The Friends of King Schools Board of Directors reacted to uncertain news of the school’s  building assignment.  While Martin Luther King Charter Elementary was assigned its current location on Caffin Avenue, the Recovery School District list makes no mention of the high school, which is still housed in trailers.

Present for the board’s monthly meeting were President Hilda Young, CEO/Principal Doris Hicks, Secretary Cora Charles, and board members Gail Armant, Sandra Monroe, Thelma Ruth, and George Rabb.  The Nov. 16 meeting began at 12:05 p.m.

“I thought the plan was to get the students out of trailers,” Hicks said.  “So, are you going to leave them in trailers?  What are you going to do with that?”

“It is critically important that the message is clear.  The community that came together to re-open Martin Luther King Jr. does not want its babies in trailers,” board attorney Tracie Washington said.  “The high school students deserve a building as much, or more so, as students at schools like Lusher and Audubon, that received $45 million for buildings that were not damaged.”

Rabb gave a brief financial update, reporting $1.5 million in grants and Title 1 funding.  “We don’t have any deficits in any areas as of now,” he said.  “The line of credit we have is still available.  We have not used it yet.”

Also featured at the meeting was freshman class project leader, Jamal Preston, who was invited to the meeting to discuss his group’s project: “America’s economy and its collapse.”  Focusing on the years 2007 to the present, students analyzed which job sectors lost the most, and which actually gained during the market crash that brought on recession.

“A lot of people are blaming this on the first African American President, Obama, but I find that completely nonsensical,” he said.  The project will culminate in a question-and-answer session later this year, when students will summarize their findings.

The board adjourned the meeting at 12:39 p.m.