Councilwoman Cynthia Newbille will host a 7th District Community meeting at Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School on Saturday morning from 10AM-noon, prior to the Heritage Awards Program.

Councilwomen Newbille and Robertson invite all to attend the two-day 7th Annual Black History Month Extravaganza on Sat.Feb.27 and Sun.Feb.28. Includes Community Awards Program and Dinner dinner, and a program on “The History and Creation of the Black Church,” followed by a question-and-answer session and audience discussion.

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The RTD has a small article about a small gas leak at MLK Middle School this morning:

Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School [...] was evacuated briefly this morning after a natural gas odor was reported inside the building.

No injuries were reported.

The School Board meeting at 4:30PM on Monday includes the only opportunity for public input on the shift in priorities that has likely knocked any work on MLK Middle School out of Phase 1 in favor of a southside elementary school (agenda PDF). The Board will vote on this at the end of their 6PM meeting (agenda PDF).

At a 3-hour meeting today, the School Board tentatively decided to pursue redevelopment for Huguenot High School, Broad Rock Elementary School, Oak Grove Elementary School, and George Mason Elementary School as Phase 1 of overhauling the city’s aging stock of school buildings. M.L.King Middle School, on the original list for redevelopment, was shelved in favor of the 3rd elementary school. Opportunity for public comment and an official vote will take place at the next School Board meeting on November 16.

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The on&off plan to build/rebuild city schools has gone through a number of permutations over the past 5 years. George Mason Elementary and Martin Luther King Middle School were usually mentioned as being near the top of any list, but perhaps not any longer. Mayor Jones presented a plan at last night’s school board meeting that emphasizes rebuilding Huguenot High School; the article in the RTD does not mention any other specific schools:

Jones’ administration has made $150 million available for school construction during the next five years. In addition to the high school, the city identified two elementary schools and one middle school to be constructed by 2014; construction would start on the first elementary school by December 2010.

Edward Antaion Baker faces 30 years on a drug conviction after being arrested last February “near a convenience store at Fairmount Avenue and Mosby Street”:

The defendant, Edward Antaion Baker, 28, was arrested Feb. 25 near a convenience store at Fairmount Avenue and Mosby Street in the city’s East End. In testimony yesterday, a police officer described the parking lot area as the worst open-air drug market in the First Precinct, Baskervill said. It’s across the street from Martin Luther King Middle School.

Six of the eight East End schools met this years AYP benchmarks. All of the neighborhood elementary schools and Franklin Military Academy met the adequate yearly progress (AYP) standards of No Child Left Behind, while MLK Middle School and Armstrong HS did not. 71% of schools statewide and 78% across the city met their targets for the year.

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As as-yet-unidentified 36-year-old man is in critical condition at MCV after being shot in the chest just before 6PM on the 1000 block of Mosby Street. Police hypothosize it was a retaliation shooting, but do not have much more to say at this point.

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Two scenarios of how the Chandler MS students might be distributed were presented at a public forum before the RPS School Board this evening. Both plans split the children between Martin Luther King MS and Henderson MS, and possibly Binford MS.

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The Richmond City School Board will hold a public hearing on Monday, April 20, from 4:30–5:30PM to receive public comment on the recommendations regarding the redistricting of school boundaries for students who currently attend Chandler Middle School. Middle schools that may be affected by the closing of Chandler are
Henderson and Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle Schools.

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Everyone is invited to the 6th Annual Black History Month Extravaganza Sponsored by Delegate Delores McQuinn, 70th District, City Councilwoman 7th District representative Betty Squire, The Richmond Slave Trail Commission, and VCU, today at 2PM at Martin Luther King Jr Middle School.

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Northside’s Chandler Middle School on Brookland Park Boulevard is slated to close after this school year due to “failure to meet federal academic standards”, with a majority of the students to be transferred to Martin Luther King Jr. MS. The fully accredited Martin Luther King MS was formed at the beginning of the 2004/2005 school year when Mosby Middle School and Onslow Minnis MS were merged.

A message from 1st District School Board rep Kim Bridges over at Near West End News includes an invitation to tour a few of the neighborhood schools:

Tuesday, November 18 from 8:15 – 11:45 – Get on the Bus tour of 3 RPS schools. [...] This time we’re touring Overby-Shepard Elementary, Martin Luther King Middle and Franklin Military Institute. FREE to you if you RSVP to 780-7100 by this Friday.

The Virginia Department of Education released the data on the School Accreditation Status for 2008-2009 today and all of the neighborhood schools are designated as Fully Accredited. Congratulations to Chimborazo Elementary, Bellevue Elementary, George Mason Elementary, Fairfield Elementary, Woodville Elementary, Martin Luther King Jr Middle School, Armstrong High School, and Franklin Military Academy!

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A shooting on the 2200 block of Fairfield Avenue just before 2:00PM has seriously injured a juvenile male. The young man, a 7th grade student at MLK Middle School, “has been taken to VCU Medical Center with life-threatening injuries”. Police are offering an instant $1,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest. [via]

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Look out for the MobookMobikeMobile”¦ For the 2nd year in a row, Books on Wheels will be doing their book/bike thing at the MLK Middle School parking lot on Saturday, June 7 (11AM-3PM). Free books and free bike repair!

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There was a ruckus among students yesterday at Martin Luther King Middle School at the end of the school day:

Some parents are upset with Richmond Police after a brawl at Martin Luther King Middle School spills over into Mosby Court. The fight happened Wednesday after school let out. Police came and disbursed the crowd and some parents claim they used excessive force. One juvenile faces disorderly conduct charges.

You are invited to the 5th Annual 7th & 6th Districts’ Community Awards Program and Black History Extravaganza sponsored by Councilwoman Delores McQuinn and Councilwoman Ellen Robertson. The event will be held at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School beginning at 1:30PM on Saturday, February 23rd.

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Martin Luther King Middle School and Bellevue Elementary School are closed today due to power outages.