CHAMPAIGN – The Champaign high school redistricting plan will go into effect next fall.

The school board approved the redistricting plan at its meeting Monday night.

The plan rezones 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. In another option the district was considering, all students south of Windsor Road would have gone to Central, and the area between Interstates 74 and 57 to the north of the city would have gone to Centennial.

The board asked for the plan to be modified because it expects eventually to build a new high school to replace Central on land to the north, so some board members wanted the area zoned for Central.

The plan approved Monday 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.

The plan was approved 6-1, with board President Dave Tomlinson voting no. Tomlinson said he thinks the district will build a new high school sooner than the 10 years that some have estimated. He said he doesn't want to have to change the boundaries again when that happens, and would prefer to wait on redistricting until plans for a new high school are in place.

No current high school students will have to change schools when the new plan goes into effect for the 2010-11 school year. It includes a policy so younger siblings can attend the same high school as their older brothers and sisters, depending on the grade level of the siblings and the current high school students.

To see a map with the new high school boundaries, go to www.champaignschools.org/redistrict.html and click on the "Option 1A" link.