Church Hill People's News » MLK MS

Teens want safe neighborhoods and to buy clothes

john_m — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 16:40:38 +0000

From the East End Transformation Public Pin-up and Youth Charrette today at the Family Resource Center: a list of retail that teenagers would like to see, and maps marking in green and red the safe and unsafe places.

MLK Middle School in green

Old Armstrong High School

The Charrette Closing Session will be Monday, June 7, at 5PM at the Robinson Theatre (2903 Q Street).

Mayor Jones announces health policy forum

john_m — Sun, 09 May 2010 12:57:19 +0000

The Mayor Dwight C. Jones Blue Ribbon Commission on Health Policy Community Forum has been announced for Saturday, May 22 from 10AM-noon at MLK Middle School on Mosby Street:

Mayor Jones’ Community forum is for citizens to share their experiences with health care delivery in Richmond; identify health-related issues affecting our community; and, learning about how the Mayor is developing an action plan to solve problems and help citizens through the Mayor Dwight C. Jones Blue Ribbon Commission on Health Policy.

RPS to break ground at MLK in October 2011

john_m — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 10:45:18 +0000

Building a Better Richmond was recently launched to share information on the school building process, including the rebirth of MLK Middle School:

Ground-breaking and site utilities work is presently scheduled to begin October 2011 with the completion of construction scheduled for June 2013. Students are slated to occupy the space on the first day of school in August 2013. Demolition of the existing building and final site activities will be complete around the end of that same year.

A public meeting was held last night at Martin Luther King Middle School to get community input on the redevelopment project:

About 50 people showed up last night to express their thoughts on what they’d like to see at the middle school. [...] Meeting attendees put academic programs at the top of their priority list, followed by technology infrastructure and athletic programs. They also expressed a desire to see more programs and space for the community and after-hours uses.

City resident Shekinah Mitchell said the focus needs to remain on instruction and making sure the school provides every opportunity to help kids compete with their peers in the counties and around the world.

MLK Building a Better Richmond meeting is this Thursday

john_m — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 15:11:45 +0000

A message from Don Coleman, 7th District School Board Member, on the Building a Better Richmond Martin Luther King (MLK) Middle School Project Community Input Meeting set for Thursday, April 29th, from 6-8PM at MLK Middle School:

The purpose of this meeting is to provide a Building A Better Richmond status update and to drill down and get specific neighborhood-based feedback on how the rennovated or newly constructed school site can best be designed for community use beyond the traditional school day. This meeting is where everyone in the community can have input! We need to hear from all citizens.

On the future of MLK Middle School

john_m — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 10:40:48 +0000

From the Mayor’s most recent Building a Better Richmond:

Plans for Martin Luther King (MLK) Middle School and Huguenot High School are currently in the conceptual stages, as architects and engineers are researching design options for both facilities. A final decision will be made on whether MLK Middle School will be completely rebuilt or undergo extensive renovations. [...] A community meeting to share the status of the MLK Middle School project and collect input from the community is being scheduled for late April.

The project is on schedule for construction to start in September 2011 with occupancy planned for September 2013. A community meeting will be held in early May to discuss the project status of the Huguenot High School project. Huguenot is on schedule for construction to start in November 2011 with occupancy planned for September 2014.

I’ve heard that the MLK meeting will be held at MLK on Thursday, April 29th time, at either 6PM or 7PM.

7th District meeting set for Saturday

john_m — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:40:43 +0000

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.

All are invited to the 2010 Black History Month Extravaganza

john_m — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 08:00:15 +0000

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.

Richmond City Councilwoman Cynthia I. Newbille, East End 7th District and Councilwoman Ellen F. Robertson, Gateway 6th District, invite citizens to join them at the two-day Richmond 7th Annual Black History Month Extravaganza; cosponsored by Delegate Delores L. McQuinn, Member, Virginia House of Delegates 70th District.

The first-day of the event will include the Richmond 7th Annual Black History Month Extravaganza Heritage Community Awards Program and Dinner. This event will recognize individuals whose volunteer efforts have made significant differences in our community and include a program entitled “Embracing Our Culture, Saving Our Children, Reclaiming Our Community”. The event includes a free Soul Food Dinner.

The second-day of two-day Richmond 7th Annual Black History Month Extravaganza will include a program-driven discussion entitled “The Future of Richmond’s Past,” which will be held in a different location.

