RICHMOND - While school leaders in Chesterfield County are talking about massive budget cuts, their counterparts in Richmond are talking about spending millions of dollars on building new schools.

On Monday night, the Richmond City Council voted 8-1 to begin construction of at least four new buildings. That would include a new Huguenot High School on Forest Hill Avenue, new Broad Rock and Oak Grove Elementary schools in South Richmond, and a new Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in the east end.

Schools that are also included in the plan are Elkhardt Middle, E.H.S. Greene and George Mason Elementary School.

Mayor Dwight Jones says the city will pay for the construction using a previously established line of credit.

The City is holding a series of informational hearings to discuss the plans for the new schools.

They will be held:

Richmond Technical Center 6-8p Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Boushall Middle School 6-8p Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Franklin Military 6-8p Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Thomas Jefferson High School 6-8p Wednesday, December 9, 2009

The school plan could affect the plans to update the city jail. That project could be built in phases to accomodate the school construction.