Helen Convers.

She and other parents got some answers in Monday’s meeting with Mayor John Peyton and two City Council members.

The mayor floated a plan to keep the center open without using city money to run it. He said he wants a nonprofit group to move in, run it and use the building for free.

“That gets the city out of the business, which I would argue we probably should not be in,” Peyton said.

However, his plan didn't go over well with some. The group that met with the city leaders said it wants the city to continue spending close to $1 million a year on the school.

A federal judge, who has grandchildren at the center, said the city should take some money away from police to fund the school.

“Before you spend all of this money putting new policemen out there on the street. You might want to consider taking at least $800,000 of that money and using it in a center like this,” said Judge Henry Adams.

In return, the city pointed to an audit released on Monday for the reason it needs to get out of the day care business.

The audit shows the center has had problems handling city and private money together and questioned $138,000 of city money that was mixed in with private investors’ money.

It stated that some of the money might have been used to pay relatives of the staff who did work at the facility or money used for elaborate parties, flowers and donations to other charities.

Council members said they need to do more investigating before the center is closed.

“I have not been provided with an audit or anything, and that is one of my concerns. How can you take the cart before the horse?” said Council Member Johnny Gaffney.

The group asked the mayor if the center could remain open for another year. The mayor’s office said it would consider the request.

City leaders are expected to meet about the center’s future later this month.