Both events (including the dinner) are free and the entire community is invited and encouraged to attend.

WHEN/WHERE

First-Day – Saturday, February 27, 2010 – 1:30-2:30 p.m.
Heritage Community Awards Program and Dinner

Keynote Speaker
Rev. Marcus Martin, Pastor, New Bridge Baptist Church
President, Baptist General Convention of Virginia Division of Clergy

Live Musical Entertainment
· Richmond Youth Jazz Guild
· Pilgrim Baptist Church Mass Choir
· Jake Holmes “In Due Season”
· Soulful Sounds

Includes
· Free Admission
· Free Soul Food Dinner

Location
Richmond Public Schools – Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School
1000 Mosby Street, Richmond (In Richmond’s Historic Church Hill)

Second-Day – Sunday, February 28, 2010 2:00-3:30 p.m.
program-driven Discussion entitled “The Future of Richmond’s Past”

Location
Family Resource Center
2405 Jefferson Avenue (In Richmond’s Historic Church Hill)

WHO The Honorable Cynthia I. Newbille, Councilwoman, Richmond City Council,
East End 7th District,
The Honorable Ellen F. Robertson, Councilwoman, Richmond City Council,
Gateway 6th District

CONTACT For more information, please contact Sam Patterson, at 804.646.3012; or sam.patterson@richmondgov.com

MLK Middle School evacuated due to gas leak

john_m — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:29:09 +0000

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.

Public input and a vote on new schools on Monday

john_m — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:49:32 +0000

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).

King tentatively dropped from list of schools for redevelopment

john_m — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:15:46 +0000

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.

The agenda for the meeting outlined the School Board’s intent to: review the list of schools for which new contruction is a priority, prioritize schools for construction, set opportunities for public comment, and develop a recommendation to the board. An attached document described the 5 key factors to consider as: 1) instructional priorities, 2) demographic demands, 3) facilities shortcomings, 4) available financing, and 5) Mayor/City Council priorities.

The Mayor’s proposal calls for a new Huguenot High School, an unspecified middle school, and 2 unspecified elementary schools to be reconstructed or overhauled. The 9 schools considered for redevelopment, with costs, were:

$ 5,000,000 – Amelia Street School
$10,000,000 – Capital City Program
$27,700,000 – Broad Rock Elementary
$35,000,000 – Elkhart Middle School
$29,600,000 – E.H.S.Green Elementary
$81,300,000 – Huguenot High School
$36,900,000 – M.L.King Middle School
$27,700,000 – George Mason Elementary
$27,600,000 – Oak Grove Elementary

The money for Amelia Street School and the Capital City Program has already been committed. In addition, Mayor Jones has already included Huguenot High School in Phase 1, a move vocally supported by the 9th District’s Evette Wilson and the 5th District’s Betsy Carr. The discussion then centered around which of the other schools should be a part of the initial push, and which priorities should be used to determine how to approach this.

After much back on forth on funding, demographics, and the need for future data, the 7 participating School Board members and Superintendent Brandon were polled on which schools should be a priority. The first set of polling indicated overwhelming support for a new Broad Rock Elementary, and strong support for George Mason Elementary, Martin Luther King Middle School, and Oak Grove Elementary (in that order).

In the following discussion to winnow the list further, population growth and school crowding on southside were brought up by both Wilson and the 8th District’s Page. In an attempt to bump up the chances for Oak Grove ES, Page pointed out that money has already been spent on the design work for all 3 elementary schools, with less work being completed for MLK MS; her point was that it would save money to move on the 3 elementary schools and shelve the plan for MLK MS. The 6th District’s Chandra Smith then spoke heatedly on the need for work at MLK MS. A repolling after the discussion dropped support for both George Mason ES and MLK MS to behind Oak Grove ES, pushing MLK MS to 4th on the list.

School Board 3rd District representative Murdoch-Kitt was not present at the meeting. School Board 2nd District representative Gray came in about an hour after the start of the meeting and did not take part in any of the polling. Gray asked questions about the legality of the process regarding from where the funding and direction were coming; this confused me a bit: look for a post by Isaac Graves or perhaps comments from others present (you know who you are…) for clarification on this.

What is the plan for rebuilding schools?

john_m — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:42:14 +0000

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.

Drug dealer faces 30 years

john_m — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 10:45:17 +0000

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.

DOE releases AYP numbers for 2009-2010

john_m — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:52:09 +0000

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.

