The Richmond School Board voted unanimously last night to close Chandler Middle School at the end of this school year. The decision, although expected by most, was a disappointment to Brenda Barton and her daughter, Etta, a seventh-grader who will have to switch schools next fall.

Richmond’s experience-shy School Board has a little more time to figure out how to slash about $16 million from its $269 million budget for next fiscal year. About three hours into what was expected to be the last pre-vote budget work session yesterday, Superintendent Yvonne W. Brandon and School Board Chairwoman Chandra Smith looked at a note that was passed into the room and announced that the City Council extended the deadline for submitting a budget from Feb. 20 to March 20.

The word of the night for Richmond’s School Board last night was “cut.“ On a positive note, that was “cut” as in fewer in-school discipline problems at George Wythe High School. On a negative, and more pervasive, note, that was “cut” as in fewer budget dollars to go around and, possibly, one fewer middle school for city students.

If the budget situation for Richmond schools is as dire as expected, 155 employees could lose their jobs and the city could close a school.

The long-running search for Richmond’s next school superintendent has reached the candidate stage. In a special meeting last night, the School Board received a list of potential new leaders. The board opened and promptly closed the meeting, citing confidential personnel matters. Tom Farrell, the Dominion Resources chief and the head of the School Board-appointed committee in charge of finding candidates, was on hand and was allowed to remain in the closed meeting. He would not comment on whether he was presenting a list of candidates, though he said this month that his committee would finish its work before today.

The Richmond School Board will meet tomorrow to discuss the search for its next superintendent. The meeting will not include mention of specific candidates.

After two years of big issues and occasionally big acrimony, Richmond’s School Board finished its term last night with more of a whimper than a bang.

Minus Richmond’s current and future mayor, members of the City Council and School Board pressed last night their priorities for the 2009 General Assembly session. The dinner discussion touched on a range of topics but was dominated by talk of a hope that lawmakers would limit the impact of potentially severe budget cuts on critical services, including education and public safety.

Richmond’s new School Board has two months to get ready for three busy weeks. When the board is officially seated Jan. 5, the clock will start ticking on the first item of immediate importance: hiring a superintendent. By state law, the board has 180 days to replace former chief Deborah Jewell-Sherman. She left July 31, meaning the new board will have only 22 days left to hire her replacement by Jan. 27.

Richmond voters go to the polls today to elect a mayor and members of the City Council and the School Board. Mayoral candidates are running to succeed L. Douglas Wilder, who decided not to seek a second four-year term. On the mayoral ballot are: