CHAMPAIGN – Parents and students in the Champaign school district will be able to comment on a new option for high school redistricting at a forum this evening.

The school district will hold a community forum at 6 p.m. at the Mellon Administrative Center, 703 S. New St., C., to talk about the proposal.

The new option, which has been recommended to the school board for adoption by the administration, is a revision of one of the original options the district considered. The new option would rezone the area northeast of Interstate 74 to Central High School and the area south of Windsor Road and west of Interstate 57 to Centennial High School.

The board is expected to vote on the proposal at its Nov. 9 meeting, and the new plan is to go into effect for the 2010-11 school year.

However, current high school students will not be affected by the new plan, and will remain at the schools they attend now. The district also plans to adopt a policy so younger siblings can attend the same high school as their older brothers and sisters, depending on the grade level of the younger silbings and current high school students.

The redistricting is happening because Centennial High School is overcrowded. The plan seeks to balance the enrollments of the two high schools, as well as the number of low-income and minority students at each.

Board members asked that the original Option 1 be modified so Central's district would include more land in the north part of the district – the area in which a new high school to replace Central will eventually be built.

The plan would also move two areas between Russell Street and Mattis Avenue – one south of Kirby Avenue and one between Springfield and Bradley avenues – from Centennial's district to Central's. Centennial would gain students from the northwest part of the city.

For more information or to see a map of the options, see the district's Web site at www.champaignschools.org and click on the link for "Redistricting" on the right side of the page.