For a school or school division to make AYP under the federal education law, it must meet or exceed a series of requirements and objectives. A school or school division that falls short on a single requirement or objective is not considered to have made AYP.

These requirements include objectives for participation in state-wide standardized testing in reading and mathematics, achievement in these subjects, and attendance (ES and middle schools) or graduation (high schools). A minimum of 95 percent of students overall must participate in reading and mathematics testing, and 95 percent of students in each of the following subgroups also must take state assessments in these two subjects: white, black, Hispanic, students with disabilities, economically disadvantaged students, and students with limited English proficiency. Students may be counted in more than one subgroup. Students overall and in each subgroup must meet the annual measurable objectives (AMO) for proficiency in reading and mathematics or reduce the failure rates on tests in reading and mathematics by at least ten percent. Schools and school divisions also must meet annual objectives for progress on other indicators of academic achievement.

Meeting AYP is different than being accredited. The targets for school or systems AYP were initially set in relation to an individual school’s baseline performance and get progressively more stringent each year. Schools in a school system as highly regarded as Chesterfield County are expected to have difficulty making AYP as the requirements get tighter and tighter. More locally, for example, Fox Elementary in the Fan did not make AYP this year. Accreditation is based on meeting testing requirements that are standard across the state.

AYP Status for 2009-2010 based on achievement results from 2008-2009.

SCHOOL NAME

2009

2008

2007

Armstrong High

Did Not Make AYP

Made AYP

Did Not Make AYP

Bellevue ES

Made AYP

Made AYP

Chimborazo ES

Made AYP

Made AYP

Fairfield Court ES

Made AYP

Made AYP

Franklin Military Academy

Made AYP

Made AYP

George Mason ES

Made AYP

Made AYP

Martin Luther King Jr. MS

Did Not Make AYP

Made AYP

Woodville ES

Made AYP

Made AYP

Shooting on Mosby Street (UPDATED)

john_m — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 23:22:05 +0000

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.

The shooting victim was walking on the sidewalk on the west side of the street, the same side as Martin Luther King Jr Middle School. Police taped off the 900 and 1000 blocks of Mosby Street and appeared to be examining the school building and grounds.

Quiet public forum clarifies options for Chandler students

john_m — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 21:57:12 +0000

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.

The meeting in the school board conference room took place with all 9 members of the school board, Superintendent Brandon, and a crowd of about 25. Half of the crowd look like media or seemed to be RPS affiliated in some way.

Two scenerios were presented:

SCENARIO 1

SCHOOL	CAPACITY NUMBER	09/10 W/OUT CHANDLER	CH.5th GRADE AFFECTED	CH.6th GRADE AFFECTED	CH.7th GRADE AFFECTED	# MOVING	09/10 WITH	CAPACITY PERCENT
MLK	1000	655	74	35	62	171	826	83%
HENDERSON	880	519	96	43	56	195	714	81%

SCENARIO 2

SCHOOL	CAPACITY NUMBER	09/10 W/OUT CHANDLER	CH.5th GRADE AFFECTED	CH.6th GRADE AFFECTED	CH.7th GRADE AFFECTED	# MOVING	09/10 WITH	CAPACITY PERCENT
MLK	1000	655	67	29	52	148	803	80%
HENDERSON	880	542	70	29	42	141	683	78%
BINFORD	540	386	26	19	16	77	463	86%

CURRENT BOUNDARIES

SCENARIO #1

SCENARIO #2

After the presentation, time was offered for public questions and response. Here are the main points of the speakers:

Increasing capacity at Henderson threatens having the ability to offer an IB program in the future.
Will Community High be moving to Chandler? 6ht District Rep. Smith – We are “moving forward with that plan.”
Man has 2 kids zoned for Boushall, wants to get kids into Hill or Binford as Boushall is not accredited. Worries that these schools will be even more unvailable as options now.
Chandler parent. Doesn’t want student to go to MLK or Henderson, is concerned about “overcrowding”, would like student to go to Binford.
Parent whose daughter is in 5th grade at Fisher Elementery, new homeowner on Overbrook. Was countin on NCLB to get girl out of Chandler, does not want to sent her to MLK or Henderson.
Art Burton (community activist and perenial candidate) – Support of Scenerio #1, concerend about dividing communities. The closing of Chandler offers the opportunity to provide resources to MLK. This stems declining enrollment. Has concerns about the condition of the facility, lack of parental involvement.